'I can't confront you, I never could do, that which might hurt you'
I stroked my son's blonde hair as I watched him sleep before I heard knocking on my front door. Getting up quickly, I left Jacob's bedroom before hurrying down the stairs to pull open the front door. "Luca?" My eyes were wide as I looked at the man who had broken my heart three years ago, his electric blue eyes staring into my soul.
"Maura, we need to talk," he said as he walked passed me and into my home.
I sucked in my bottom lip before I closed my door, I needed to keep as much heat in my home as possible, it was costing a bomb to heat this home. "What's up?" I tried to act casual as I awkwardly stood by the front door as I looked at Luca who sat on my sofa.
Luca looked up at me, I hated the way he seemed to have me even if he didn't know it. I couldn't take my eyes off him. Three years ago, he was slimmer and had more hair on his head but now, he'd filled out, bulking up and buffing out and he'd shaved his head. I found myself staring, I just hated the way he made me feel.
"I have to go to Spain, for work."
Nodding my head, I crossed my arms over my chest as I sighed, "You travel all the time for work."
"No," he leaned forward, his elbows rested on his thighs as he looked up at me. "I'm moving to Spain."
I shrugged my shoulders as I uncrossed my arms and put them into my back pockets. "Okay, so..."
Luca stood up, his eyes moved to the large photo I had on my wall of our son. "I'm going to be moving to Spain, Maura. I won't be here to see Jacob as much as I have been."
There was what he really wanted to say to me. "If you move to Spain then I'll be taking Jacob home," I told him.
"I won't let you," he told me calmly as he turned to look at me. "You can't take him out of the country without my permission."
My eyes flickered to the top of the stairs before I looked back at Luca. "I moved out here to Italy when I found out I was pregnant. I uprooted my whole life to be here and stayed here so you could see your son. Don't you dare keep me here if you aren't even going to be seeing him!"
"I'll be here every now and again, after all, a boy needs his father."
My nose wrinkled in disgust at his words before I shook my head at him. "I'm not denying you him," I sighed as the frustration in me rose. "But I'm not waiting here for you to decide when that time is going to be. I need help, support, I barely get it from you at the moment. I need to go home."
"I'll take Jacob with me," he watched my face as he said the words.
I felt my face drop at these words. I'd been the one to carry him for 9 months, I'd been the one who had cared for him all this time, I didn't just want him to be taken from me. "You can't," I said quietly backing down from him, my anger being replaced by slight heartbreak that Luca would even contemplate doing that to me and our son.
Luca stepped towards me, his presence now days seemed to be different than when I first met him, putting me on edge. "You cannot take my son to England. Stay here," he said as he put his hand on my right shoulder as he stared into my eyes. "Or I take Jacob to Spain."
Stepping away from him, I let his hand fall off me as I nodded at him. "Okay," I whispered before I heard a creak from the stairs. My eyes looked over, Luca turned around too and we found Jacob sitting on the stairs watching us.
"Daddy!" He cheered seeing Luca before he ran down the stairs and into his father's arms.
To say I was envious was an understatement. Jacob favoured his father even though I was the one who brought him everything, I was the one who looked after him day in and day out.
Luca picked him up effortlessly before pulling him into a hug. "Hello big man," he greeted his son. "I was just telling mummy that I have to go to Spain for work."
Jacob's eyes were wide and bright as he listened, "Mummy?" He looked over at me getting my attention. "Are we going to Spain?"
"No darling," I said in a calm tone before I smiled at Jacob. "Daddy won't be gone long," I lied knowing that he wouldn't understand. It was usually some time between Luca's visits anyway, Jacob would soon stop asking about him until the next time he came around.
My son turned to look at his father, "You're coming back?"
Luca looked at me for a second before looking back at Jacob, "Lets get you back to bed little man."
I shook my head as I knew he'd changed the subject to avoid talking about it with our son. I watched as Luca carried our son back up the stairs, Jacob smiling happily at his father blissfully unaware of the truth.