‘Please Adam, I just need a few minutes in private.’
‘It’s hardly private at my engagement party,’ he said with a small smile. ‘Okay, there’s a rose garden behind that line of trees. I’ll come in a few minutes.’
It was almost pitch-black at their rendezvous point; just a little amber light trickled into the circle of tall, spindly rose bushes at the back of the house. Summer sat on a wooden bench feeling isolated and uneasy, until she heard the sound of footsteps on the grass, and then Adam was standing there holding a glass of champagne. One glass. Not two. He sat down next to her and said, ‘You look beautiful.’ He said it almost apologetically.
Summer shrugged. She knew she looked good. She’d had h
er hair freshly highlighted at Aveda, plus four hours of treatments at the Bliss spa, telling herself it was in preparation for the job in Milan, but knowing in her heart of hearts it was to look her very best for this evening.
She’d been rehearsing what to say to Adam ever since she realized what might be happening to her body but, sitting here in the semi-dark with his knee pressing lightly against hers, she knew that she just had to spit it out.
‘Adam. I’m pregnant.’
There was silence. She looked at his profile in the dark and saw his Adam’s apple bob slowly up and down. His gaze remained fixed in front of him. ‘Are you sure?’ he said finally.
Summer almost laughed out loud. ‘My period has gone AWOL. I’m never late.’
‘That doesn’t mean much, does it? I mean you hardly eat anything. That plays havoc with your system.’
She’d told him a few weeks earlier that she’d been bulimic in her late teens, but she was surprised he would throw it back at her now.
‘And I’ve taken a test.’
He stood up and anxiously rubbed his mouth with his hand. ‘Jesus, Summer. Nice thing to drop into conversation at my fucking engagement party.’
‘When did you want me to tell you? In nine months’ time?’
He paced back and forth and took a deep slug of champagne. Finally he sat back down and touched her knee gently.
‘Look. When you get back to London, see a doctor. Get it confirmed. Home tests aren’t always accurate. Anyway. What about your movie role? That doesn’t fit in with having a baby.’
Summer didn’t need a doctor to tell her that her body felt different, the swell of her breasts just a little more round. ‘Adam, we’re going to have a baby. That means more to me than any role in a bloody film.’
His jaw tightened and he met her gaze. ‘Summer, I’m getting married,’ he said slowly.
She knew what he was trying to say. That a baby with her was not part of the equation. Summer bit her lip to stop a hot rush of tears welling up. ‘Adam, it’s not too late,’ she said, her voice pleading. ‘You’re not married yet.’
He was looking more and more angry now. ‘Don’t even think about it, Summer.’ His voice was low, controlled and steely.
‘Think what?’
He carried on looking at her, his lips curling aggressively. Summer tried to catch a breath but it wouldn’t come.
‘Why can’t we be together?’ she asked, her voice quavering.
‘Because I’m getting married. How many times do I have to say it?’ He rubbed his forehead. ‘You’re a stunning girl, Summer, but I love Karin. This is the first time in my life I’ve been willing to make this sort of commitment, and there can’t be any complications.’
Summer couldn’t stop the tears from flowing now and Adam found himself putting an awkward arm around her shoulders.
‘What’s wrong with me?’ she sobbed into his jacket.
‘Shit, Summer.’ He exhaled and stroked her hair. ‘There’s nothing wrong with you. We’ve been having a great time, haven’t we? If I hadn’t met Karin, then who knows, but I did and I love her and I’m sorry if you’ve got the wrong impression. I would be lying to you if I said anything different.’
Summer jumped up and glared at him, wiping her tears away vehemently with her fingers. ‘You selfish shit!’ she sobbed.
Adam stood and drank the last of his champagne, tossing the flute into the bushes. ‘Look. We’ll talk tomorrow.’
‘I’m going to bloody Milan tomorrow,’ she cried.