“It does make sense.”
She wanted to dispute that, but everything he was suggesting sounded a lot like an answer to all her problems. And she hated that, even when she knew the wise thing would be to accept it. “I’m not someone who planned to get knocked up by some rich guy,” she muttered. “If anything, it’s the opposite. I always thought I’d be the one supporting my family, that I’d be the one going back to work as soon as a baby was born.”
If he thought the statement was strangely revealing, he didn’t react at first. “So, you have given this some thought?”
Elodie twisted her fingers together, her past like an awful darkness on her horizon. But what point was there in hiding this from him? Besides, it wasn’t a secret. The whole of her village knew all about her doomed relationship.
“I was engaged,” she said, haltingly. “We’d been together a long time, and I’d presumed that once we were married, we’d start trying for a baby. So yes,” she pressed a hand to her stomach. “I’ve thought about this.”
“And now you’re pregnant to a man you don’t know or care for, and life is nothing like you thought it would be?”
“Yes, exactly,” she agreed, a little breathily, because it was as though he’d drilled right into her mind and plucked out the truth of her thoughts. “That’s exactly how it is.”
“This is a curve ball for me, too.”
She nodded slowly. “I know. That’s why I’m suggesting we take some time…”
“No.”
Her eyes flared wide at that.
“We went to an obstetrics appointment today. No doubt the story will leak sooner or later. I’d prefer to have our ducks in a row prior to that happening.”
“The story is not going to leak. Who would even care—,” she said with a quick roll of her eyes, before remembering who she was talking to. It was strange, but she thought of him simply as Raf, rather than Rafaello Santoro. Now that she knew who he was, and what his family was like, she supposed it was naïve to presume there’d be zero interest in this.
“Yes,” he said, clearly recognizing the moment comprehension dawned for her. “You’re starting to see the problem.”
She shook her head slowly.
“Listen to me. When word of this gets out, you will be hounded by the press. In Italy, in my villa, I can protect you fromthat. Trust me, Elodie. I know what my life is like, I can see the way this will play out. The best thing to do is fly home with me tonight and start thinking about what the rest of our lives will look like.”
“It’s crazy,” she disputed, but she could hear the ambivalence in her voice.
“Come for a month,” he suggested. “Four weeks. At the end of that, we can reassess.Va bene?”
Elodie could hardly think straight.Five hours later, she was ensconced on a luxurious private jet, being whisked across the Med, towards Italy and the future he’d forecast. Every minute brought with it a change of heart. She went from feeling she was doing the right thing, to knowing she wasn’t, to wishing with all her heart for clarity, then thinking she had it, then doubling back again. It was exhausting, and shortly after takeoff, she succumbed to a surprisingly deep, dreamless sleep.
She was dimly aware of the feeling of the plane’s descent, then Raf’s strong hands on her body, searching for the seatbelt to unfasten it, before lifting her against his chest, cradling her off the plane. She was too tired to do anything more than nuzzle in closer to his neck. Even in her dreamy sleep though, she was aware of the way his body stiffened, the harsh exhalation of his breath bursting across her brow.
Her eyes fluttered open when he placed her into the back of a car and fastened her seatbelt. Just like in London, she thought—or perhaps said—as he folded his frame into the seat beside her. Then, she was asleep again, the exhaustion of her pregnancy sapping her completely of energy. She couldn’t have said how far they travelled, nor in which direction, but as the car slowedto a stop, she jolted awake, glancing around with a sense of disorientation and then, when her eyes landed on Raf, with a rush of heat and a quick parting of her lips.
His eyes met hers and she felt the simmer between them, like a spark that had ignited midair and then split, bursting towards both him and her.
“Raf,” she said, reaching out and putting a hand on his thigh. It was warm to touch, his muscles bunching beneath her grip, so she swallowed quickly.
Nothing about their situation changed the attraction that had first brought them together. It was still glowing between them, warming her from the inside out.
“Come on, Elodie. Let’s get you into bed.”
It was both the right, and wrong, thing to say. Just the mention of bed had her pulse picking up speed, and her lips parting on a silent plea.
She heard his curse, though it was mutteredsotto voce.It didn’t matter. Every part of her was attuned to him, to his every movement, every breath. He moved though, stepping out of the car and coming around to her side, so this time, it was Raf, and not the driver, who opened the door. Raf, who reached down and once more, released her safety belt and lifted her against his chest.
She could have walked. She was wide awake now. But there was something about being carried by him that was all the reassurance she craved. She hated that weakness, hated to be leaning on him and depending on him, hated how she’d let him talk her into this, but at the same time, she’d spent the last decade being the carer, carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders. Now she had a chance to simply be for a while, not having to worry about paying bills or cooking meals, and she’d be lying if she said that wasn’t a relief.
It would pass.
The shock of this would wear off, and reality would burst into the bubble, but for now, all she wanted was to surrender to his suggestion and focus on their baby.
