the gesture, but it doesn’t change anything. Go home, Cristiano. I don’t want you.’
From somewhere behind her she heard a woman mutter, ‘If she doesn’t want him, I’ll have him’, but Laurel wasn’t interested in anyone else’s opinion on the man in question.
His eyes were feverish, the look in them close to desperation. ‘Give me a chance to apologise properly.’
‘Yes, give him a chance, love!’ There was a chorus of encouragement from the growing crowd and one of the women grinned at her. ‘If a man wants to say sorry, never stop him. It’s a rare enough occurrence. Let him speak.’
All they saw was spectacular good looks and wealth and Laurel trusted neither. ‘He’s clever with words.’
‘Lucky you. My husband can’t string a sentence together that doesn’t contain the words “beer” and “football”.’ ‘Whatever he says, he won’t mean it.’ ‘Yes, I will!’ Cristiano interrupted forcefully and sent a dazzling smile towards the already starry-eyed woman. ‘Thank you for your advice. I hope you’ve had a spectacular stay in Sicily.’
‘We have, thank you very much.’ ‘Madam, we have your boarding card.’ The girl at the check-in desk handed Laurel her passport and the card but Cristiano reached out and took it.
‘We’re holding up the queue. At the very least we should have this conversation somewhere else.’
‘We’re not having a conversation.’
‘All right, I’ll do it here if that’s what it takes.’
‘Do what?’
After the briefest hesitation, Cristiano dragged her against him and kissed her, but this kiss was nothing like the ones that had set her on fire the night before. It was a blatant attempt to dissuade her from her course and it held more than a hint of desperation.
Somewhere in the distance Laurel heard someone sigh and she resolutely ignored the flare of heat that tugged at her belly as she pulled away from him.
‘That is not an apology.’
‘I know.’ His voice was a husky, apologetic groan. ‘But first I had to get your attention and I don’t know any other way. My brain isn’t working.’
And he had her attention, just as he’d known he would. As always, he knew exactly how to turn her into a shivering, compliant mass.
‘Mi dispiace, I’m sorry.’ He murmured the words against her mouth so that even in this impersonal space, his apology was intimate and heartfelt. ‘I’m sorry about our baby. I’m sorry about your frightening experience. Most of all I’m sorry that I wasn’t there for you. I have so many things to say sorry for I don’t know where to start.’
Tears that had been nowhere in sight when she’d stalked away from him suddenly sprang to the back of her eyes. ‘It’s too late.’
‘Ti amo. I love you, Laurie.’ His hands cupped her cheeks. His eyes held hers, refusing to let her look away. ‘I can see why you might not believe that right now, but I do love you.’
‘Don’t say that.’
‘I’ll say it because it’s true, although I’m the first to admit I’ve made a disaster of showing you. I’m clumsy and thoughtless but I love you. I love you so much I don’t know how I will cope if you’re not in my life and I’m too selfish to let you go.’
Thrown off balance, she rested her hands on his chest, steadying herself against the swoop of emotion that threatened to take her legs from under her. ‘You’ll cope perfectly. You always do.’
‘That isn’t true. For the past two years I have filled every hour with work to try and blot out the fact that you weren’t there.’
‘When I was here you barely saw me. Only at night.’ ‘Come back to me and that will change,’ he vowed. ‘I will change.’
‘You can’t change, Cristiano. You will be in mid-conversation with me and that phone of yours will ring and suddenly I’ll slide to the bottom of your list of priorities.’
‘Never again,’ he vowed thickly. ‘From now on you’re right at the top of that list and you’re staying there. I’ve learned that lesson.’
‘You’re incapable of changing.’
‘Give me a chance to prove you wrong.’
Never had the departure hall of the airport been so quiet. News of the dramatic encounter at the check-in desk for the Heathrow flight appeared to have spread and now it seemed that half the passengers were listening rapt to the exchange, grateful for any distraction from the boredom and unpleasantness of the airport experience.
And now everyone was waiting for Laurel’s answer.
‘People don’t just change overnight, Cristiano. You’re so competitive, you’re programmed to drive your business to the top. And the only reason you’re here fighting for me now is because you’ve lost me.’
The remaining colour disappeared from his face. ‘I can’t lose you. I won’t. I behaved appallingly, that’s true, but at least give me a chance to make it up to you.’
‘You can make it up to me by letting me board that flight.’ She had to get out of here, she thought desperately. She had to get on that plane before she fell for his smooth patter all over again. ‘Thanks for the apology. I appreciate it. And if you really are sorry then the best thing you can do is leave me to get on with the rest of my life.’
The trouble was that there was no smooth patter, Laurel thought numbly. This normally fluent man was stumbling like a teenager on his first date and the struggle affected her far more than any degree of polished sophistication.
Exasperated with herself for still standing here when she should be boarding the plane, she watched as he fumbled in his pocket and drew out a slim rectangular velvet box.
‘I bought you a gift.’
Laurel looked at the shape and relaxed slightly.
A diamond necklace.
This, at least, was a predictable response.
She had a diamond necklace for every row they’d ever had.
‘Goodbye, Cristiano.’
‘No!’ He opened the box and the words froze in her mouth because nestling on a bed of blue velvet was an old rusty key. ‘What on earth is that?’
‘It’s something I bought for you two years ago.’ In the background a flight was called and his expression went from desperate to determined. ‘I’d like you to see what it opens before you make up your mind that we have no future.’
It wasn’t a diamond necklace.
Laurel reached out and lifted the key. It was large and surprisingly heavy. It looked as if it would open a gate of some sort, but she had no idea what gate or where it led.
Cristiano
