Libby’s heart thumped nervously as she waited in the Arrivals lounge at Heathrow. Luca’s flight had landed forty minutes ago. He would be walking through the door any minute now. Her palms were sweaty and her throat felt dry. It was the evening before her twelve-week scan and, as promised, Luca had flown over to support her. Libby had come straight to the airport from work to meet his flight. She was suddenly terrified that it would be awkward between them; that she wouldn’t know what to say, that she would be self-conscious. She looked down at her stomach, skimmed over by a loose grey top. Would he notice that it had grown? She drummed her fingers on the railing. Suddenly she saw a familiar face pushing a trolley laden with suitcases through the crowds. Her heart skipped several beats and she broke into an enormous grin, pushing her way around to the opening in the barrier and calling out his name.
‘Libby!’ he shouted, rushing towards her. He abandoned his trolley and wrapped her in a huge hug, covering her neck, her cheeks, and finally her lips in kisses before pushing her away to look at her, then hugging her once more.
‘I’ve missed you so much,’ he said, gazing adoringly into her eyes. He was even more handsome than she remembered; his eyes shone and his beautiful smile stretched across his face from ear to ear.
‘I’ve missed you too,’ she said. ‘I can’t believe you are actually here.’
He put his hand on her belly and said, ‘I’m here for both of you, Libby. And I’m not going anywhere. I promise you.’ It took her a few seconds to realise what he was saying. She looked at the trolley and realised that, rather than a weekend’s carry-on, he had two enormous suitcases with him.
‘Do you mean you are staying? For longer than the weekend!’ She could barely believe it might be true.
‘Exactly. I’ve told Floriana – it’s nearly the end of the season and she is happy to let me finish a bit early. My work for Prospero can mostly be done from home and I can always fly over if I have any meetings that can’t be done via Skype. I will look for more work in London. If that’s what you want?’ He suddenly looked worried, as if perhaps he had presumed too much.
‘Luca, are you crazy? Of course that’s what I want! I can’t believe you would do that for me… What about your family, have you told them?’
‘I told them last night. They were more than a little shocked, I must say, but they definitely approve of my being here by your side.’
‘Oh my goodness. I just can’t believe it. Thank you! God, I hope you like it here. I hope you like the flat! I have a spare set of keys so that’s going to be fine.’ Libby wittered on nervously, thinking aloud as she adjusted her train of thought to this change of events. They got a taxi back into London with all Luca’s stuff, and she let him into her flat.
Picking up a letter that was lying on her doorstep as he came in he read, ‘Forty-four Lansdown Road. My new address, I’d better get used to it!’
‘Yes, you are now an official resident of Shepherd’s Bush.’
She showed Luca around. There wasn’t much to see: bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and separate sitting room with a small dining table. There was also a tiny spare room which her mum used when she came to stay.
‘So this would be the nursery, I guess?’ Luca asked.
‘I think so. Though we might have to get rid of the bed or there won’t be any room for a cot and stuff. But we’ve got plenty of time to figure all that out.’ Luca hung his coat on the back of the door. Libby felt so nervous she didn’t know what to do with herself. If she could have drunk, she would have necked a glass of wine to still her nerves, but she couldn’t even do that. Luca, on the other hand, appeared not to have a care in the world. He seemed completely at ease in his new surroundings and in her company. He turned around, listening to her nervous chatter. Smiling, he crossed the room towards her and silenced her mid-sentence with a kiss. Her heart was beating so loudly that each beat echoed in her ears like a rhythmic drum. She thanked god that her morning sickness was over. A week ago she would not have been in the mood for this, but Luca’s kisses were having a forceful impact on her libido.
Slowly, Luca undressed her, one item of clothing at a time. She had put the radio on after arriving home and the room was filled with music. He took his time, caressing her softly and kissing her over and over again. Every touch sent a thrill though her body, small electric shocks that drove her into a frenzy of longing. He pressed himself against her and pulled her towards him. He muttered endearments into her ear. He picked her up as though she weighed next to nothing and carried her into the bedroom, closing the door behind them, determined to remind her just what she had been missing since they had been apart.
Libby was relieved that he had come to London; it felt good to have him with her. She realised a part of her had been unsure whether he would turn up. Now, they sat at the table in candlelight and talked and talked late into the night. She was suddenly excited beyond recognition that he was here to stay. This meant that they had a real shot, a real chance to be a family when the baby arrived. It was more than she could have dared hope. This amazing guy, this handsome, kind and sensitive man wasn’t going to leave her to cope alone. He was there by her side and he would be there every step of the way. It made her realise just how much she had been dreading facing it all by herself. Even if their relationship had worked out long-distance, what would have happened when the baby arrived? You could hardly have a family straddled across the continent. They fell asleep, as they had done on their last night together in Positano, wrapped in each other’s arms.
The next day was the day of the scan. Libby had to go into work in the morning. The scan was at four o’clock and she gave Luca instructions, choosing to meet at the closest Tube and walk to the hospital together rather than leaving him to his own devices. The Tube would be confusing enough for him. He had barely left Italy before, except for the odd family holiday when he was young. He was the opposite of Libby in terms of how much he had travelled, and again she wondered just how well he would cope with life in London. Reluctantly she tore herself away from bed and got dressed.
‘My god you look sexy in your work clothes,’ he said. ‘I loved beach Libby too, of course, but this is a whole new you.’
‘Well I’m not sure how much longer I’m going to be fitting into my old outfits, so enjoy them while you can,’ she laughed. She blew him a kiss as she shut the bedroom door behind her. It was so nice having someone in her apartment again. It had felt so empty without a man around since she had broken up with her ex. She wasn’t used to living completely alone and was glad to have someone to share her home with once again.
After a busy day in the office, she made her excuses, explaining that she had an unavoidable medical appointment. She was relieved to see Luca at the exact location she had written down for him when she emerged from the underground, looking very cool as he lounged against the wall, staring down at his mobile phone. His good looks were rewarded by several admiring glances from women passing by. Luckily he seemed oblivious as he scanned the crowd for Libby. Catching a glimpse of her, he smiled. Her heart melted at the sight of his dimples.
‘Ciao bella.’ They had slipped into an easy mix of Italian and English. He would have to be using English a lot now that he was to be based in London, and her Italian had improved so much over the summer she felt confident about sliding between the two now she was home.
‘I’m so nervous,’ Libby said, clutching on to his hand.
He leant across and kissed her on the cheek. ‘Me too. I’m sure it’ll be fine, though. Think of all the millions of babies that are born each year, perfectly healthy.’
‘Yes, that’s true. For every horror story there are hundreds of happy endings.’
‘Exactly.’
After a short wait in the waiting room they were collected by the sonographer and led to a small room. She invited Libby to lie down on the bed. Luca sat on the chair by her side.
‘Is this your first pregnancy?’ the sonographer asked. She was a smiley lady with rosy, round cheeks.
‘Yes it is. I’m terrified,’ Libby told her frankly.
‘Every mother-to-be feels exactly the same, don’t worry. Now let’s see what we have here.’ She squirted some cold jelly on to Libby’s belly and turned on the monitor. ‘Any history of twins in either of your families?’ asked the sonographer.
‘No neither of us have any twins,’ replied Libby.
Luca cleared his throat. ‘Actually, my father is a twin,’ he said. ‘You haven’t met him…’
Libby was mortified that she didn’t know about this. What would the sonographer think? She flushed with embarrassment.
The ultrasound was projected on to a small screen on the wall in front of them. The sonographer pressed quite firmly on Libby’s stomach and a grainy black-and-white image emerged on the screen. Libby found it impossible to make head or tail of what she saw, until the sonographer talked them through it. She confirmed – to Libby’s relief – that there was only one baby, and that it looked perfectly healthy. The relief Libby felt was immense. She held Luca’s hand and squeezed it, her eyes welling up with tears as she looked at the little baby on the screen. It was hard to believe that it was really inside her. It was like a miracle. She knew in that moment that she had been right to keep it. It was meant to be, this baby, and she vowed to the baby that she would do everything in her power to love and protect it for as long as she lived.
Having got the all-clear, they were given a small photograph of the scan and allowed to go home. Luca immediately phoned his family, passing on the good news, and Libby phoned her mum and Helen, and Jules and Angus, to tell them all was well. She was seeing Jules and Angus the following evening to introduce them to Luca, and the same with her mother on Sunday. Miriam was delighted to hear that Luca was intending to stay. That normalised the situation just enough for it to be socially acceptable among her friends, just in time for her to be able to spread the happy news that she was to become a grandmother. Jules seemed equally excited, declaring it even more important that they should meet, seeing as they were going to be part of each other’s lives from now on.
Libby decided not to go back to work, knowing full well that the rest of the team were working late that evening but refusing to care. As soon as they found out she was pregnant, she would be compromised anyway. She wouldn’t be able to hide it for much longer, and there was no point trying to impress everyone with her commitment when she was going to be off work for nine months in six months’ time. Instead she took Luca into central London, deciding to have a glass of champagne (she would allow herself one) at the Ritz. He had always wanted to go to the iconic hotel, and what better way to celebrate?
They stayed for a couple of drinks and then found a nearby French restaurant for dinner. For the first time Libby allowed herself to accept the fact that she was becoming a mother. They talked about arrangements for the baby, Luca’s own experience as an uncle to Antonia’s little girl, and what they would need to do to the house to prepare for a baby’s arrival. They also decided that they wouldn’t find out the sex at the next scan, preferring the idea of a surprise. It was both surreal and exciting.
Libby marvelled at how life could turn on its head in mere moments, uprooting every plan you had made and throwing you completely off course with no notice. It was amazing to her how well everything seemed to be working out. An unexpected bonus of the pregnancy was the refreshing sense of perspective that it gave her about work. She realised undoubtedly that there were more important things in life than a career in law. If her training contract didn’t work out, she would cross that bridge when she came to it. From her limited experience thus far, she had a sneaking suspicion that she was not a natural lawyer in the making. She had chosen law because it had seemed like a sensible, grown-up job to have, something respectable and with good earning potential that would set her on a steady career path once and for all. But she found the work rather repetitive and dull, and the levels of stress within the firm were extremely off-putting. It was hard to avoid being sucked into negativity and complaining, although Tammy and Sam were both remarkably upbeat. They genuinely seemed to enjoy it. Maybe that was why Libby was so drawn to them.
The next day was spent mostly in bed. Libby cooked them some lunch and they went for a walk in the afternoon. By the time they got to Jules and Angus’s house for dinner, they were as close as they had ever been, the last month and a half of separation forgotten. Libby felt extremely nervous at the thought of Angus and Luca’s imminent first encounter.
‘Welcome,’ said Angus, throwing open the door and shaking Luca by the hand. ‘It’s good to meet you!’ Angus had a grubby apron on over his shirt and jeans and, judging from the smells that were emanating from the kitchen, he had clearly been hard at work. His underlying good manners stopped him from showing it, but Libby could tell that he was masking his true feelings about their situation as best he could, for her sake, and for that she was really grateful.
‘It’s great to meet you too,’ said Luca. It was endearing listening to his Italian accent when he spoke English. Every consonant was exaggerated and every vowel elongated. Moments later, Jules came pounding down the stairs, her hair wet from the shower.
‘Sorry, sorry!’ she cried. ‘I was running so late I only just jumped in the shower.’
‘Luca, this is Jules,’ Libby introduced them.
‘Meeting in person is much better than on FaceTime,’ laughed Jules as she kissed him on both cheeks. ‘It’s so amazing to have you here.’
When everyone had a drink they raised their glasses and made a toast. ‘To Libby and Luca,’ said Jules, ‘and their little baby!’
Jules pored over the photo from the scan, trying to figure out which way around the head was. Even Angus couldn’t resist the temptation, quietly studying the image, that vein pulsing in his jaw once again. Libby explained what the sonographer had showed them. She felt so sorry for Angus as she watched him, knowing how much he would like Jules to be in the same boat. She hoped fervently that seeing Libby go through all of this might inspire Jules to follow suit, though she wasn’t convinced that was ever going to be an option.
Jules asked Luca hundreds of questions over the course of dinner, determined to get to know him as quickly as possible. Angus was much more detached, uncharacteristically quiet as he topped Jules and Luca up with fine wine and produced three courses of delicious food. They finished with perfectly risen raspberry soufflés dusted with icing sugar and decorated with fresh raspberries.
‘How on earth did you make those?’ gasped Libby. ‘They look so professional. Mastering the art of soufflés is next on my list.’
‘You certainly are a great cook,’ said Luca. ‘This food has been amazing.’
After pudding and coffee, decaf for Libby, they left Angus and Jules to tackle the washing up and walked home. ‘They seem like a lovely couple,’ Luca said.
‘They are the best,’ agreed Libby.
‘I can see myself becoming friends with them both.’
‘I certainly hope so! You’ll be spending a lot of time with them.’ Libby crossed her fingers that Angus would come around and accept them as a genuine couple. Surely now that Luca had committed to make a go of things with her in London, he could be happy for her? It felt so wrong having this slight distance between them. She was so used to him being there for her, it was very disconcerting.
‘Jules is wonderful, so chatty! So full of life and inquisitive.’
‘Yup. She just needs to figure out a way to harness all that energy. She hates her job so much – she is definitely not cut out to be an accountant.’
‘No, I can see that.’
‘I wonder when she’ll finally pluck up the courage to quit,’ Libby mused, letting them into the flat. She suddenly felt exhausted. Two evenings out in a row had definitely taken their toll. She fell asleep as soon as her head touched the pillow.
Miriam also seemed charmed by Luca over lunch the next day. He certainly knew how to work his magic on the ladies, and his girlfriend’s mother was no exception. He was the perfect mixture of self-deprecating humour and courteous good manners, throwing a little flattery into the mix too. He complimented Miriam on her brooch, an antique favourite that she had inherited from her mother, and his obvious affection for Libby was enough to persuade her that he genuinely adored her daughter. Miriam began to feel rather pleased with the whole situation. If only he would propose, then she could relax even more. Watching Luca and her daughter together, she allowed herself to imagine that this might not be too absurd a possibility. Libby was clearly on cloud nine. She was delighted that things seemed to be working out, for one of her daughters at least.