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‘It’s only happening if you want it to.’ Leo stood in front of her. ‘I meant what I said on that beach three years ago. You will always be enough for me, Dara. You are more than I deserve.’
Dara felt the fear melt away as Leo’s arms enveloped her, and all her worries seemed smaller all of a sudden. She breathed in the familiar scent of his aftershave and told herself that she needed to commit this perfect moment to memory.
‘I want to start a family with you.’ She pulled back to look into her husband’s eyes. ‘I want us to become Luca’s parents. If he’ll have us, that is.’
‘Hearing him speak about you today, I have no doubt that he thinks just as much of you as you do of him,’ Leo assured her.
‘I hope so.’ Dara bit her lip. ‘Leo, once we take this step there is no going back. There will be no more impromptu trips to Paris—no more yachting for weeks along the Riviera. We’ll have to consider school term times. It won’t be just you and I.’
‘I’m quite aware that children are a lot of responsibility.’
‘I just want to make sure that you’re certain this is what you want. That we aren’t going into this with our eyes closed.’
‘Dara, stop worrying and let yourself enjoy this. I have complete faith that you will plan every little detail perfectly. Just leave all the fun stuff to me.’ He laughed.
Dara smiled. He was right—she was a ball of nerves. She took a deep breath, feeling a sense of excited anticipation hum through her veins.
‘I will start proceedings in the morning.’ Leo smiled. ‘We can go to the orphanage ourselves.’
‘I can hardly believe that this is happening.’ Dara shook her head. ‘Never in my wildest dreams...’
Leo pressed his lips tenderly to hers, his hands spanning her waist and pulling her to him in a tight embrace. ‘I was afraid to share you with anyone else, but now I find myself wanting to show you off to the world. You amaze me with all you’ve overcome.’
‘You’re the one who helped me to overcome it.’
Their kiss turned from soft to heated, and the wind whipped around them as the sun dipped slowly towards the sea.
* * *
The next morning Dara arrived at the orphanage bright and early, with her husband by her side. They entered the common room just as the children had finished breakfast. No sooner had they stepped into the room than a tiny head of jet-black curls came barrelling towards them.
‘Do you know the yo-yo man?’
Luca’s eyes widened as he looked from Dara to Leo. Dara imagined her husband must look like a giant from the small boy’s height, and yet he wasn’t frightened.
‘Luca, this is my husband Leo. He came here to meet you.’
The other children had filtered into the room, all their attention on the man with the yo-yo. Leo continued to delight the children with more tricks and Luca sat resolutely by his side, telling all the other children that ‘the yo-yo man’ had come to meet him.
Before they knew it, the children were called to have lunch. As much as Dara wanted to stay there all day, she knew that now it was time for the official part of their visit.
As the lunch bell rang Luca’s eyes turned wide and he ran to her. He looked up at her with that uncertain expression she had come to recognise so well after more than three months of visits.
‘I promise that I will come back,’ she said solemnly.
Luca was a child of abandonment, so he regularly made her promise that she was coming back in their same special way. Dara held out her pinkie finger, letting him lock it with his own tiny one.
She felt a hand at her waist. Leo stood by her side, watching the exchange with interest. ‘Is this some secret handshake I don’t know about?’ he joked.
‘I can teach it to you too,’ Luca said quietly.
As Dara watched, her husband got down on his knees and promised the young boy that he would return. She felt a swell of love for this man who had helped her to overcome so much.
Leo straightened, and they waved as the boys ran in single file towards the lunchroom. Luca was the smallest of the lot.
‘It was so good of you both to visit us today.’ The friendly matron smiled as she welcomed them into her office. ‘I couldn’t help but notice your interest in little Luca,’ she said speculatively.
Dara turned to the woman, meeting her gaze. ‘My visits here haven’t been as selfless as I’ve made them out to be.’
‘You are a very kind woman, Dara. I don’t believe that you came here out of your own interests.’
‘Maybe not at first, but it has definitely become that way.’
‘I have watched your progress with Luca intently. You know his history. He came to us a very scared and lonely boy. Since your visits he has changed. He talks more with the other children...he is more confident. Your attention did that for him.’ She smiled again.
