It was a dark early spring night, rain could be heard splattering the leaves of the magnolia trees outside. Ana had ran away to this southern resort in the hopes to get away and reclaim some inspiration for her next project for the gallery. While there she thought she had spotted a familiar face, but dismissed it as just her tired mind playing tricks with her. On this night she laid on the hammock in the enclosed back porch of the vacation bungalow, quietly reading a book when she heard a knock at the door. She went to answer to discover him dripping wet at the doorstep. How did he know that she was staying in that exact bungalow, she wondered. Surely he did not follow her around the entire vacation resort. Of all the questions crossing my mind, only one was able to escape her lips. "Marco, what are you doing here?"
"I needed to see you," he said gravely.
"You are positively drenched. You are going to catch your death of cold like that," Ana exclaimed aghast. "At the very least let me put those wet things in the dryer and get you a blanket or something."
He agreed, though he looked slightly unwillingly. She turned to the bedroom, took a thick wool blanket from the linen closet, and returned to find Marco still at the foyer stripped down to his boxers.
Ana dimpled at the sight and exclaimed, "my goodness! I haven't seen you so bare in years." She tossed the blanket at him playfully and leaned against the foyer desk. As she watched him wrap his cold shoulders within the woolen layers a pensive expression ran over her face. "I'm not sure where I should start. How did you know I was here? Or what is so important that you needed to see me?"
Marco did not know what to say; there she was, the love of his life that he let slip away and his mind was drawing a complete blank. Little did he think when he came to this resort for the management seminar that he would run across her. He was walking across the lobby on his way to the Conference Room when he spotted her through the windows, lounging in the Georgia sun by the pool in a cute lavender number that accentuate her perfectly. It was two years since that day she ran away from him without a word. It two weeks to get any information from her twin sister, Eva, on why she left; and all she would tell him in a drunken stupor was that Ana had left to go up north because she thought she was pregnant and he wasn't mature enough to be a father. Now here she was, standing in front of him in a beautiful blue satin gown and looking utterly breathtaking. Why did he have to be standing there in nothing but his boxers, he thought; but he had a more pressing question to ask. "Why did you leave me two years ago?"
Ana was taken aback, she should have seen that question coming sooner or later. What to say? Definitely nothing about Isabella, he shouldn't know anything about that she thought. "I saw our lives were taking different directions. You were unsure of what you wanted and I just wanted something more, so I just left." At least she told half the truth, she thought to herself.
"You just left," Marco repeated after her. "More like ran. If that were all you would have at least said something. You are not the kind of person to just up and leave without a good-bye or anything. You are too conscientious and proper to just leave like you did," he stepped closer to Ana and in a voice so deep it was almost a growled he said, "There was something more, isn't there?"
Ana avoided his direct stare; yes there was something more, but there was no way she was going to tie him down to something he didn't want or need. "I don't know what you are talking about," she told him. "I could be prone to momentary lapse of judgments. Surely Eva is not the only one with the flighty streak in the family."
"Damn it Ana don't play the avoiding game with me," he exploded. "I know you were pregnant when you left. You were sick for days before you just disappeared on me and I had to get Eva drunk before she would even spill the beans on that. And even then she still wouldn't tell me where you went!"
Ana didn't know if she should wring her sister's neck or thank the fact she had enough gumption not to tell all even drunk. So this was all he wanted; he was not searching her out because of her, he wanted to know about his child. She was to close to him to lie to him, darn her body for reacting this way to him. She was already feeling her nipples tensing at his nearness. She moved away towards the living room sofa. "Yes I was," she admitted, "but for your information she isn't yours."
Marco followed her, spinned her around and captured her chin, turning her gaze towards his. "Tell me that to my face. Tell me that my love for you meant nothing."
Damn those hazel eyes that burned to her soul, she could never directly lie to him. The tears began to well in her eyes. "Her name is Isabella, and you can't have her. And don't give me that crap anymore that you came here to see me. You didn't come here for me, you only care about one night of sex two years ago." She turned away from him, tears streaming down her face and pain spreading within her. "You still liked to your motorcycles and play around too much to settle down with a family. So I decided to take matters to my own hands as my mother had done years ago to keep us away from father's circle of influence."
"I am nothing like your father, you knew that since the night I stood up to him for you when he wanted to send you to Europe to seal a trade deal through marriage. There was no way I was going to loose you then, there is no way I'm going to loose you now Ana." A cold wind blew in through the balcony doors, he could see her shiver. Or could it be something else that is making her tremble. He went to her again and wrapped his arms around her. "You don't have to be strong for me," he whispered in her ear, "I'll do whatever it takes for you."
