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She said it as if he was the one who was reluctant—as if he was the one who had shut down the conversation two hours ago.
Life with Aurora!
But he didn’t bother pointing it out, for indeed it was time to talk, to work things out. Here in the dark.
‘What do you want to happen, Aurora?’
‘I don’t know.’
‘You must have thought about it or at least considered it.’
‘I’m confused,’ she admitted, and when he took her hand, she squeezed his back.
‘Then let’s talk it out.’
‘From what I can see I have two options.’
‘Options are good—so tell me.’
‘I want to tell you…’ She just did not know how.
But as she lay in the darkness she found a way, and she spoke to him as she had to Louanna the night before Gabe had been born.
‘I wanted to tell—’ She had been about to say, to tell you, but held it in. ‘From the moment I found out I was pregnant I wanted to tell the baby’s father. After all, there is no doubt that Gabe is his. And I believe he would support the baby.’
‘Of course he would,’ Nico answered carefully. He would give the world to get her real thoughts, and if taking himself out of the equation helped, then that was fine with him.
‘But I worry,’ Aurora said, ‘that he might suggest the other option.’
Nico was silent.
‘Marriage,’ she said. ‘You see, he turned me down once, and I would always feel I had forced him into it.’
‘Okay…’
It was a gentle okay. It gave no indication as to his thoughts. More an acknowledgment that he had heard her.
‘I think,’ Aurora said, ‘that he will want the second option—even if he doesn’t really want it. He’s a good man, and very respected by my family. They would certainly expect him to marry me.’
‘And you don’t want that?’
‘No. I think I would prefer option one.’
‘Okay…?’
It was the same response as before, but it contained a question.
‘You see,’ Aurora ventured, ‘I think he might regret that day.’
‘Well, I don’t think he does.’
‘I mean, he never wanted to marry…’
Silence from Nico.
‘But now he will try to do the right thing by me. I would hate that. I think our marriage would be a terrible mistake.’ She struggled to voice the picture that danced in her mind. ‘He would come to Silibri and see us now and then…perhaps at weekends…and then return to his life. I would have a husband and Gabe a father and we would have respect in the village, and he would have his life in Roma. His stunning apartment and…’ She did not finish.
‘And?’ Nico pushed.
