Undertaking Love Page 0,102

in the smoking shelter.

Tall.

Blonde.

Muscles.

Come to Papa.

‘Not many people could pull those trousers off, but you totally do.’

They both looked down at Jonny’s purple satin trousers, and he wondered if it would be too forward to tell Love God that he was more than welcome to pull the afore-mentioned trousers off any time he fancied. He decided that, on balance, it probably was, so he accepted the proffered cigarette instead. A pleasant electric shock rippled through his fingers when he cupped his hands around the flame of Love God’s lighter.

‘So. Do you come here often?’ Over the years, Jonny had come to realise that sometimes the old lines were the best.

Love God took a long drag on his cigarette. ‘I’m a nurse, so you could say that.’

Jonny blew out an elegant plume of smoke. ‘What kind of a nurse smokes?’

‘A lonely one.’

Jonny cast his eyes to the skies and wondered if Santa had just dropped his Christmas present off right here in the smoking shelter.

He grinned and shuffled closer. ‘Well, as it happens, I’ve been feeling a little under the weather myself lately …’

Emily gathered her sleepy son into her arms and nuzzled her face against his to breathe in his delicious new baby scent.

Yes, baby, I’m going to love you forever.

She settled herself onto the deep window ledge to give him his first ever glimpse of the outside world. ‘It’s snowing.’ She whispered against his forehead. ‘You’ll love this when you’re a big boy. Your crazy daddy’s already talking about buying a sledge.’ She smiled at the image of them all in bobble hats and wellies in years to come.

Down below, she spotted Tom slip-sliding his way across the car park with the camera clutched in his hands. She lifted her hand to tap the glass, but her knuckles stilled as another figure emerged out into the splash of light that spilled from the foyer.

Dan.

They were the only two people out there, and on a direct collision course. They couldn’t miss each other if they tried.

She watched in agony as Tom lifted his head. Dan’s steps slowed, his hands still bunched up in his jean pockets. ‘Keep walking Tom, please keep walking.’ Emily whispered, and the baby snuffled into her neck, content against her shoulder.

Tom stopped walking.

It was like watching a silent movie. She could see the serious, guarded look on Tom’s face as he spoke. Dan looked away for a few seconds, and then in slow motion, pulled his hand out of his pocket and held it out towards Tom. She saw Tom falter as he tried to decide how to play it. She didn’t need to hear their conversation to know what was going on inside his head at that moment.

In every way that mattered this was Tom’s child, and her heart ached with love as he reached out and accepted Dan’s hand. They lingered for a moment longer before Dan touched his fingers against his forehead in silent salute and disappeared into the darkness.

Emily stroked the baby’s velvet-soft head as she waited for Tom to come back upstairs, humbled beyond words by his love, and his strength.

He’d changed today, too. He was a father.

Chapter Forty-Four

Marla followed Gabe into a deserted private room and perched on the slippery edge of a hard hospital mattress. The room smelled strongly of turps, and paint-splattered ladders were leaning against the wall, but at least they were alone. She badly wished that she was wearing something a little less cleavage revealing than the Biba dress, and that the snow hadn’t turned her hair into a wild bird’s nest.

Gabe, in contrast, looked lethal.

In theory, it should have been far easier to be around him now that she’d finally admitted to herself that she loved him. She could just fall into his arms and confess all. Job done.

So why did she feel suddenly as awkward as a tongue-tied schoolgirl?

She’d been desperate to see him for weeks, and now that he was in the same room she could barely meet his eyes, let alone profess her undying love or swoon in the hope that he’d catch her.

It didn’t help that he looked so brooding and dangerous.

If he were auditioning for Heathcliff, he’d win the role hands down.

Romeo? Not so much.

‘Nice dress.’

Marla instinctively glanced down at the low neckline to make sure she hadn’t had a Janet Jackson style wardrobe malfunction.

She knew it was her turn to speak, but it felt a little pre-emptive for ‘I love you’.

‘Thank you for driving Emily here.’

Gabe nodded and reverted