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‘Thanks.’ Tia pulled herself together and went to check that Fiona was all set for her discharge.
She was, and she and Mike gazed proudly at their daughter, safely strapped in her new car seat.
‘She looks so tiny in that.’ Fiona’s voice wobbled slightly and Mike gave her shoulder a squeeze.
‘Yeah, and in no time she’s going to be nagging you for make-up and trendy clothes, so make the most of it. At least at this age they don’t run up a phone bill.’
Tia walked down the corridor with them and waited while they climbed into the lift.
‘Are you off, Fiona?’ Sharon bustled up and said her goodbyes and then grabbed Tia by the arm. ‘Kettle’s boiled.’
‘What am I going to do?’ Tia stared at her friend helplessly. ‘He wants us to spend time together and get to know each other.’
Sharon spooned sugar into her coffee and stirred it thoughtfully. ‘I’d say that’s a good idea.’ She dropped the spoon into an empty mug and picked up her coffee. ‘Tia, you’re crazy about the man. Stop looking for problems. Whatever did—or didn’t—happen with Luisa, he’s clearly chosen you. Accept that and move on.’
‘But I don’t know whether he’s just chosen me because of the baby.’
‘So ask him,’ Sharon suggested. ‘Maybe it’s time you were honest. Tell him what you heard about Luisa and see what he says.’
‘No,’ Tia said flatly. ‘If I have to ask him, I’ll never be able to trust him again. He has to tell me himself.’
Sharon sighed. ‘Tia, not everyone is a rat like your father.’
‘No?’ Tia’s eyes were suddenly overly bright. ‘But how do I know for sure? I don’t find it easy to trust men.’
‘I know that.’ Sharon gave a wry smile. ‘I didn’t think that you’d ever get married—’ She broke off and flushed, suddenly realising what she’d said. ‘Not that you did, of course, but you nearly did—’
‘Before I realised what a complete fool I was being.’
‘You weren’t being a fool,’ Sharon said firmly. ‘You love Luca, Tia.’
‘Do I?’ Tia closed her eyes for a second. ‘Do you know, I’m not even sure of that any more.’
Sharon looked perplexed. ‘Well, how does he make you feel when you’re with him?’
‘I don’t know.’ Tia shook her head. ‘Breathless. Confused. Dizzy. Sick. Excited.’
Desperate.
Desperate for him to drag her into his arms and make love to her.
‘To be honest, he has such a powerful effect on me physically that I can’t work out how I feel about him,’ Tia admitted finally. ‘It’s like being a teenager again. If he’s even in the same room as me I feel weak.’
Sharon gave a smug, self-satisfied grin. ‘You see? I always said it would happen like that for you. I always said that you’d be swept off your feet if you found the right man.’
The right man.
Was that Luca?
She’d certainly thought that he was but now, after everything that had happened, she wasn’t so sure.
‘How do you tell the difference between lust and love?’
Sharon pursed her lips thoughtfully and stared into her drink. ‘Well, I suppose the answer to that is that you take lust out of the equation.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘You do what he says. Literally.’ Sharon gave a little shrug. ‘You get to know each other properly. You know, talking, long walks, laughter, dinner. But no bed.’
