Never Giving Up

Chapter 6

"And I'm a businessman who works insane hours and travels the world almost every other day. I can't ask my mother or father to look after her every time I'm working because they work just as hard as I do. I need someone – or two – to take care of my daughter when I can't."

"Two? Two nannies? Luca, wh-" I begin.

Luca holds a hand up to silence me and I let my mouth stay open with shock. Two freaking nannies and it's his daughter! What the actual fuck?

"Kaylee, you need to bare in mind that the life I now lead is worlds away from the life I once had. I need things like this for my daughter because, without them, I wouldn't be able to do the things I do on a daily basis."

"Like taking me out on dates?" My words are said with a bite to them I didn't mean for them to have. I suddenly feel responsible for Luca not spending enough time with his daughter. I look away from him as sadness and realisation begins to creep over my body. "You . . . Luca, your daughter comes first before me."

"No she doesn't," he defends swiftly. "Both of you come first to me and both of you always will. I can't place either of you above the other. You're both too important to me to do such a thing."

"She's your daughter."

"And you were my ex-girlfriend who I've just gotten back together with after years apart. I am not choosing one of you over the other."

I get to my feet. "You say that out loud but we both know that your daughter will be your priority regardless of the words you just said to me."

He says nothing as his phone pings in his hand. He looks down at the screen briefly as I turn and begin walking up the rest of the stairs.

"Kaylee," he calls to me.

"You said you were taking me out," I call back without looking at him. "I'm going to get ready because I know for a fact that you won't leave if I told you I wasn't going."

By the time I'm in the back of the waiting blacked out Jaguar F-Pace, my gaze is on nothing but the passing buildings. I don't speak to either Luca or Carlo who is driving despite both of them trying to get me to interact with them. After a while, they got the fact that I don't want to speak and gave up trying to include me.

"Put this on," Luca eventually tells me.

I look down at the white satin material in his hand he's holding out to me. "And why would I need to wear a blindfold?"

"Because I want this to be a surprise," he answers.

"Just like you waking me up at four thirty in the morning was a surprise?" I raise a brow at him. I'm not acting myself and I don't plan on doing so considering the fact that I got woken up way too early to be dragged out on an early morning date.

"Please," he pleads.

I look at him but say nothing.

"I know you may not want to be here but can you do at least this one thing for me? I won't ask anything else of you for the rest of the day other than this."

I reach for the blindfold and put it on, choosing to tie it together at the back of my head without Luca's help. I adjust it over my eyes and sigh loudly while leaning against the door. "How long before we get to wherever it is we're going to?"

"Not long, Miss. Fletcher." Carlo answers.

"Sure it is," I mumble.

I can just picture the look on Luca's face at my response but I'm fed up. Anyone who gets made to get up early when there is no need to do so would act the same. I don't feel bad at the way I'm acting but if I knew where it was that we were going, that may change.