The Doctor's Runaway Bride

‘But you weren’t sure how you felt about him as a person.’ Sharon popped a spoon in the casserole and tasted it. ‘Do you like him?’

Did she like him?

Tia thought of the times he’d held her when she’d been sick, of the omelette he’d made and the way he’d slept in the spare room even though he must have been hideously uncomfortable. She remembered the candles and the shopping and the warmth he showed to patients and his obvious skill at practising medicine.

‘Yes,’ she said finally, her tongue licking her dry lips. ‘Yes, I like him.’

‘And has he mentioned Luisa?’

‘No.’

It was the one black spot. He still hadn’t been completely honest with her.

‘Need any help, Shaz?’ Richard stuck his head round the door and looked at his wife. ‘We’re starving to death out here.’

‘Don’t rush me.’ Sharon shot him a reproving look. ‘You can carry the plates through if you want to help.’

The meal was superb and Luca gave Sharon a warm smile. ‘This is excellent,’ he said quietly, a smile playing around his mouth as he complimented her. ‘Truly excellent.’

‘Oh. Well…thank you.’ Sharon blushed, flustered by the attention, and Tia watched Luca, her eyes resting on his jaw and then sliding down to his broad shoulders.

The need to touch him—to be touched—was becoming an overwhelming ache. She wanted to slip his shirt over the smooth skin of his shoulders and bury her face in his warmth and strength.

His gaze intercepted hers and she knew that he’d read her thoughts. Her heart thumping, she tried to drag some air into her starving lungs, heat flooding her body as she saw the raw desire flare in his eyes.

Sharon’s voice broke the spell. ‘So are you still being sick, Tia?’

Tia blinked and dragged her gaze away from Luca’s, aware of Richard’s mild protest.

‘Darling, we’re eating,’ he pointed out, his tone amused as he looked at his wife. ‘And you never ask a pregnant person if they feel sick. It instantly makes them feel sick. You’re a midwife. You should know better.’

Sharon looked apologetic. ‘Sorry.’

Luca smiled. ‘Tia is coping very well with the sickness. She is being very brave about the whole thing…’ He paused slightly. ‘Especially considering how frightened she is about having this baby.’

Tia’s face lost its colour and her eyes flew to his. He’d guessed that she was frightened? How?

‘She told you?’ Sharon gave a smile of relief, oblivious to the tension simmering between her guests. ‘Thank goodness for that. I told her you’d understand but she was completely convinced that, being Italian, you wouldn’t want a woman who was scared of marriage and children. She has a serious commitment phobia does our Tia.’

Thank you, Sharon.

Tia closed her eyes and wished herself somewhere else. Now that Sharon had confirmed Luca’s suspicions, what was there that she could say?

The conversation moved on but Tia was aware only of Luca’s dark eyes resting on her from time to time and she knew that the subject was far from closed.

‘So what’s it like, practising medicine in the UK compared to Italy?’ Richard topped up the wineglasses and the conversation shifted to more general topics.

While Luca and Richard debated the merits of various health systems, Tia moved the food round her plate, trying to work out what to say when Luca confronted her in private.

They were finishing coffee when Luca’s bleeper sounded.

He pulled a face and went to use the phone, returning minutes later with an apologetic expression on his handsome face.

‘They are concerned about a twin delivery,’ he explained, reaching for his jacket and car keys. ‘I have to go, I’m afraid. Sharon, thank you for a lovely evening. Tia?’

Tia stood up without argument, seeing a means of escape. If she left now, she’d be in bed asleep by the time he arrived home. Which meant that they could postpone the conversation she was dreading.

Several hours later Tia heard the sound of Luca’s key in the door. She hadn’t slept. Not even for a minute. Her mind was too full of what had happened at Sharon’s.