Page 84 of Winter With You

He took one of her hands then and his touch was the sweetest combination of tender, sensual and supportive. ‘Neither have I.’ He held her hand in his, his thumb stroking over her palm. ‘Not like this.’ He took a breath. ‘But I do know if I don’t share this truth with you, no matter how you feel about it, the life I want will never be mine.’

‘Tell me,’ Gabriella said. ‘If that’s how you feel, just tell me.’

He nodded, squeezing her hand. ‘OK.’

She was holding her breath as she watched his expression, saw the nervousness written there as her own theories already started to form.

‘My real name, it isn’t Luca Manning. It’s Luca Marcello,’ he stated. ‘And my father, he’s in prison. For extortion, for money laundering… fraud, counterfeiting and bribery.’ He took a breath. ‘And he should also be in there for assault, armed robbery and…’ She watched him take a breath. ‘Murder.’

Gabriella was nodding. Why was she nodding? This was not the kind of information where a nod was any kind of right reaction at all. Her mind was racing and she couldn’t appropriately assess anything. She didn’t even know whether Luca was still holding her hand or whether she was holding his.

‘I don’t know 100 per cent that the things that have been happening – with your dress that night, with Errol, and what happened at the market – I don’t know if they are solely down to my father but I know my connection to him most likely is at the root of it and I can’t hide that from you or anyone else I’m close to anymore.’

She kept nodding. What the fuck was wrong with her?

‘Are you OK?’ he asked. ‘Because I know that’s a lot and I kinda threw it out there.’

‘No, I mean, yes, I mean, it’s a lot and I don’t know what I expected you to tell me but⁠—’

‘I’m not like him, Gabriella. At all. And that’s why I changed my name and why I have nothing to do with him. Because I know he committed those crimes with no remorse and I know he committed more, much more than anyone knows about and that’s more than enough to carry around with me each and every day.’

She nodded again. This was a lot. All her thoughts were travelling at once to Phoebe, her first priority. How did this fit with Phoebe and Gabriella’s role as her guardian? How was it supposed to fit even in his role as her stylist? There was the possibility of danger, for her and for Phoebe. It would be easy to say it didn’t matter. But didn’t it?

‘Say something,’ Luca pleaded, her hand still in his. ‘Even if it’s to tell me you don’t want to see me again.’

‘I’m not going to say that,’ she breathed.

‘But you’re thinking it.’

She wasn’t. Was she? Phoebe. What Phoebe had been through. How she needed stability in an important year at school. How Gabriella had to be the rock of a mother figure that she herself had never had growing up. How this couldn’t last, couldn’t possibly be…

‘It’s OK,’ Luca whispered. He squeezed her hand and then got to his feet.

‘What are you doing?’ Gabriella asked, feeling the absence of his touch already.

‘I’m going to go now,’ he said in as businesslike a manner as he had ever spoken to her in.

‘You don’t have to do that,’ Gabriella said. She got up too.

‘I know,’ he said. ‘But I should.’

‘Luca—’

‘Please, Gabriella. Really, you do not have to say anything.’ He smiled. ‘It was enough for me to open up to you. And it’s a lot for anyone to process.’

‘Don’t go like this.’ She should say more. She should say about Phoebe. She should start to be honest with her thoughts and her feelings but the words just weren’t coming.

‘There are two outfits in the bag,’ he said, indicating where it was hanging from the curtain pole. ‘I like the burgundy, but it is up to you to decide.’

‘You won’t be there? At the department store?’ He had always been there since she had started this tour. Dressing her, yes, but also talking to her, giving her confidence, supporting her.

‘No,’ he replied. ‘There’s somewhere else I have to be.’

‘Passing me off to Sybille after all?’

He shook his head. ‘Not at all.’ He paused and then: ‘Unless you want me to?’

She swallowed. She should say something affirming. She should ask questions about what he had told her, deal with facts not the concerns her mind was readily suggesting. Say something.