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‘My mother’s sake,’ Vito emphasised drily ‘But my mother worked out the truth for herself and she is currently divorcing ained his health and then told him that she wanted a separation’
‘And how do you feel about that? I mean, their divorce means that your sacrifice was in vain’
‘I’m relieved that they’ve split up I don’t like my father very much…well, not at all, really,’ Vito adreedy, dishonest man and my mother will have a better life without him’
Utterly amazed by that flood of unrestrained candour from a male as reserved as Vito, Holly continued to scrutinise hi me all t
his now?’
‘You’re family now in all but name,’ Vito told her wryly ‘And I couldn’t possibly allow you to continue to believe that I am not a fit person to be around my son’
Holly fully understood that ed you I was naive to believe everything I read on the internet about you I told you before that I don’t knohoher nose ‘My ed her when I was sixteen to tell me the truth but she still wouldn’t answer me I honestly don’t think she knows either In those days she was fairly promiscuous I’ve had no contact with her since then’
‘You’ve never had a father…much like me Ciccio took no interest in me when I was a child and when I was an adult he only approacheddoith striking grace of ure but he was seventy when I was born and he had a Victorian outlook on childcare and education It was far from ideal’
Holly was fascinated by what she was learning about Vito’s background, although she really wasn’t sure why he was choosing to tell her so much ‘I think very few people have an ideal childhood,’ she said ruefully
‘But wouldn’t it be wonderful to give Angelo that ideal?’ Vito pressed, black velvet lashes lifting on glittering gold as he studied her
Her heart raced and her aze froht inner seah Guilty heat surged through her and she shifted uneasily ‘And how could we give Angelo an ideal childhood?’ she asked abstractedly
‘By gettingour son a conventional start in life,’ Vito spelt out with elo, Holly…I’m here to ask you to be my wife’
Disbelief roared through Holly She blinked rapidly, doubting the evidence of her ears He was proposing? He was actually proposing e to her because she had had his child?
Holly loosed an uneasy laugh and Vito frowned, because that was hardly the response he had envisaged ‘I think your grandfather’s Victorian outlook is showing, Vito We don’t need to get ’
‘How else can I be a proper father when I live in a different country?’ Vito demanded with harsh bite ‘I really don’t want to be only an occasional visitor in my son’s life or the home he visits for a feeeks in suh for me’