‘Angus, I’ve told you, we used protection. It wasn’t carelessness, it just happened. There’s no point talking like that. That’s hardly what I need to hear right now. It’s not just going to go away, I need to face up to the reality of the situation, whether I like it or not.’
‘I’m sorry. I’m just so disappointed for you. The timing couldn’t be worse… Do you think Luca will stay with you? What did he say?’
‘He was very shocked but supportive.’
‘Is he coming to be with you? You can hardly bring up a child together in different countries.’
‘I don’t know what is going to happen, Angus. He is coming for the twelve-week scan, hopefully.’
‘Hopefully?’ asked Angus. This was clearly not a satisfactory response.
‘I’m pretty sure.’
Angus sighed heavily, then shook his head again. ‘Bloody hell, Libby. This is unbelievable, even for you.’
She longed for him to react differently, to show her support rather than judgement. She had known he would be disappointed in her, but she hadn’t predicted that he would react quite like this. She felt sick and ashamed that she had got herself into this situation. All she wanted was for him to give her a hug and tell her that it would all be OK.
They went back downstairs and found Jules waiting at the kitchen table. She looked nervously from Libby to Angus.
‘Don’t worry, he knows,’ Libby said.
‘Mmmm, I can see that,’ said Jules.
‘Right, let’s eat shall we?’ said Angus.
They sat down and ate their dinner. It was so awkward and uncomfortable. Jules tried to alleviate the tension, talking to Libby about how she was feeling and what her next steps would be now that she had seen her GP. She knew it must be particularly hard for Angus when he so desperately wanted a baby of his own, to know that she hadn’t even asked for it and was pregnant. She tried to put herself in his shoes and see it from his perspective but, try as she might, she just felt hurt by his response.
As requested, Libby had brought her laptop. Jules insisted on a slideshow of her holiday photographs. Libby bit her bottom lip to stop it from trembling as she clicked through the images, trying her best to put a brave face on and talk normally as she described some of the places she had seen. She noticed a nerve pulsing in Angus’s jaw-line whenever Luca appeared on the screen. Jules, on the other hand, was incredibly enthusiastic in her praise of Luca’s good looks.
‘I just wish he was here too; I think you guys would get along so well with him.’ Libby crossed her fingers that Angus would warm to him when they finally met. It would be so important to her that he liked him.
‘When is he coming over?’ Jules asked.
‘In time for the twelve-week scan, hopefully.’
‘Well, we should have dinner together then,’ said Jules. ‘We have to meet him.’ Angus nodded his head in agreement.
‘OK, let’s do that, great idea.’ Libby said. ‘I’ll let you know dates as soon as I have them.’ After dinner she said her goodbyes and walked home, trying to keep her eyes open as the tiredness set in. They smarted with tears as she replayed Angus’s reaction over and over in her mind. She felt flat and miserable, and she wasn’t entirely sure why.
