Never the Same

Chapter 6

I run my free hand down my face. "She's also taking Jane to court."

"Fucking hell." She discards her cup to the side. "Although come to think of it, a side of me is happy someone is finally taking that evil witch to court."

"Careful," Luca warns. He moves to sit behind me on the bed, a hand falling onto my hip so he can come into view of Allison. "She's still my mother and Kaylee's soon-to-be mother-in-law."

"My thoughts and feelings towards her will not change. The verdict isn't even out on you," she fires back.

"Nice to see you, too, Allison." Luca pulls back a little and kisses me on the cheek. I look at him as he stands. "I need to get going. I'll see you tonight."

"See you later." I smile.

"Jones will be by soon to take you to work," he reminds while walking out the bedroom with his suit jacket over his arm.

"That's fine."

"Don't forget what I told you."

"I won't." I roll my eyes and look back to the screen. Allison is looking at me with raised brows. I shrug. "What?"

"I may be so many thousand miles away but I can tell when I'm missing something. What's up?"

I take a deep breath and sit up straight. "I had a panic attack yesterday morning."

"Over everything that's happening with Nadia?"

"Yes," I admit.

"Oh, baby girl, you need to come home. This is Luca's fight. Not yours."

"Yes, I know." I sigh heavily. "I know."

"Then come home." She pleads. "You've never had a panic attack before going over there and I've seen you stressed out before. And I mean really stressed out to a point where I physically slapped, shook and screamed at you to snap out of it."

My free hand moves to rub the side of my face where Allison slapped me years ago like she just did it again. As much as I don't want to remember that day, I still do. She has some force behind her left hand despite being right-handed. "Yeah, don't remind me."

"The one and only time I've felt the need to properly slap you and I don't want to have to do it again."

I laugh.

"Kaylee, I love you." She comes closer to the screen and I can see the pleading look in her eyes as she speaks. "I class you as my sister. I'd do anything to help you. Please, come back home."

"Allison," I start, "I would and you know I would."

"But?" She draws out, knowing fine well that I'm not done.

"But after Luca and I get married, New York is going to be classed as my home just as much as London is."

She groans loudly and flops back against the couch. "Fucking hell! You really are killing me slowly with your high-flying relationship and morals of sticking by your fucked up fiancé."

I smirk. "What can I say? I guess I got lucky and I love him too much to let him go through this on his own."

I glance at the opened bedroom door where Jones is now standing, hands clasped behind his back as he waits patiently for me.

"I miss my girl," Allison's whining voice cries to me. I look back at the screen. "Can you at least try and come back home soon?"

I get off the bed and slide my feet into my ankle boots. "I'll see what I can do."