Prognosis Baby Daddy - Amy Andrews Page 0,34

Marco helped her out.

‘Do you know everyone in Positano?’ she asked ten minutes later when they hadn’t even left the beach area, continually stopped by people greeting Ben.

‘Nearly.’ He grinned.

He took Katya’s hand as he led her up the steep stone stairs that took them past the Duomo. Mario and Bianca had been married here with all the church trappings. He had been far away in Asia at the time but he had seen the pictures in a magazine somewhere. Mario with his arm around the woman who had been betrothed to him.

He tightened his grip on Katya’s hand. ‘Mamma’s house is a bit of a climb from here, I’m afraid,’ he said. ‘Will you be okay to walk it?’

Katya rolled her eyes. ‘I’m pregnant, not an invalid.”

They made their way up the hill through the narrow twisting alleys haunted by throngs of tourists. T-shirts, shoes and other items of clothing were hung on walls and placed outside shopfronts on tables. Ceramic ware hung from every available surface. Artists displayed their paintings and local craftsmen hawked their jewellery in bougainvillea draped lanes.

Bakeries and restaurants adjoined boutiques and gelaterias. Fruit and shoes and olive oil and wine and exclusive one-off dresses were sold amidst a vibrant clash of noise and colour. A multitude of languages and accents assaulted her ears.

Lucia was waiting for them at the front door when they’d finally made their way up the hillside.

‘Somebody rang?’ He laughed as he kissed both the Contessa’s cheeks.

‘Three people,’ Lucia confirmed, with a twinkle in her eye.

Ben’s mother turned to Katya and clasped her hand. ‘How lovely to see you again,’ she said, and embraced Katya in a tight hug.

Katya closed her eyes and felt Lucia’s warmth and sincerity surround her.

‘Come,’ Lucia said, breaking away and taking a hand each. ‘Tell me why you have come to visit an old woman on such a beautiful day.’

Ben laughed at his mother’s tired joke. ‘We came to let you know that you are going to be a grandmother.’

Lucia gasped, dropped their hands and turned, looking from one to the other. She launched herself at Ben and let loose a string of rapid fire Italian as she kissed his cheeks repeatedly. When she was finished with Ben, she turned to Katya and rained more kisses on her, still speaking in Italian.

‘Enough, Mamma,’ Ben chuckled, looking at Katya’s slightly bewildered look.

‘Yes, yes,’ Lucia said, finally pulling away, her cheeks damp with tears, and grabbing their hands again. ‘Come, we’ll celebrate on the terrace and we can discuss the wedding.’

Katya’s step faltered and she looked over Lucia’s head at Ben. He chuckled and winked at her. Was she ready for this?

CHAPTER SIX

A MONTH passed. Katya felt like her life was now flying along out of her control. A rather unsettling feeling for someone who had been steadfastly in the driver’s seat from the age of eight. September became October, their work continued, her stomach remained stubbornly flat, but other things changed.

News of her pregnancy slowly leaked out and then snowballed until everyone on the Amalfi coast seemed to know. Lucia, after her initial disapproval of their non-wedding plans, accepted their decision graciously and fussed round Katya like a broody hen. People regarded them as a couple. Her colleagues treated her differently. It was subtle but she definitely felt like the boss’s girlfriend around the clinic.

And, the biggest change of all, she moved in with Ben. As she had promised. It was a surreal kind of life to be living, real and fake at the same time. But it was her one concession to legitimise the baby and Katya knew she would do whatever it took to instill into the collective consciousness that the baby she carried was Ben’s.

They developed a routine. They would finish their theatre list for the day, spend time with their post-op cases and then Ben would take her out to dinner. Ravello had many wonderful restaurants and she enjoyed exploring and getting to know the charming Italian village that would be her home for the next few months.

Ben was an interesting and lively tour guide and she’d certainly never eaten so well in all her life! The locals got to know who she was very quickly and she couldn’t go out of the clinic without being recognised.

After dinner they would return to the clinic and their room. And their bed. The bed that they shared because Ben had reasoned that two beds would cause gossip between the housekeeping staff and he didn’t want