Never Giving Up

Chapter 8

The rest of the day is spent doing some shopping before retreating back to the hotel to enjoy all the junk food we bought and to watch a bunch of random things on the television. We stayed up until two in the morning, deciding to have two of the best bottles of wine the hotel has be brought up to the room and put on the bill that we aren't responsible for.

Now it's late on on Sunday morning and the sunlight coming through the uncovered windows in the living room is what's waking me up. That and Allison's off-key singing.

I groan as I roll over on the couch, my eyes snapping open when I half slip off the edge of the couch, my knees coming in direct contact with the rug covered floor.

"Shit," I curse.

I get to my feet and rub my knees to try and ease the pain that's formed in them.

"Allison," I call. I listen carefully to Allison singing away, her voice eclipsing the actual song of The Chainsmokers Closer. "Allison."

I follow the music to the kitchen and stare at my best friend as she dances away at the opposite side of the large island. I enter the kitchen with my eyes screwed up.

"Allison, what are you doing?"

She stops singing, turns on the spot, and places a plate of pancakes with cream and berries on the dark marble worktop of the island. "Breakfast is served!"

"You're too chipper this morning." I slip onto the nearest stool and look at the food. "Plus, I'm too tired to even know if you've actually made this or ordered room service."

"Give me some credit," she defends while placing two white cups on the island in front of both of us. She pulls a plate across the island and begins to eat. "I supplied the coffee."

I smile and begin to eat my breakfast.

"What's on the agenda for today?"

I chew the food I have in my mouth a few times before responding, "I don't know. I don't think I'll be seeing Luca as he'll be too busy with his daughter."

"Speaking of his daughter," she starts, looking down at her cup, "how old is she?"

"Five," I answer straightaway. I don't give Allison time to ask anything else, so I go on with the information I know so far so she doesn't interrupt. "Her mother gave all parental responsibility to Luca six weeks after she gave birth. She didn't want her anymore and walked out."

"And Luca has been taking care of her since?" I nod. "Single parent?" I nod. "But he has nannies to help out, no doubt."

"That he does," I confirm.

"Not much of a single parent, then."

"Very much a single parent," I defend. "He takes care of her when he's not working and even when he is working, he drops everything if she needs to be taken care of. She comes first regardless of what he may say."

She looks at me with a raised brow. "What do you mean?"

"He told me that I'm tied top with being his number one priority along with his daughter. If I need him, he'll be there just like he is with his daughter. However, I did tell him that his daughter will take main priority despite what he says about me being tied top."

"And so she should be," she agrees firmly. "His daughter is his flesh and blood. He had sex with his so-called girlfriend and got her pregnant. He made the decision to have unprotected sex with her which resulted in a kid. There's no way in hell that he can make someone else a priority over his own daughter."