Never the Same

Chapter 8

"Are you and my daddy getting married?" Louisa asks out loud during dinner on Sunday night.

After spending the rest of Saturday relaxing and most of today doing much of the same, this is the conversation some would say that Luca and I were avoiding. It hasn't been much of the avoiding as much as it's been that we haven't found the right moment to bring it up with Louisa. We've just been enjoying time together as a family which is something we haven't properly done.

It's been nice getting to know Louisa considering how much she already seems to know about me. I've found out that despite her sweet tooth, she's only allowed to have sweets on special occasions because it makes her way too hyper. Her favourite ice-cream flavour is strawberry and she loves strawberry Twizzlers – both of which she gets from her grandparents when she stays with them. She admitted to me that her dad doesn't know but Luca told me he knows but keeps up the pretence for his daughter's sake.

I also found out that she loves travelling to Britain when she gets to go with her dad. She loves the friends she's made there and how the life she has over there isn't as strict as the one she has here. She's more free to be a child over there because she can go out and play in the garden like she can here, but it's something she can't do when they live in an apartment overlooking the city.

With the way she spoke about her life here, I'm not surprised to hear her speak of her fondness of getting to escape the craziness for something that's peaceful yet fun at the same time.

I glance at Luca to find him staring at me, his fork stopped midway to his mouth. He blinks a few times but says nothing.

"We . . . uh . . . Luca?" I stutter. I clear my throat and raise my brows quickly, looking for him to answer the question how it should be answered.

He licks his lips and places his fork down on his plate.

"Louisa," he starts, dabbing his mouth with his napkin, "Kaylee and I will be getting married. We just don't know when, yet."

"Did you use that ring you've had for a long long time?"

My head falls to the side and I frown at Luca. "Louisa knew about the ring?"

"Well-" Luca begins but gets cut off by Louisa.

"In the stories he tells me, he always says he has a ring for the love of his life." She explains like she's always known that her dad would end up with me. She smiles on a nod. "He says he's been waiting to give it to the most special person in his life which is you."

"Did he now?" I smirk and look at Louisa. "Have you seen the ring?"

She nods. "My gran showed it to me."

"And what did you think of it?"

"It's beautiful." She eats a mouthful of mashed potatoes and nods. "The most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

"Do you think your dad has done good with the ring?"

"He has."

Luca sniggers and picks up his glass of water to take a drink.

"Do you think I've done good with asking Kaylee to marry me?" Luca queries, waiting on his daughter's response.

"Mmhm," she nods without any hesitation. "You were unhappy before."

I laugh loudly but try to cover it up with my hands covering my mouth quickly. Luca glares at me and I shrug.

"You were quite stuck up when I met you again," I admit.

"I was not!" He defends. He looks at Louisa. "And I was not miserable."

"You were." Louisa and I say in unison.