Duarte looked at her, not missing the way she’d hesitated over the last name. He was surprised at this revelation of the connection of Liam’s name to his father’s. He’d never made it himself. Liam was short for the Irish for William, she’d said on that first day in hospital, what felt like a lifetime ago. Something softened within him, knowing that even then—even when she had been unsure of him—she had chosen to honour his father that way.
‘Little boy, you will break hearts,’ Dani chimed in from his side, and they all raised their glasses in a toast to the oblivious baby, who promptly fell asleep and was placed in his pram.
‘Duarte, you must tell us the story behind this beautiful family who have appeared with you out of the blue!’ Valerio’s father boomed.
‘How did you two meet?’ asked his mother.
Renata had directed her question to Nora, who immediately began to worry at her lower lip.
‘It’s a...a long story...’ Nora began uncomfortably.
‘We met in a samba club.’ Duarte spoke over her and fixed a smile on his face, tightening his grip on Nora’s hand as he felt the sudden tension in her body beside him. ‘Very stereotypical for Rio, but there it is. I spotted her across the dance floor and whisked her away before any other man could steal her.’
Nora looked up at him, a glimmer of surprise in her eyes.
‘Sounds like it was love at first sight,’ said Renata, and smiled as she reached out to place a hand on Nora’s with a dreamy sigh.
Nora stiffened and recoiled, and Duarte winced as he watched the older woman’s eyes flash with confusion.
?
??Were they with you while you recovered on the Island?’ asked Rigo, Valerio’s older brother.
‘No... Nora was actually busy finishing the final year of her degree in architecture,’ Duarte hedged, avoiding the way Nora’s gaze had flashed up to him. ‘She’s hoping to find an internship when we move back to England.’
‘Such a long way for you to move...’ Renata’s face softened as she clearly mistook Nora’s hostility for sadness. ‘Have you family in Brazil?’
‘My mother runs an animal sanctuary in the north, near the Amazon. My father is...is in Rio at the moment.’
Across from him, Duarte saw Valerio and Dani watching with furrowed brows. He felt the need to end the conversation, to take Nora away and protect her from having to talk about what had passed between them.
If they ignored it for long enough, maybe it would become less of a looming presence in their lives. He saw the shadows in her eyes when they were together; he knew they had both said and done things to one another that would be hard to come back from. He hoped someday it would be easier. But right now things were fragile between them, too fresh.
‘I look forward to meeting both your parents,’ the older woman continued, oblivious to the tension surrounding her. ‘I’ve always considered the twins to be part of our family. Now we have two weddings to look forward to.’
‘You won’t be meeting my father, unfortunately.’ Nora straightened as she spoke, suddenly pulling her hand from Duarte’s. ‘He’s a notorious crime boss who is about to be put in prison for corruption, blackmail and murder.’
Everyone fell silent. Everyone except Dani, who took a deep, whistling intake of breath and as usual did her best to try to lighten the mood. ‘Murder too? He was a busy man.’
‘Yes, he was.’
Nora’s voice was rough with emotion as she looked from Dani to Duarte. She opened her mouth to speak again and Duarte found himself shaking his head, urging her to stop while he swiftly changed the subject.
As he launched into a description of their time in Paraty he felt Nora shrink beside him, the tension rolling off her in waves. After a few minutes she quietly excused herself and turned to move through the crowd away from them.
‘Have I said something wrong?’ Renata looked to Duarte for assurance. ‘She seems upset.’
Duarte cursed under his breath and quickly asked Dani to watch Liam while he followed his runaway fiancée.
He tracked her down to the rear viewing deck of the ship, which was quiet and empty of any guests. She faced away from him, her arms braced on the rail as she looked out into the distance. He stood beside her, taking her chin between his fingertips to turn her face towards him. Tears streaked her cheeks.
‘Is this because of your father?’ he asked softly. ‘I know it must be hard to think of him. To answer questions.’
She pulled her face free of his grip, folding her arms across her chest and shaking her head softly. ‘I know who my father is. I’ve had a lot of practice in what it feels like to be Lionel Cabo’s daughter.’
‘Then what’s wrong?’ He frowned.
‘You and me. That’s what’s wrong.’ She took a deep breath, wiping the remaining tears from her cheeks before she turned back to face him. ‘I can’t marry you, Duarte. I can’t be a wife you’re ashamed of.’