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Sharon looked at her anxiously. ‘So what are you going to do?’
Tia checked that her passport was in her handbag. ‘Take the first available flight back to England. With any luck you’ll give me my old job back and I’ll find somewhere to live…’
Sharon frowned. ‘Of course you can have your job back, and you can stay with Richard and me, but—’
‘No. I need to be on my own.’
Sharon bit her lip. ‘But, Tia, Luca is a very traditional Italian male. Do you really think he’s going to let you leave, knowing you’re pregnant? He’ll follow you—’
‘No.’ Tia gave a sad smile and shook her head. ‘If we were already married, then maybe, but Luca is still a single man and he’s free to lead his own life.’
Free to marry Luisa.
‘It’s over, Shaz, and I need to build a new life for myself.’
Without Luca.
CHAPTER ONE
SHE wasn’t going to cry.
Tia clamped her teeth firmly on her lower lip and wondered if the day would ever come when she no longer felt like sobbing the whole time.
A soft sigh from the new
ly delivered mother by her side brought her to her senses and she stared down at the tiny bundle in her arms.
The child was beautiful.
Barely two hours old, dark lashes feathered her cheeks which were still slightly blotched from the rigours of birth. Lying passively in Tia’s arms, she gazed placidly up at the world, her blue eyes slightly unfocused.
Tia felt her throat close.
‘Isn’t she perfect?’ The proud mother gave a wide, self-satisfied smile and waited to be handed her daughter. ‘I can’t believe how beautiful she is. I mean, I always thought babies were supposed to be ugly.’
Ugly?
Tia stared down at the sleeping cherub, marvelling at the way nature had managed to produce everything in miniature.
No—the baby definitely wasn’t ugly.
‘She’s beautiful, Mrs Adams.’ Tia’s heart beat faster as the baby made little snuffly noises and turned her head searchingly. ‘And she’s hungry.’
Work. Thank goodness for work. It was the only thing that distracted her from her own problems.
She tightened the blanket around the baby and looked quizzically at Fiona Adams. ‘Are you ready to give it a try?’
‘I suppose so, although I have to admit that I’m really nervous,’ the young woman admitted as she settled herself more comfortably on the chair. ‘Everyone says I’m mad, wanting to breastfeed.’
‘You’re not mad at all,’ Tia said calmly. ‘Breast milk is designed for babies and you’re giving her the very best start in life.’
Fiona looked worried. ‘I bet I won’t have enough milk.’
‘Well, your milk often doesn’t come in for a few days after delivery,’ Tia told her, ‘but what you do produce is something called colostrum.’
‘And that’s good for her?’
Tia nodded. ‘Very good for her. Packed full of protein and antibodies. Very high in calories, too. Are you comfortable like that?’
