The Sun Will Rise | T Shelby

twenty eight

"Oh my goodness, Thomas look at it!"

Tommy stood back with his arms crossed at his chest, a small smile playing on his lips as he watched Angelina race ahead of him towards their new home.

It was a grand house with a water feature in the centre of the gravel drive, a host of bedrooms that would most likely never be used, and more space than the two of them would ever need.

Thomas admired Angelina as she gazed up at the home, the way she became as excited as a child on Christmas made him happy, he wanted her to be like this all the time.

The way her dress swirled at her ankles as she twirled around on the doorstep, turning back to make sure he was following her almost took his breath away.

She made the house even more beautiful than it already was.

Tommy jogged up behind Angelina, putting the key inside the lock and twisting the door. He pushed it open, stepping aside and holding the door open for her, allowing her to walk into their new home for the first time.

The way she gasped was exactly how Tommy hoped she would. Her eyes sparkled as she tried to take in every inch of the reception hall, in awe at the chandelier than hung above their heads and the painting of Thomas and his horse that had a home on the wall at the back.

"What do you think?"

Angelina laughed, that was all she could do. She was brought up in a tiny home in the outskirts of Rome with little to no money. The transition to Small Heath had been hard culturally, but her home in Birmingham was still bigger than the one she had grown up in in Italy.

Despite this, she couldn't quite comprehend the way she felt as she tried to process that this manor was her new home. She couldn't wrap her head around it, all of this was her. There was no struggles for money, no worrying about bills or if they would have enough to eat. She was truly beginning her life as a princess.

"Thomas I don't know what to say, it's absolutely beautiful."

Tommy smiled at her. He held out his hand and she quickly latched onto it as he took her on a tour of the rest of the house. Room by room, Angelina fell more in love with her home. Thomas had better taste in decor than she had imagined, most things were items and colours she'd have picked out herself. It was perfect.

She was introduced to the staff that would be working in the house, needing a small army of people to run such a huge place. Angelina was thankful that these people would be here, part of her was scared about feeling lonely if Thomas was ever away.

"And the stables are out there, you can see Solomon, looks like he loves having more space." 

Thomas pointed out of the kitchen window to the back garden which had the stables housed in the corner of sprawling greenery. Angelina smiled as she saw Solomon galloping around the fields.

Angelina and Tommy ended up in the drawing room together. She took a seat on one of the deep emerald velvet sofas and waited for Tommy to hand her a glass of ice cold champagne.

"So," Tommy cleared his throat as he took a seat beside Angelina, "There's something I need to talk to you about, Angelina. I should've done it sooner, I know, but it's important that we have this discussion now."

Angelina's heart stopped. She felt sickness creep up on her as Tommy stared straight ahead of him at the obnoxiously large fireplace, refusing to look her in the eye.

"Well go on, what is it?"

Her anxiety got the better of her as she constantly shuffled in her seat, unable to stay still, whereas Tommy didn't move as muscle. Angelina wasn't sure he was breathing either.

"It's about Grace."

Angelina's eyes fell to the floor. Her grip on the champagne glass became looser and she was lucky that it hadn't slipped from between her weak fingertips.

"I'm sure you'll remember when she came to me in The Garrison?"

"Yes." Angelina whispered.

"She came to tell me that she was pregnant with my child. He was born two months ago, Grace didn't survive the birth, he's in an orphanage in Belfast. I want you to tell me whether you feel comfortable with him coming to live with us."

Angelina couldn't process the words that had just come from Tommy's lips. Surely, surely this was all a joke, a horrible nightmare that she was going to wake up from and she'd be wrapped in his arms in her own bed in Lorenzo's house.

She felt her palms begin to sweat and she placed her champagne glass down on the table in front of her, scared she might drop it.

"I know it's a big thing of me to ask-"

"Yes," Angelina spluttered, shaking her head with her eyes still fixed on her shoes, "It is."

Silence fell between them. Angelina closed her eyes, desperately hoping Thomas would tell her he was joking and they would go back to enjoying their first day in their new home together.

"I don't feel anything for her, and I never felt an ounce of what I feel for you. All I want is to make sure my son has a good life, I'm sure you can understand that?"

Angelina nodded, chewing on her lip as she tried to think about what to say. She wasn't ready to become a mother, let alone a mother to a baby who wasn't even her own. She was still dealing with the death of Alfie and although she had the support from Thomas, some days she found it hard to get herself out of bed. She had no idea how she would cope with a newborn baby.

"I don't know, Thomas. Without you I can barely look after myself some days, I don't know if I can-"

"Please," Tommy grabbed Angelina's shaking hands and squeezed them tightly, his blue eyes looking at her, pleading with her without him having to say another word, "I know this wasn't in our plans, I know this is the last thing you need right now, and I promise you that I will still be by your side always. If I could change this, I would, but this is a baby we're talking about. Just an innocent child caught up in a mess that he doesn't deserve."

Angelina sighed loudly. She knew that she'd do anything for Tommy. She would move heaven and earth to see him smile that gorgeous smile of his that very few people were ever lucky enough to see.

"Thomas I need to know something."

He looked at her and licked his lips, his hands still tightly clutching her own.

"I need to know that if I do this, if I help raise your son, I need to know that this is forever."

Tommy's heart melted in his chest as she gazed at him with glassy eyes and a worried look on her face.

"Angelina," Thomas placed a hand on her cheek and kissed her passionately, reassuring her that he belonged to her, "You are all I want, now, always, and forever. Nothing will ever change that. I promise."

"Can I believe your promises now?"

"Let me prove it to you."