‘You know whatever happens you will have me by your side, no matter what, right?’
‘I know. Thank god for you. Even though you don’t even like babies.’
‘Angus bloody loves them; he will be at your beck and call. And I’ll love yours, of course. It won’t be just anyone’s baby.’ The thought that this pregnancy could end up with a real baby still made her head spin. It was one thing getting her head around the fact she was pregnant – the thought that there would be an actual child at the end of it was too much.
‘Thanks Jules. God, this is so surreal.’
‘I know.’
Jules went off to her meeting leaving Libby to work out how she was going to drop the bomb on Luca. She decided to stay a second night in the B & B before driving back to Positano in the morning. Luca was working on a new graphic design commission for a company called Prospero, and she knew he would be driving to Sorrento for a meeting. Maria had swapped a shift with him and would be working in the bar. Libby and Luca were supposed to be going out for dinner together tomorrow evening, so she would have the perfect opportunity to talk to him alone.
She forced herself to eat the sandwich and drink the water; her mouth felt peculiarly dry and she found it difficult to swallow. How could life change so dramatically in an instant? One moment you were cruising along, everything working out beautifully, as happy as could be, and the next you had stepped off a precipice without realising and found yourself on a completely different plain, in a parallel reality. She stared blankly ahead of her. Even the beauty of her surroundings couldn’t lift her spirits. She felt utterly numb and confused.
The following day back at La Casetta passed in a blur. Nervous butterflies jangled in her stomach, making her feel nauseous. Before she knew it Luca was there, kissing her on the lips and saying ‘Buonasera, bellissima,’ as he hugged her. Taking her hand he led her out of the hostel and they began to walk into town.
‘Can we go to the beach to watch the sunset before dinner?’ asked Libby. She wanted to get him by herself, away from prying ears, to tell him her news.
‘Of course we can,’ said Luca. She was trying to act as normal as possible, but even so she was amazed he couldn’t see the secret emblazoned across her face.
‘How was the meeting?’ she asked.
‘It went pretty well, thanks. They are offering me a big commission which would start in the autumn, working on their new website, and on all of the graphics for a new business they are launching next year.’
‘That could be perfect for when the high season finishes,’ said Libby, already wondering how transportable his freelance work might be.
‘Yes, it might work out rather well. It’ll be a lot of work, though, combined with my shifts at La Casetta. The good thing is that it’ll keep me busy when I am missing you…’ The fact that in less than three weeks Libby and Luca would be separated, in different countries, was the elephant in the room that neither of them had wanted to think about. They had both known it was approaching rapidly, despite their best efforts to pretend it wasn’t.
They walked along the beach and found a suitable spot to sit. Libby looked out at the golden sea and watched as the waves rolled in. The relentless ebb and flow of the tide comforted her; there was something peaceful and reassuring about it. No matter what happened, life always went on.
‘So how was your friend? It was very mysterious of you, disappearing off like that for a couple of days. I thought maybe you were disappearing with a lover!’ he chuckled. ‘What have you been up to, eh?’ he asked.
She took a deep breath and turned to face him. ‘Luca, there’s something I have to tell you.’ Her heart wrenched as she saw the immediate concern shadow his beautiful face.
‘OK,’ he said, looking quizzically at her.
She bit her lip, unsure how to say it. In the end she just blurted it out. ‘I’m pregnant.’
‘Pregnant?’
‘Yes.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘I’ve done two tests. I’m sure.’
Luca let out a slow whistle. ‘You are pregnant?’ he asked again.
‘Yes,’ she repeated softly. ‘I found out the day before yesterday.’
‘Dio mio,’ he whispered. She could tell his head was reeling in the same way that hers had been, and still was.
‘I don’t know what to say,’ she said. ‘I didn’t know how to tell you.’
‘How did you know?’
‘My period was a week late, I suddenly realised. I went to Amalfi to buy tests in case anyone saw me and I did them after work… I was too shocked to talk to anyone. I didn’t know what to do. I made up the excuse of seeing my friend but really I just had to get away from here to have some time to think.’
‘What do you want to do?’
