Read His Love for Free Online Page A

honest and innocent eyes. It took her a second to absorb all of it before she moved on along the table. She responded to Jacqueline and Sofia with a giggle as they kissed her cheek. Rayne didn’t know what to expect when Alessandria got to Kane, but when the old man lifted her in his arms and settled her on his lap, as he held still waiting for her to don him with a party hat, she was shocked. The beast had a soft side to him after all. That was when she realized where all Alessandria’s mistrust stemmed from, and where everyone’s uncertainty about the little girl was influenced. Antonio.
    Alessandria ate her dinner from the comfort of her grandfather’s embrace, and when she was done, Rayne beckoned Antonio toward the kitchen.
    “It’s a beautiful cake,” he said.
    “It took a while to decorate.” Rayne stared at him expectantly after she lit the four candles.
    “What do you want me to do with it?” Antonio asked, confused.
    “I want you to carry it to your daughter.”
    “I’d rather not.”
    “I wasn’t asking.” Rayne walked out of the kitchen holding the door open for him. “Come on, she only has until tomorrow to celebrate her fourth birthday.”
    Antonio lifted the cake in his arms. Rayne started singing as soon as Antonio appeared. The others joined in and Antonio mumbled along. She urged him on when it came to blowing out the candles.
    “She’s going to make a mess,” Sofia said as Alessandria buried her fingers into the chocolate cake.
    “It’s okay, I’ll clean it up.” Rayne put in as she watched the flicker of emotions that played in Antonio’s eyes. His face crumpled. It went from happy, to awe, to distraught, then finally pain. Rayne’s first instinct was to comfort him, but the sadness disappeared and a stormy expression took over. She inched back as fear struck her. All expression fell from his face as Antonio spun around and marched out of the room.
    ***
    “Why did you leave?” Rayne had taken the risk to go into Antonio’s room after putting Alessandria to bed. She didn’t trust herself or him, but she needed to know why he had run away when they were making progress.
    “I don’t have to explain myself to you,” he grumbled, but emotion cracked in his voice.
    “The least you could do is kiss her goodnight.” Rayne paced around the room after him.
    “She’s already asleep. There’s no point.”
    “There is a point.” Rayne could feel the emotion lace her tone. “When it comes to your child, there is always a point. Do you think she hasn’t noticed how distant you are with her? She knows it’s not normal.”
    “What do you want me to do about it?” Antonio paced around the room like a caged animal, constantly running his fingers through his hair as grunts and growls rumbled through his chest.
    “I want you to love her, dammit!”
    “Love her!” he roared. Antonio began to unravel before her. The always composed, serious, straight-faced Armani suit was coming apart at the seams. He wasn’t the ruthless powerful businessman that commanded billions in a day. He was now an emotional basket case unable to give his daughter the one thing all his money couldn’t buy. “I loved her once. I really did. Watching her grow inside her mother, knowing that she was made out of love and she was wanted. She was the second best thing that ever happened to me and I was happy and yes, I loved her. I loved her even before I knew her. But when Maria died while in labor, I just couldn’t anymore, it hurt too much.”
    “It wasn’t her fault.” Rayne sniffed, tears streaming down her cheeks. Antonio’s eyes mirrored her own and were now red as tears dropped freely. She stared at the veins popping out in his forehead, sure one was bound to burst. She needed to calm him down. “There was nothing you could do to help Maria and nothing Alessandria could do to stop what happened. She is your daughter not your enemy. She was made out of love, remember?You wanted her and loved her