Not an easy task, period.
* * *
r /> Emily picked up her phone to call Allegra but then decided she would go in to see her at the office instead. Loukas had told her not to leave the suite, but surely she could dash out to see Allegra, who was coming in that morning after spending a few days with Draco on his private island in Greece? Besides, who would recognise her without Loukas by her side? He was the one who was the press magnet, not her. She could nip to the office and back and no one would even notice.
Emily slipped out of a side entrance of the hotel and jumped in a cab, arriving at the office a short time later. When Allegra saw her she signalled for Emily to come into her office out of the hearing of the junior staff. She closed the door and came over to where Emily was standing. ‘I’ve been calling for the last hour but you haven’t answered. What’s going on?’
Emily had forgotten she’d turned her phone to silent after she’d spoken with her mother. ‘Well, firstly the test was positive. All seven of them were.’
‘Oh, Em. I don’t know what to say. Congratulations?’
‘Congratulations twice over,’ Emily said. ‘I suppose you’ve read the news about us being engaged?’
‘I did, and you could have knocked me down with a finch’s feather,’ Allegra said. ‘He actually asked you to marry him?’
‘Told me would be more appropriate,’ Emily said with more than a touch of wryness. ‘I thought you said he was dead set against marriage? I swear to God, if there had been a priest or an Elvis impersonator handy Loukas would’ve demanded he marry us on the spot.’
‘But is that what you want?’ Allegra asked. ‘I mean, you only met him a month ago. Are you sure you’re doing the right thing? You hardly know each other.’
‘I’m not at all sure; in fact I’ve never felt more confused in my entire life. But I want my baby to have a father and Loukas wants to be involved. He’s worried about everyone thinking he’ll be like his waste-of-space father. Did you know what a jerk his dad is?’
‘Draco mentioned something about a scandal with a girl Loukas’s father got pregnant but he didn’t discuss it in too much detail,’ Allegra said. ‘Apparently Loukas doesn’t like too many people knowing about it.’
‘Can’t say I blame him,’ Emily said. ‘Loukas wants me to fly to Corfu with him today. I know it’s hideously short notice, but can you spare me for a couple of weeks?’
‘Of course, but I’m worried about you rushing into this. You’ve barely had time to get used to the idea of being pregnant and now you’re talking about marriage.’
‘Yes, well, you can blame the press for that,’ Emily said. ‘We were at the hospital last night—’
‘The hospital?’ Allegra suddenly noticed Emily’s bandaged finger. ‘What happened to your finger?’
‘Long story.’
‘Tell me.’
‘I was working up the courage to tell Loukas about the baby when I broke—’
‘So he came to see you? In person?’
‘Yes. He finally called. I didn’t think it was right to tell him over the phone, so when he came round to take me out to dinner—’
‘He asked you out to dinner?’ Allegra asked, eyes wide. ‘Before he knew anything about the baby?’
‘Yes.’
‘I can’t wait to tell Draco. Why did he call you?’
‘He wanted to see me again. He was only offering me a fling, mind you. Nothing permanent. But when I knocked over the bin and he saw all the pregnancy tests—’
‘You mean you didn’t actually tell him? He found out by default?’
Emily bit her lip. ‘I know, I know, I know. I’m the world’s biggest coward. I was trying to tell him but couldn’t quite work up the courage.’
Allegra pulled out the chair for Emily to sit on and then, once Emily was seated, she perched on the edge of her desk, facing her. ‘You don’t have to marry him if you don’t want to, Em.’
‘Funny, but I seem to remember me saying something similar to you not that long ago,’ Emily said with a pointed look.
Allegra did a self-effacing little eye-roll. ‘Yes, well, I’m lucky it all worked out in the end.’ Her frown snapped back. ‘But Loukas isn’t Draco. Draco told me no one gets close to Loukas. Think about it, sweetie. You’re an open book, but he’s as tight as a bank vault in a recession. Are you sure you’d feel comfortable marrying someone like that?’