A fresh sob escapes past my lips, and I close my eyes. I’m twenty-three and experiencing my first broken heart. I laugh out loud at that and the driver glances back.
I click to the right to bring the images back to the first one, knowing that was the last photo we took before Liam set the camera down and then wrapped me in his arms, telling me how much he loved the sound of my laughter. He told me whatever we did tomorrow he wanted it to be fun, so he could listen to me laugh all day.
I don’t know why he made me believe he wasn’t leaving until Monday, or why he left without saying goodbye, but maybe it was for the best because feeling the way my heart feels now, I can’t imagine actually having to say goodbye to him. Maybe he knew how hard it would be and wanted to spare us both the hard goodbye.
I refuse to believe he left the way he did to hurt me. That he would do anything to hurt me. And when I look back at our time together, I’m going to remember the man who came into my life and showed me how a man is supposed to treat a woman. I’m going to remember the way he looked at me, not like I was an escort, but like I was a beautiful, special princess. He’ll no doubt be the man I compare all future men to, and one day, when I meet my Prince Charming, I’ll tell him all about the man, who in such a short time, changed my life for the better.
The car comes to a stop and I glance up, realizing we’re at the airport. After paying and taking my luggage from the driver, I walk up to the airline counter.
“How may I help you?” the woman behind the counter asks.
“I’d like to purchase an international flight,” I tell her, thankful that Amber convinced me to get my passport recently, in hope of convincing me to go visit Aria in Italy.
“Where to?”
“You pick. And make it good. It’s the first of many places I plan to travel to.”
Chapter Seven
Natalie
Eight Weeks Later
“It doesn’t matter how many you take, the results are going to be the same,” Aria says with a small laugh. She’s leaning against the bathroom door, her arms crossed over her chest, and is smirking at me.
“This can’t be happening.” I groan, dropping the fourth pregnancy test into the box and tossing it into the trash.
A few weeks ago, while making my way through Croatia, I started feeling sick. I thought maybe it was the food or the water. I mean, I had visited several new countries in a short amount of time, so anything was possible. I could’ve picked up anything. But as the weeks went on, and I didn’t get any better—instead getting worse—Aria insisted I make a pit stop in Florence, Italy. I listed my symptoms and then she asked me one question: Have you had unprotected sex? She took one look at my guilty expression and had Giovanni run to the drug store to pick up a box of pregnancy tests.
“It is,” she tells me in her soothing mom voice, “but it will be okay.” She crouches in front of me and takes my hands in hers. “Is the father around?” she asks, her voice free of judgement.
“No. It was a fling,” I admit. “I wouldn’t even know how to get ahold of him.” I’ve thought about Liam a lot the last two months. He mentioned he’s from a small country in Central Europe, and I have to admit, after the airline agent handed me a ticket to Greece, I pulled up a map to see how close it was. Not that I would ever have a chance of finding him, or that our paths would somehow cross, but I liked the idea of knowing I was maybe close to him.
“You’re not alone,” she tells me. “You can stay here for however long you want…”
“No.” I’m already shaking my head. “I appreciate that. I really do. But I can’t stay here.” I swallow down the lump of emotion in my throat. “But maybe I could get a place nearby…”
Aria squeals. “Yes! You totally can. And Gio and I will be here for you every step of the way. And since you’re not that far behind me, we’ll have our babies close in age.” She clasps her hands together and stands, and my nerves instantly calm.
“Let’s go look for a place nearby.” She grabs my hand and guides me out of the bathroom and into the living room where her husband and three-year-old daughter, Bea, are sitting on the floor playing with Barbie Legos.
“Momma,” Bea says, “Look at my Barbie house!” She lifts the Lego house and toddles over to her mom.
“Wow!” Aria gushes, carefully taking it from her and setting it on the table. “It’s so pretty.”
“I want my house like this. All pink,” Bea tells her, making Giovanni laugh.
He jumps to his feet and walks over to me. “Congratulations,” he says, kissing my cheek, obviously having overheard Aria and me talking. “If you need anything…”
“Thank you.”
“I need to go to the restaurant,” he says. “I’ll only be gone a little while. Want me to bring home dinner?” He owns his own restaurant downtown and from what Aria’s told me, it’s become a popular place and was even featured in several different foodie magazines. I’m proud of him… of them. The odds were against them, and life pulled them in opposite directions, but they still found their way back to each other. Giovanni was born and raised in the mob, but he got out and started a new life here with Aria, and from what I’ve seen since I arrived, they’re happy. Really happy.
“Yes, please,” she tells him.
“Yes, please,” Bea mimics her mom, only her please comes out sounding like peez. My heartstrings tug in my chest. In less than seven months I’ll have my own little one… and Liam won’t be here to see him or her grow up.
After Giovanni’s kissed them both goodbye, Aria brings up the father of my baby. When I tell her he was kind of a client, she insists we call Nico. Of course, because it was a favor from his father, and it was only a one-time thing, they weren’t required to complete the proper paperwork—only show proof they were clean—so he has no contact information.
We hang up and Aria wraps her arms around me. “I’m so sorry, Natalie. I’m here for you and so is Gio, but I know it’s not the same thing.”
“It’s okay,” I tell her, wiping the tears from my eyes. “It sucks, but maybe it’s for the best. He chose to leave early and without saying goodbye. I’ll always remember the time we spent together and maybe this is how it was supposed to work out. I learned a lot about myself that weekend. That I’m worthy of love and deserve to live my best life. I learned how sweet and caring men can be. If I hadn’t met him, I would still be working at La Stella’s instead of traveling, doing what I’ve always dreamed of doing.”
I drop my hands to my belly. It’s still flat, but I know what’s in there. A baby. A tiny, innocent baby who will one day call me Mom. It will be my job to love and protect him, encourage him and cheer him on. My mom wasn’t the best mom, but she taught me one thing. I don’t need a Prince Charming. I’m strong and capable of getting through those magical, evil woods on my own, and that’s exactly what I did. I came out on the other side, and the only difference is, instead of my Prince Charming waiting for me, my son or daughter is there. I might not have Liam by my side, but he gave me this little miracle and I’m going to spend the rest of my life loving this baby enough for the both of us.