Page 130

Rocco looked around to see if there was a spare gas and air cannister handy as he desperately needed some kind of respite from this situation and he couldn’t very well wrestle Valentina’s off her.

‘Oh no,’ Valentina said and then began to groan again, louder than before. Rocco quickly handed her the gas and air but this time she knocked it away. This contraction seemed to ricochet off the walls.

A midwife went down to the other end of the bed and then came back up to look at Valentina who was panting hard.

‘Okay, love, you’re doing brilliantly. The baby’s crowning, so the next contraction I need you to really push and keep pushing as hard as you can, okay?’

Valentina nodded.

Rocco looked at Arlo. He patted him on the back. ‘You’ve got this now.’

Rocco was turning to leave when Valentina shot out her hand and gripped his arm. In a terrifying low growl of a voice that made her sound as if she’d been possessed by a demon, she said, ‘Stay!’

Arlo nodded to Rocco and reached for Valentina’s other hand, gripping it fiercely. ‘Come on, Valentina. Rocco and I are here. I love you. You can do this. It’s time to meet our baby.’

CHAPTER 59

FRANKIE

There was no time for Frankie to speak to Jay as, moments after Rocco and Arlo disappeared to be with Valentina, Frankie’s mum and dad turned up, closely followed by Cole and Si.

Word had clearly got out as the already busy maternity unit was soon swarming with patients, visitors and staff all trying to get a look at the famous band. It wouldn’t take long for it also to be known why they were there; that the fourth member was currently helping deliver his baby.

Jay spoke to Frankie’s mum and dad as Frankie paced the corridor, bouncing between worrying about Valentina and wondering how she could have got it so wrong with regard to Jay. Snippets of conversation and misunderstandings and she’d added one and one to make some weird number that made no sense at all. It was exactly the same thing she’d done with her nonno.

A few minutes later the doors opened and a rather stunned-looking Rocco appeared, followed immediately by Arlo.

‘It’s a girl,’ Arlo said with an equally dazed and delighted expression.

Frankie’s mum immediately burst into tears of happiness as Frankie’s dad hugged her in delight.

‘You must be Valentina’s dad,’ Arlo said to Fraser as they shook hands. ‘I’m so sorry that you thought I wasn’t involved but⁠—’

‘Don’t worry, Jay’s filled me in. How’s Valentina?’

‘How is my daughter?’ Maria said, still crying and laughing.

‘Amazing,’ Arlo said. ‘And so is my daughter. Oh my God, I’ve got a daughter.’ Now Arlo looked shaken.

‘Congratulations,’ Frankie’s dad said, ‘and it’s with the greatest love, respect and affection that I say you’ve got your work cut out for you, as the women in this family tend to be quite headstrong.’

‘I’m beginning to see that,’ Arlo said.

* * *

Arlo immediately went back in to spend time with Valentina and the baby and Frankie’s mum and dad went to let the rest of the family know. Cole and Si said they were heading back to Ivy Cottage and they’d buy champagne for a celebration later.

Eventually, all that remained in the little waiting area was Frankie and Jay.

‘I can’t believe you thought I was the father,’ Jay said. ‘Is that why you’ve been off with me the last couple of days?’

‘You noticed?’

‘It was hard not to. I thought we were getting closer. I wanted us to be getting closer. Then I came back from London and everything had changed. I missed you.’

‘And I’ve missed you too.’ Frankie felt close to tears, but all the years of upset and frustration came tumbling out. ‘I’ve missed you for the past twelve years. I know I said it was fine and I understood but I don’t. I never did! Why did you leave the way you did? We were due to meet up and spend New Year together and then you left, and you were so cold about it. You didn’t once get in touch and… and although I was so happy to see you back and we both said we could start over, I’ve realised I can’t erase all the hurt so easily. I don’t know if I can trust you. What if you leave again?’ To her embarrassment, Frankie could feel tears streaming down her face. Jay took a step nearer to her, but Frankie backed off. ‘Why did you do it?’ she repeated.

‘That would be my fault,’ a voice said from the doorway.