Page 48 of Trouble in Love
Elias–my husband to be–would be arriving within hours and my mother would never forgive me for my treason. And if the Austen-Myers crew ever found out what Luca and I had done, he would lose his friends, resent me, and likely be forced to leave the country,which, I reminded myself,he was always going to do.
Even if some glass slipper, horse-drawn pumpkin-providing fairy turned up and magicked all that away, I was still me. Still bound to fuck things up.
After showering, dressing, and giving myself a stern talking to in the mirror, I went in search of Dad, the brief blanket of happiness Luca’s touch provided disintegrating on every step.
As suspected, I found him at his favorite spot in the main bar that overlooked the garden and his prized greenhouse. Soaking up the sun, he was smiling at the coffee mug in his hand. I soon saw why. Printed on the side was a photo of a bloody maidenhair fern and a cursive font that on closer inspection read,You Maiden my day. “God, Dad. Where’d you dig that one up?”
His smile didn’t shift as he glanced at me then back to the cup. “That fellow, you know, the tall one you tried to convince me was a fern lover. The one with lipstick all over his neck.”
A deep blush bloomed from my toes, spreading to the tips of my ears in a heartbeat. “Luca?”
“Yeah, Luca. He dropped it off this morning while you were still asleep. He said he found it at the farmers market and thought of me. Well, technically, he said he thought of you and then changed it to me. Nice bloke, that.”
Be still my cold, lifeless heart.“Luca brought you that? This morning? While I was sleeping?”
Dad chuckled as he took a sip of his tea. “He did. He likes you, Plop. And judging by the color on your cheeks, I’d say the feeling is mutual.” Leaning down, he pressed a kiss to my forehead. “Are you sure you know what you’re doing with Elias? We can still call it off, you know. Holly can leave him at the airport for all I care. Or maybe we could make a few accusatory calls to immigration and get him deported before he ever leaves the plane.”
“Dad! That’s horrible,” I laughed. “And they say I’m trouble!”
“You are my dear, but you’re also smiling, and I think that Luca fellow is responsible for that. I don’t want your mum to pressure you into something that you don’t want.”
“I do like him, Dad,” I replied, my honesty surprising even myself. “But it doesn’t matter. He’s only here on holiday. Once he’s back in the States, he’ll never think of me again.”
“Then he’s a fool. One that doesn’t deserve you.”
“You may be right on both counts, sir.” My heart dropped into my gut as the man in question appeared before us, dimples popping, his hands twisted behind his back.
Dad snapped me out of the stunned trance his appearance dropped me into with a chuckle and light pat of my hand. “I’ll leave you two to it,” he whispered, placing another kiss on my forehead and a pat on Luca’s broad shoulder as he headed upstairs. Unable to decide which version of myself I should be, the cold-hearted bitch or the girl with a newly discovered praise kink, I watched him go in silence.
“You look beautiful this morning, Polly.” Luca stepped closer and I retreated, the flash of rejection crossing his face unconvincingly smiled away. “I saw these growing in the fields on my run, and they reminded me of the purple in your hair. I hope you don’t mind.” Like a sweet, lovesick schoolkid, he produced a posy of flowers from behind his back and held them out.
“Morning Glory.” I smiled, taking them in my hand and not gushing in the slightest. “They’re a weed, actually. Is this your way of calling me toxic?”
“No! No, not at all. Fuck, I keep fucking up.”
“Chill, Cowboy. I’m just kidding.” I laughed, playfully pushing him in the chest to emphasize the jokeandfulfill my need to touch him. “You weren’t to know, and you just got here. What do you keep fucking up?”
Blush colored his cheeks. “Last night. At the beach. I shouldn’t have—”He regrets it. Regrets me.“Polly, I’m so sorry. I should never have … You know, without protection. I mean, I’m clean. You don’t need to worry about that, but …”
Pregnancy.He was worried he’d knock me up. It was the perfect time to tell him kids were of no concern to barren old me, but if he were half as sweet and understanding as I suspected he would be, telling him that would only make saying goodbye harder. Besides, lying came easier.
“You have nothing to worry about. I wasn’t asleep when you came earlier. I was at the doctor getting the morning-after pill. Dad was just covering for me.”
“Oh.” Tapping his thigh, he stared down at his always moving feet. “You should have let me know. I would have come with you.”
Please don’t say that. Please don’t be nice. As imaginary as it was,the thought of Luca sitting beside me, his feet jiggling as he held my hand and waited to see the doctor was …. “It’s no problem. I’ve had to do it loads of times. The doctor begins writing the script the minute she sees me.”
Still blushing, Luca rubbed the back of his neck. “Oh. Oh. Okay.” The pang of guilt tugging at my stomach was dismissed when he moved on. “When I woke up this morning, I was really happy, but then I realized before we … before we—”
“Fucked?”
“Yeah. Before we did that, I rambled on about all my stuff and never gave you the chance to do the same. So, I was wondering, would you come and have breakfast with me?” Closing the distance I’d put between us, he placed is hands on my hips and tugged me against him. “Maybe this time, I can be the one listening.”
Ignoring the comfort I found in his touch, I gave a weak shake of my head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. People will see usand people will talk. You don’t want Little Miss Perfect finding out.”
“They’re not here, actually. The gang has gone to the Gold Coast. I wasn’t feeling up to the trip and stayed behind.”
“Still, when they get back, they’ll hear all about it. Folks around here have small minds but long memories.”
