Love Is... (36 page)

She pulled at my arms to drag me up from the chair. ‘Come on,' she said. ‘I've booked a meeting room. I want all the details.'

As I stood up, she and Dominic both looked down at my stomach.

Mandi covered her mouth with her hands and then stared at me.

‘Oh wow, Ellie,' she said, hands still over her mouth. ‘I didn't notice. Oh my. Are you? You are, aren't you? I mean, you're not just a bit fat? You're, you know, expecting?'

I nodded and smiled.

Dominic leaned against the desk. His smile widened but his eyes didn't crease. He went to say something.

Mandi interrupted, still grinning. ‘How far gone are you? When's the due date? Have you had a scan yet? Are you going to find out the sex? Do you want a girl? I bet you want a girl, don't you? Sorry, I'm asking too many questions. I'm just so excited for you.'

‘It's still early days,' I said. ‘Only eleven weeks. I've got a scan next week.'

Mandi's brow furrowed and then she scrunched up her nose. ‘That's a huge bump for eleven weeks. I wasn't even showing until fifteen.' Then she stood beside me to compare bumps. ‘Are you sure you got your dates right?'

I nodded. ‘Certain,' I said, recalling the only possibility beyond elves with a turkey baster and a sperm sample: the night we'd escaped the Texan ranch.

Mandi shook her head quickly. ‘Well, in that case,' she said, leaning forward to rub my stomach, ‘you must have a few in there!' She laughed and then went on to congratulate me and tell me how pleased she was, and that I must tell Nick how pleased she is for us both but while I heard the sounds coming out of her mouth and saw her lips moving at record speed, even for Mandi, all I could think about was what the witch doctor had said.

You will be blessed with three.

His words echoed around my head. Surely he hadn't meant all at once, had he?

Mandi began waving her hand in front of my face. ‘Ellie? Are you in there?'

I shook my head quickly to clear my thoughts. ‘Sorry,' I said. ‘Yes?'

Mandi grinned. ‘I was asking you if I could tell everyone yet? Please? Can I?' she said, clasping her hands together. ‘Pretty please.'

I grinned. ‘Why not,' I said, rubbing my stomach. ‘I suppose it's no secret now anyway.'

She hugged me and then waddled off clapping and giggling.

I turned back to Dominic. He was looking down at the floor. He glanced up to meet my gaze.

‘Congratulations,' he said, leaning forward and squeezing my shoulder. ‘I'm genuinely pleased for you. I really am.'

I nodded. ‘Thank you,' I said.

He rubbed his forehead and then laughed. ‘I'd give you a hug but that wouldn't really be appropriate, would it?'

I shook my head. ‘No,' I said.

He sat down on the desk, in front of me. ‘I've got some news of my own,' he said.

I looked up.

‘I'm relocating to the New York office.'

I smiled, suddenly feeling a little wobbly on my feet. ‘That's good,' I said.

He nodded. ‘Yes,' he said. ‘A new start.'

‘What about your fiancée?' I suddenly blurted out.

He stared at me for a moment, then nodded. ‘If I've learned anything from this, Ellie,' he said, ‘it's knowing when it's time to let go.'

His expression was composed but I could see the pain in his eyes. I wanted to jump up and hug him tightly. I wanted to tell him that it would all be OK and that he would find
someone who could love him as he deserved to be loved, but when I went to speak, nothing came out.

He leaned forward and rested his hands on my shoulders. ‘It's OK,' he said. ‘It really is.'

I looked up at him and into his eyes, and I wondered why love had to come with so much suffering.

He stepped forward and kissed me on the head. It was a long, tender kiss, as though he were trying to send a message straight to my soul. ‘And if it isn't,' he said, stepping back and exhaling a laugh, ‘then there's always another lifetime to hold out for, isn't there?'

I laughed with him. ‘Yes,' I said. ‘And we'll have all the answers by then, won't we?'

He stopped laughing and stared at me. ‘You already have the answers, Ellie,' he said. ‘Just make sure you don't forget them, that's all.'

It might have taken me a long time to understand, but as I watched him walk away, I realised that he was right. I glanced down at my stomach and rubbed it gently, making a silent vow to pass the wisdom along.

To however many I might be blessed with.

But for now, it was time I found my way back to serving others before myself. I pulled out a notepad and pen from the top drawer and sat down. I thought of the people who could do with my help, the friends and clients I'd been neglecting, and I began to write a list: Victoria and Mike, Cassandra and Richard, Kerri and Freddie, Kat and Klive… The list went on, page after page. When I'd finished, I flicked back through all the way to the top and smiled.

In the number one slot, I'd written ‘NICK' in shouty capitals. I smiled again and then underlined it three times.

I may not have discovered the secret to a successful marriage, but I was beginning to understand the secret to our marriage.

* * * * *

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ISBN: 9781489221209

TITLE: LOVE IS…

First Australian Publication 2016

Copyright © 2016 Haley Hill

All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher, Harlequin Enterprises (Australia) Pty Ltd, Level 13, 201 Elizabeth Street, Sydney, N.S.W., Australia 2000.

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