Our Kind of Love (41 page)
‘You’re pregnant,’ Joe whispered. ‘Oh my God.’ Joe’s hands on her belly were gentle and protective. ‘It’s a baby.’
That just made Anna want to cry.
‘Yes. I’m pregnant. It happened the day you came up to Adelaide. The day I googled you and saw that awful article.’
‘The day we …’ Joe murmured. He hadn’t moved his hands or shifted his gaze.
‘We didn’t use a condom.’
‘It’s a baby.’
‘It’s definitely a baby.’ Anna held her breath. ‘And it’s a baby I never thought I’d be able to have, given my history.’
It still felt like a miracle to Anna. And now being able to say it out loud? It was beyond belief.
‘I needed to come down here and tell you that I’m keeping the baby, Joe. This could be my only chance to be a mother and I’ve wanted this so much. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before now. I tried to that day at Victor Harbor. But it was too early and I was still too scared I might lose it.’
Joe seemed to be in a daze, his hands moving in slow circles over her bump and then sliding around her waist to pull her close. When he looked at her, his eyes were soft, glazed. It would be too easy to get lost in that look, she realised, but that was pretend and she was stuck firmly in reality. Anna planted her hands on Joe’s chest and pushed him away, ever so gently.
‘Joe, I need you to know that I didn’t plan this. I’m not trying to trap you or expect you to play any part in the baby’s life. Months and months ago, you were honest with me about the fact that you don’t want kids and I accept that. What we have here is a lucky mistake. For me anyway.’
Joe’s eyes were suddenly as bright as the blue sky above them and those little crinkles in the corner of his eyes that she’d always adored seemed deeper. Wiser.
‘What I also wanted to say is that I don’t want any money from you. I’m perfectly capable of looking after the baby myself and, as you know, I have a family who will help. When they find out, they’re going to go nuts with happiness.’
Joe reached a hand up and wrapped a strand of her hair around his fingers. ‘Anything else you need to tell me?’
‘As a matter of fact, yes. I thought it was only fair that I told you first. Since you’re the …’ she gulped. ‘Father. My family don’t even know but telling them will be a piece of cake after everything else I’ve put them through in the past twelve months.’
The look on Joe’s face made Anna’s heart hammer in her chest. She was too scared to put a word to it, to the tears in his eyes and the loving smile on his face.
‘So … breaking news.’ She attempted a laugh.
‘Well, that’s a story all right.’
‘Yep. Sure is.’
‘Front page material actually. But there’s one problem with it.’
Anna snorted. ‘Only one?’
‘Call it the journalist in me, but I need to know what happens at the end.’ Joe took her face in his hands and looked into her eyes with an expression that Anna might mistake for love, if she wasn’t doped up on so many pregnancy hormones. And when he kissed her, pressed himself against her, baby bump and all, she let herself imagine an answer to that question.
‘What does happen in the end?’ she murmured.
‘You know when you interrupted me before?’
‘Yes,’ Anna said.
‘I was trying to tell you something.’
‘I know you were. That’s why I had to stop you. I didn’t want you to feel obligated to me or the baby when you found out. I was planning to tell you – and soon – but you forced my hand. I realised I had to tell you about the baby before you said anything you might regret tomorrow.’
‘Regret? I don’t have any. Not about you. Not about the baby. I want a life with you, Anna, whatever that brings us. And damn it all, it looks like life’s about to bring it on.’
Anna tried to concentrate on his words but everything was blurred. ‘Listen, you should take some time to think about this. I’ve had a few months to come to grips with it. This is big news to swallow. And I understand all your reasons for being scared. I don’t want you if you are only doing this out of some misguided pride about the baby. If you’re offering me something, you have to know that I want all of you Joe, not just the guilt. If you’re saying all this because I’ve blindsided you with the baby, that’s not right for either of us and I’ll walk away. No strings attached.’
Joe held up a hand. ‘Has anyone ever said that you could talk for Australia?’
‘Yes, as a matter of fact.’
‘Listen up, Doc. It’s not about the baby. It’s about you. I love you, Dr Anna Morelli. I have loved you since we danced together the night of Ry and Julia’s wedding.’
‘You have?’
‘Yes.
Dancing Queen
, wasn’t it?’
‘Twice,’ Anna said.
‘I get that this is complicated and I know it won’t be easy.’
‘You’re telling me.’
‘For a start we’ll have to decide where to live,’ Joe said.
‘You want to live together?’ Anna heard the shock in her own voice.
‘How else are we gonna raise our baby?’
‘
Vafanculo
. I’m not even divorced.’ Anna crossed herself. ‘I’m going straight to hell.’
‘Don’t believe in it myself. And my marriage is officially over so maybe that’ll make you less of a sinner.’
Anna stared at the sand. This whole thing, telling Joe, was supposed to have been the hard part. She expected shock and a polite discussion about future custody arrangements maybe, but not this. Her head was spinning with disbelief and something that felt like pure joy.
Joe was touching her belly again, touching their baby.
‘Are you absolutely sure?’ she asked.
‘We’ve covered a lot of ground. Which part are you talking about?’
‘About wanting this baby. About living together. About loving me.’
‘Anna Morelli. I’m sure you’re going to drive me completely crazy in new and interesting ways each and every day, but I love you and I’m absolutely sure.’
Anna sighed. ‘And I love you and I’m absolutely sure too.’
Joe took Anna’s hand and they kissed, softly and sweetly. Anna decided it was the best kiss she’d ever had.
‘So. We’re having a baby, huh?’
‘Congratulations, Dad.’
Joe shook his head. She pulled him back and kissed him. Soft and long, a kiss that said everything that was in her heart. Everything she felt was reflected back at her. She wanted a few more minutes to enjoy their secret. Their happy, joyous secret.
‘You happy? he asked, his lips against hers.
‘More than happy, Joe Blake.’
‘Now that I’m officially in a relationship with a GP, do I get free medical advice?’
‘Unofficially, of course. What can I help you with?
‘I seem to have an ache right here.’ Joe pressed her hand to his chest, right near his heart.
‘Luckily I have just the right prescription for that.’ Anna held him close, so close that her baby bump rubbed against him. ‘It’s an old Italian recipe. And it’s called
amore
.’
Joe’s arm was around her shoulder. ‘Welcome to my family.’
They were such sweet words from a man who, for so long, didn’t believe he had one.
‘And welcome to mine.’ Anna leaned up to kiss him. Joe’s gentle hand was on her belly as if he was welcoming their baby, too.
Then Anna froze. ‘Oh my God. How am I going to break this to my mother?’
‘Thanks everyone for coming. And a special huge thank you to Paolo and Sonia Morelli for having us all here today.’ Joe held up a glass of Paolo’s homemade wine for a toast.
A whooping cheer went up around the living room of Anna’s parents house. It was full of people and noise and life and laughter.
Just another day in the Morelli family
, she thought with a melting heart. But there was something different about today. Her mother had outdone herself with the food. Every available space was covered by another delicious Italian dish and Anna watched on in amazed fascination as everyone held up a glass and toasted her parents.
‘To Paolo and Sonia,’ Joe called out and an echoing cheer went around the room. Joe looked over to her and winked. She smiled back at him, her heart filled with pride and love and amusement at her man.
She wasn’t quite sure how he’d done it, but Joe Blake had won them over.
The non-Italian, non-Catholic, divorced, former unemployed journalist and bartender was now their favourite non-son-in-law.
Anna shifted awkwardly in her chair. She hadn’t been able to find a comfortable position for weeks now as she was so close to having the baby. She perched on the edge of the chair, hoping it would give her bladder a reprieve.
Life was sweet. More than sweet. Next to her at the table, her father wore a proud smile and her mother was positively beaming. All around them were the people she loved most in the world: Luca and Grace, Nonna, Ry and Julia with baby Mary Elizabeth, Dan and Lizzie, Harri and Ry’s mother Barbra.
The gathering had started out as a much delayed baby shower. Grace had insisted Anna have one before the baby was due and Anna had relented without too much of a fight. But looking around at the party, she realised it had become much more than a celebration about a new life. It had turned into the official joining together of two families.
Anna rubbed her huge belly. She knew in her heart that this baby was going to be smothered with love and, from her experience, that could only be a good thing.
Joe clinked a fork against his glass. ‘Ladies and gentlemen, I want to thank my sister Lizzie and her husband Dan. Lizzie took me in when I had nowhere else to go and thanks to Dan for taking her off my hands.’
Lizzie’s loud scoffs could be heard across the room.
‘But most of all, I want to thank Ry and Julia.’
‘Us?’ Julia said and she and Ry exchanged confused glances.
‘If they hadn’t decided to get married last year, Anna and I would never have met each other.’ Joe’s eyes found Anna’s. How had she been lucky enough to find such a man?
Joe held his hand to his chest. ‘And I’m so, so glad we did.’ Joe crossed the room to kiss her and then leaned down and pressed his lips to her swollen belly. Something he’d done every day since she’d told him she was pregnant. Everyone whooped again.
God, she loved this man.
It had taken them a while to get to this point. Telling her parents wasn’t as traumatic as she’d thought. They’d stood by her when they’d heard about her divorce and had been just as loyal when she’d told them about the baby. And they were not only loyal, but proud of her. Happy for her. And her mother didn’t even complain too much, well perhaps only a little, when Joe and Anna resolved to spend weekdays up in the city and weekends down at Middle Point. Her parents were getting used to the drive.
Because at the end of the day that’s what great families do, Anna realised. They stick with you through thick and thin, through heartbreak and happiness, through loss and love.
‘To Dr Anna Morelli,’ Joe said, loud enough to be heard above everybody.
When the cries of delight and congratulation quietened, Anna reached for Joe’s hand.
‘And to you, Joe Blake.’ She squeezed his hand and pulled him down for another kiss.
‘And to our baby,’ he murmured against her lips.
There were more laughs and shouts, so loud this time that Anna could barely hear herself think.
Here were the facts as she knew them.
She loved and was loved in return. By her family, by her new family and by Joe. The love of her life.
She was happy beyond bursting.
And judging by the shimmer of pain across her abdomen she was about to have a baby.
She gripped Joe’s fingers like a vice and her other hand flew to St Christopher.
‘To our baby,’ she managed to say, ‘who is coming right now.’
Thank you to my family for once again putting up with me while I’ve disappeared to write and edit this book. Get used to it – there are more to come!
Grazie mille
to my Italian advisers: Grace, Anita and Michela. Thank you for letting me pick your brains about what it is to be an Italian daughter.
Thanks Fiona for allowing me to borrow that scene. You know which one.
To the incredible Australian romance writing community. I feel honoured to call so many of you my friends.
I’d like to acknowledge the unfailing support of the SA Writers Centre and its Director Sarah Tooth. A good portion of this book was written while I was a
Writer in Residence
for three months in 2013. I wouldn’t be a writer without this wonderful organisation.
To my editor Jody Lee. Thank you for loving my characters and guiding this book to be so much better than the manuscript I sent you.
Finally, and most importantly, to Sue Brockhoff, Cristina Lee, Michelle Laforest and the whole team from Harlequin Australia. Sincere thanks for your ongoing support, encouragement and your unstinting efforts in helping get my books in front of readers.
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