‘It proves that I am right to trust you. That it is nothing to do with contracts or money. That you do love me as much as I love you.’
‘You don’t know me, though.’ She started to cry. ‘I’ve been lying all along.’
‘I know you far more than you think,’ Raúl said.
‘You don’t. Your father was right. I like churches and reading…’
‘I know that.’
‘And I hate clubs.’
‘I know that too.’
‘I’m nothing like the woman you thought you met.’
‘Do you not think I’d long ago worked that out?’ Raúl kissed her cheek. ‘My virgin hooker.’
He heard her gurgle of laughter, born from exhausted tears.
‘I don’t get how you’re the one with no morals, yet I’m the one who’s lied.’
‘Because you’re complicated,’ Raúl said. ‘Because you’re female.’ He kissed her mouth. ‘Because you loved me from the start.’
She went to object, but he was telling the truth.
‘Do you know when I fell in love with you?’ Raúl said. ‘When I saw you in those tatty pyjamas and I did not want you in Gordon’s bed. It had nothing to do with me paying you. I deserved that slap, but you really did misinterpret my words.’
She was so scared to love him, so scared to tell him about the baby. But if they were to survive, if they were to start to trust, then she had to. It never entered her head that he already knew.
‘When were you going to tell me you’re pregnant, Estelle?’
She felt his hand move to her stomach, felt his kiss on the back of her neck. All she could be was honest now. ‘When I was too pregnant to fly.’
‘So the baby would be English?’
‘Yes.’
‘And you would support it how?’
‘The same way that billions of non-billionaires do.’
‘Would you have told me?’
‘Yes.’ She needed the truth from him now and she turned in his arms. ‘Are you still here because of the baby?’
‘No,’ Raúl said. ‘I am here because of you.’
She knew he was telling her the truth—not just because he always did, but because of what he said.
‘I have had three hellish nights in my life. The first I struggle to speak about, but with you I am starting to. The second was the night after I’d found out about my brother and you were there. I went to bed not thinking about revenge or hate, but about a kiss that went too far and a slap to my cheek. I guess I loved you then, but it felt safer not to admit that.’
‘And the third?’
‘Finding myself in a nightmare—but not the one I am used to,’ Raúl said. ‘I was not in a car calling out to my mother. I was not begging her to slow down, and nor was I pleading with her to wake…’
Tears filled her eyes as she imagined it, but she held onto them, knew she would only ever get glimpses of that time and she must piece them together in the quiet of her mind.
‘Instead I realised, again, that a woman I loved was gone because of my harsh actions and words. Worse, though. This time it was my fault.’
She heard him forgive what his five-year-old self had said as the past was looked at through more mature eyes.
‘I went to Angela. She was always the one I went to when I messed up, and I had messed up again. I asked her what to do. I was already on my way to you. It was then that she told me that at least my father had known about the baby… It would seem I was the last to know.’
‘I never told her.’
‘I’m glad that she guessed. She told my father that morning. I’m glad that he knew, even if I did not.’ He looked at her and smiled. ‘Opposites attract, Estelle.’ He kissed her nose. ‘It’s law. You can’t argue with that.’
‘I’m not arguing.’
‘Did you hate every dance?’ he asked.
She shook her head. ‘Of course not.’
‘We’ll have to get babysitters when we want to go out soon.’
He blew out a breath at the thought of the changes that were to come and she saw that he was smiling.
‘Who’d have thought?’
‘Not me,’ Estelle admitted.
‘So, how do you tell your wife you want to marry her all over again?’
‘We don’t need to get married again,’ Estelle said. ‘Though a second honeymoon might be nice.’
‘Where?’
He was going to make her say it.
‘Where?’
‘On the yacht.’
Yes, she could get used to that—especially when he made love to her all over again. Especially when he made her laugh about the maid’s secret swapping of his DVDs.
No, he had never lied. But he’d never been more honest—and it felt so good.
‘Do you think your family will notice a change in us?’
‘No.’ Estelle smiled. ‘They think we met and fell head over heels in love.’
‘They were right.’ Raúl pulled her to him and then kissed her again. ‘We were the only ones who couldn’t quite believe it.’
IT WAS A beautiful wedding, held on the yacht, which had dropped anchor in Acantilados de Maro-Cerro.
It was Raúl’s wedding gift to Gordon for bringing Estelle to him.
The grooms wore white and, contrary to Spanish tradition, there were speeches.
‘I never thought I’d be standing declaring my love amongst my closest family and friends…’ Gordon smiled, and then the dancing started.
Estelle leant against Raúl, feeling the kicks of their baby inside her.
‘Is that Gordon’s son Ginny is dancing with?’ Estelle asked.
‘They’ve been going out for a while.’
‘Really?’ Estelle smothered a smile. Raúl noticed everything. ‘Gordon was once married before—ages ago, apparently.’
‘How will they say they met? She can hardly admit she was his father’s…’ He stopped as Estelle dug him in the ribs. ‘Sorry,’ Raúl said. ‘Sometimes I forget your other life.’
She didn’t laugh this time, because the feeling was starting again—like a tight belt pulling around her stomach.
‘Do you remember when we stopped here?’ Raúl asked. ‘When we took out a jet ski and you were scared and trying not to show it.’
‘Of course I do.’ Estelle attempted to answer normally. ‘And I remember when we went snorkeling, and I—’
‘Estelle?’ He heard her voice break off mid-sentence.
Estelle had been trying to ignore