Infinite Love (24 page)

‘Hey you. You gave us quite a shock. Again.’

‘I’m sorry.’

‘I should think so, bloody inconsiderate of you when I was on for my top score on Xbox,’ she teased as she stroked my hair. I giggled.

‘I feel all funny.’

‘Because you’re drugged up again. I think you’re faking it to get your hands on the good stuff and to get out of work.’

‘Work!’ I gasped.

‘Don’t worry Doug’s in control, well actually yes, you should worry because Doug’s in control, he doesn’t run it half as well as me.’

‘Mia, the club’s fine,’ came Gabe’s voice. ‘Just rest, baby.’

‘Can I sit up?’

‘Are you in pain?’ he asked.

‘No, not anymore.’

‘Ok.’

‘Here, let me,’ smiled Lexi as she fiddled with the control panel and I giggled as my feet started going up. ‘Shit, sorry, wrong one. There isn’t one that will catapult you out of bed is there?’

‘Like the ejector seat in Bond? GOLD.
FINGER
,’ I sang in a Shirley Basseyesque deep voice.

‘
Sssshhhh
,’ laughed Lexi. ‘Do you want me to screw up again and press the wrong button?’

‘“No Mr. Bond, I expect you to die” Mwah haha.’

‘Mia!’

‘“Shocking, positively shocking.”’

‘“You like close shaves, do you?”’ Lexi chuckled as I giggled and wiped tears from my eyes and she finally raised the right end of the bed.

‘You two are bloody bonkers,’ sighed Gabe as he shoved a hand through his hair. He looked really pale, ironic given we both still had our honeymoon tans.

‘Lexi, would you get me some chocolate? I’m feeling a bit light headed.’

‘Sure, what are you down with today?’

‘Galaxy.’

‘I’m on it. Don’t go anywhere.’

‘Very funny, Gabe said something like that earlier,’ I smiled as she waved and disappeared. I looked at him and sighed. How much stress and worry could I keep putting him through? ‘Come and sit here,’ I demanded as I patted the bed.

‘You’re sure you’re not in pain anymore?’

‘No, these drugs are lovely.’

‘Christ Mia, you scared me to death,’ he sighed as he sat on the edge of the bed and held my hand to his lips and kissed it.

‘I know, I’m sorry. Thanks for getting me here so quickly. Did you time the run?’

‘No, why?’

‘Good to know that you can react fast in an emergency if we ever get pregnant. You’d be like The Flash, verzooooom, whisking me over in seconds.’

‘They must have you on different drugs as you’re not being rude this time, just funny.’

‘Are you ok? I worry about you,’ I sighed.

‘You’re the one in a hospital bed, again. I worry about you.’

‘I really wish I was easy for you, that you’d met me when I was someone else and it was all easy.’

‘You’ve been reincarnated?’ he asked with a hint of a smile.

‘I’m just so much trouble.’

‘You are, but I still love you, unequivocally.’

‘Mia?’ I looked up to see a lady with a scrub cap standing at my side. ‘Hi, it’s Dr. Wells, I’m sorry to see you again under these circumstances.’

‘Hi, I didn’t recognise you. But I’m all drugged up again,’ I nodded.

‘I know,’ she laughed. ‘Right, well I’ll come and check on you in the morning and if your bloods, temperature and blood pressure are ok, I’ll discharge you with a prescription. I’d recommend a week off anything, nothing strenuous and you’re to come straight back in if you get any reoccurrence or worsening of symptoms, ok?’

‘What was the reason for this?’ asked Gabe.

‘Well, Mia has a history of ovarian cysts with her endometriosis, coming off the pill and started her cycles again will have encouraged progression of the disease and … well, there’s always a risk when you stimulate the ovaries to produce more eggs that cysts will also occur. It’s an unfortunate side effect of someone with Mia’s condition taking these drugs.’

‘So this could happen again?’ he frowned and flashed me a reassuring smile as he squeezed my hand.

‘Yes it could, that’s a very real possibility. I’ll make an appointment for her to come in and have a scan to see if any more cysts show up. I’d suggest we do that before you try the next round of IVF. I’m very sorry to hear that the last two attempts weren’t successful, but Dr. Walker is one of the best out there.’

‘Thank you,’ nodded Gabe.

‘Thank you,’ I smiled.

‘See you in the morning, lots of rest please.’

A month later we were in New York, sitting at Robert and Sofia’s rehearsal dinner. Just like his son, Robert didn’t like to wait when he wanted something and he’d insisted on a June wedding.

‘Well, I’d like to thank you all for coming,’ he announced as he stood in front of us all. ‘Especially Sofia’s relatives from Italy, my son and daughter-in-law and our friends from England.’

‘Well, you did send a plane over for us, Mr. A,’ Doug yelled. I looked at him and shook my head and he winked at me.

‘Quite,’ laughed Robert. ‘Well, your reputation for the preservation of your finances Doug, is such that if I hadn’t sent a plane to get you, you wouldn’t have paid to be here.’

‘Nice one, Dad,’ laughed Gabe as he raised his glass to him and Doug went scarlet as we all laughed.

‘I’m honoured that you all wanted to be a part of this special occasion with us. I’m sure you all know that this isn’t the first time that Sofia or I have been married, but we hope it will be the last time. I honestly never thought that I would ever want to love again, let alone find love after I lost my first wife, Gabriel’s mother. It took a very long time, but I’m sure if she’s looking down on us now that she’d approve of my choice and wish us all the happiness in the world.’

‘I’ll second that,’ added Gabe and Robert nodded his thanks to him as Sofia and I dabbed the corners of our eyes. I squeezed Gabe’s hand, feeling so proud of him and he smiled at me and kissed my temple. It was lovely to be back here, with warm weather for once. Mum and Gerry, Georgie and Justin, Doug and Sarah, Riley and Mrs. Darby, Mr. and Mrs. Tudor and Lexi were all here as well. It was like a rerun of our wedding but without Nana and Grandpa Page, and with the addition of Sofia’s crazy and passionate family. She’d warned us about them in advance and I’d laughed, saying no one could put Lexi and I in the shade, I was so wrong. They were so unlike Sofia, she was sophisticated and elegant and they weren’t, but I loved that she had no shame or embarrassment about that at all.

‘So lovely as this is, I really don’t get it,’ I announced as I put my napkin down after dessert.

‘What do you mean?’ asked Gabe.

‘A rehearsal dinner. I mean what’s the point? Everyone knows how to eat, it’s not like the wedding’s going to be ruined because someone didn’t realise they had to sit and eat three, or in this case, seven courses.’

‘It’s a chance for the wedding party to meet,’ laughed Gabe. ‘Not to practice eating or eating etiquette.’

‘I still don’t get it, we’re all going to meet tomorrow anyway, what’s the point? It’s just a load of unnecessary expenditure on an already expensive day.’

‘You and your hang up with bloody money,’ he sighed. ‘You’re spending way too much time with Lexi coming up with silly comments about rehearsing eating.’

‘Hey,’ she protested.

‘It does sound like the sort of thing you’d say, Lex,’ agreed Doug.

‘Well I agree with Mia, no one above the age of about five needs to rehearse how to use a knife and fork thank you very much, Doug.’

‘Except you, Lex,’ I giggled. ‘You used your fish knife for the steak.’

‘There’s different knives for different foods? Shit. Then this rehearsal is a damn good idea,’ she laughed.

‘Gabriel, Mia, might Sofia and I have a word in private?’ came Robert’s voice. I looked around to find him leaning down between us.

‘Sure Dad, is everything ok?’

‘Yes, of course, just a couple of things to discuss with you before tomorrow.’

‘Right now?’

‘If that’s not too inconvenient.’ Like father like son, that was an instruction, not a request.

‘Of course not, ok with you, baby?’

‘Yes,’ I nodded and drained my wine and we excused ourselves from the table and followed Robert out of the private hotel function room and into a small adjoining meeting room with table and chairs, where Sofia was already sitting waiting.

‘Sorry for the surroundings, but we didn’t want to leave the guests for longer than was necessary and it seemed ridiculous to book a room to have a family discussion.’

‘Dad,’ Gabe frowned. ‘Is everything ok?’

‘Errrr … yes. As I say just a few things to discuss if we can, please take a seat,’ he indicated. I looked at Sofia and raised my eyebrows. This all felt very formal and I’d never heard Robert hesitate before. She bit her lip and gave me a half-smile, not reassuring me at all.

‘Ok, five things on the agenda, so let’s get the easiest out of the way,’ advised Robert with a clearing of his throat as he pulled a stack of papers on the table toward him. ‘I have prepared an alteration to the deeds of my house in Westhampton. I’m rarely there, the property is lying empty and you are already searching for a new home for yourself and Mia for when … for when you are able to have a family. So I am signing the house over to you.’

‘Dad,’ exclaimed Gabe, as we both looked at him shocked.

‘No arguments please son, it would be a wonderful family home for you both and I have no need for the sale proceeds. Can we move onto item two on the agenda?’

‘Hold on a second,’ Gabe protested while I just sat in stunned silence. ‘What about when you’re in England? Where will you live?’

‘Gabriel, England hasn’t been my home for a very long time now, as you well know. If Sofia and I come over to visit then we can stay in a hotel, there’s no need for us to have a property over there.’

‘Very well, I’ll accept on one condition.’

‘This wasn’t supposed to be a negotiation,’ smiled Robert.

‘Well it is. The master suite on the top floor remains yours and both of the bedrooms up there as well if you want to convert them.’

‘I’ll agree to the master suite and one bedroom then, keep the other for guests.’

‘Agreed.’

‘Then we will move onto point two,’ he nodded. I looked over at Sofia and she just shrugged. She was probably used to seeing Robert handling business. I was still in shock, we were going to move to Gabe’s house? That huge house with the pool and …
everything?
‘I have a proposition for when you graduate, Gabriel. You know I always had hopes of you attending law school …’

‘Dad,’ sighed Gabe.

‘Please let me finish. I accepted that this wasn’t your calling and I’ve been very proud of your achievements to date with your sports and the running of Greyson’s with Mia, but I feel that Mia can handle the running of the club on her own, she knows the industry and has far more hands on experience to offer the dancers. I’m impressed at your organisational and project management skills and would like to offer you a position as Operations Director at AT&F when you graduate.’

‘Are you trying to blow my mind in one sitting?’ gasped Gabe. ‘I have no qualifications for that position.’

‘Neither did I, I’m a lawyer, I learned fast. I’m happy to wait for your answer until you graduate next year, I accept that you may need to think about this carefully because it may not be your dream to work in my industry, or with me in fact, but your mother and I built the company from scratch, it’s part of her legacy and I hope that you’ll consider my offer carefully. If you accept you’ll learn on the job with me until we both feel comfortable that you have the necessary skills to operate on your own, freeing me up to get back to the legal side of the business. Naturally as my son you’ll be a major shareholder in the company with a salary commensurate, profit related bonuses and a signed bonus.’

‘Dad, I don’t know what to say, I mean … I don’t understand. You just told me that you’re signing the house over to me, but you want me to move to New York? What about Mia? What if she doesn’t want to move?’

‘I was going to suggest that while we are working together we could split our working week between the Westhampton and New York offices so we can both spend time with our wives if they don’t wish to travel with us, naturally when you are ready to run on your own you have the choice of having your main base in Westhampton, London, New York or Hong Kong, but you will be expected to travel to all four sites over the course of the year. As for Mia, well I’m sure she can manage the club from anywhere with the internet, she is welcome to follow you wherever you may be working from and I will ensure an office is made available to her. Which leads me nicely onto point three.’

‘Jesus Christ, Dad, when you said a quiet word this wasn’t what I was expecting,’ Gabe sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. I put my hand on his thigh and squeezed, his dad was being incredibly generous. I also knew that Robert was a savvy businessman, if he didn’t think Gabe was up to the job, son or no son, he wouldn’t have made this offer.

‘I’d imagine not. Now, I am transferring the property in New York over to your name as well. You can use it if you chose to come and work with me while you are required over here, or simply as a holiday home for when you both come to visit us. I’ll be moving in with her as it’s more suitable to our needs,’ he advised and I saw him flick a glance Sofia’s way.

‘Dad, you’re not dying are you?’ Gabe asked, his voice full of concern.

‘No.’ Robert roared with laughter. ‘Just having a spring clean of my finances with getting married. But that does bring me nicely onto point four. My will. The properties in Westhampton and New York are now yours and if I were to die you would inherit majority controlling shares in Austin, Turner & Finch as part of my business assets, but I hope you appreciate that I need to factor Sofia into my personal finances now.’

‘Yes, of course I do, I mean you’ve just handed me property worth about four million pounds and a company worth a few million too, I’m not going to complain about your personal finances, Dad.’

‘We need to work on your valuation skills, Gabriel,’ Robert laughed again. ‘You can’t afford to underestimate like that in business.’

‘I think I need some water,’ I interrupted. ‘Sorry, this is all a bit much.’