‘Very, very good now that you’re in it and pregnant with my baby.’ He reached out to cover her hand with his and smiled, a soothing, reassuring smile.
Ella closed her eyes and relaxed in her seat, with his hand still covering hers. She’d been so hesitant about accepting this marriage proposal but he’d waited patiently for her to make her mind up, and had taken his time to show her all the sides of his personality so that she could see what a dependable husband he would make—and a dependable husband would become the devoted dad.
And with both of those…well…who knew where things might eventually end when the beginnings were auspicious? What had started in deception, the thing that had so devastated her, had ended in this happy place. She would meet his parents and, if they were a little reserved to start with, she was sure they would eventually warm to her. Or at least accept her. Surely? Besides, he would be by her side and they wouldn’t be staying for long. How objectionable could they be when they’d only have a very small dose of her to deal with?
‘I hope your parents like me, even if it’s eventually.’ She voiced her thoughts aloud as the jet sped towards their destination.
Rocco squeezed her hand. Personally, his thoughts were more in the direction of ‘all in the fullness of time’ but his parents were far too well-bred to openly voice any disapproval.
‘They will.’ His voice was reassuringly persuasive.
‘What if they don’t?’
‘I’ve never seen the point in dealing with hypothetical situations. Always best to wait until something happens and then deal with it, rather than creating a range of possible scenarios and getting worked up.’
‘That’s rich coming from the guy who was happy to project to a future where we had other partners,’ Ella said absently, chewing her lip and frowning.
She briefly conjured up one of those hypothetical scenarios he had talked about. What if she’d dug her heels in and refused to marry Rocco, the son and heir to the family fortune that needed protecting? Would she have made this trip out to Spain now? Or would they have tried to convince their son to walk away from a child he had accidentally fathered, one who would have remained illegitimate? They were clearly traditionalists to the bone. Was she only going out to see them because she had agreed to marry their son at long last?
There was fertile ground here for all sorts of wild imaginings, but she shut the door to it, because she was now on a road and there was no turning back.
‘We still have to discuss all the details of our marriage.’ She turned to him and met his dark gaze steadily. ‘Whatever you say, your world couldn’t be more different than mine. It’s not just a simple case of things being different superficially but the same deep down. You’ve seen where I come from, seen the life I’ve been accustomed to.’
‘I admit some changes might be on the horizon.’
‘I can’t live a life of spending money and being pampered,’ she told him bluntly. ‘You asked me whether I’d enjoyed the day. As a one off, it was an experience, but I wouldn’t want that to be my entire life.’
‘What are you proposing?’
‘I want to carry on working.’
‘Ella, maybe we could postpone this discussion for later, when I’m not having to shout over the roar of a plane engine?’
‘I feel like I’m on a roller coaster,’ Ella returned with a frown. ‘Yes, I’m really happy that you’re taking an interest in this pregnancy…that was never something you expected or asked for…’
‘This feels like well-trodden ground.’
‘Now we’re on our way to see your parents and that feels like I’m just a little bit higher on the roller coaster. If I’m not careful I’ll be at the top, I’ll have lost sight of the ground beneath me and, by the time I come hurtling back down, planet Earth won’t bear any resemblance to the place I left behind. And Rocco…? That scares me.’
‘That’s very descriptive, Ella,’ Rocco said thoughtfully. ‘But, okay. I understand where you’re coming from. Do you think holding down a job is worth the effort? Whatever you earn will be a pittance in the grand scheme of things. Also, I would want you to devote time to our child. I…’
‘Yes?’ There was sudden insistence in her voice.
‘I know how sidelining a child to the safekeeping of strangers can have an effect,’ Rocco said roughly. ‘I wouldn’t want to see…that outcome for any child of mine.’
There was an electric silence during which Ella looked at him, taking in the dark stain on his cheekbones, the sudden tightening of his well-shaped mouth and an air of vulnerability that was so rarely apparent in him.
Her heart constricted as once again she was exposed to a past that had doubtless been lonely for a small child, however much money had been thrown at him. It was another glimpse that made her feel so connected to him. She impulsively reached out to link her fingers through his, half-expecting him to make some deflecting, jokey remark about not wanting her to feel sorry forhim, but he just squeezed her hand in response and gazed at her with a shuttered expression.
‘Can I tell you something, Rocco?’
‘Depends.’
‘On what?’
‘On whether you think I’ll like what you want to tell me.’
He grinned but his dark eyes were wary and she smiled back. ‘I’m being serious,’ she said.
