How Soon Is Now

Part Two - Chapter Eighteen: Keeping Secrets

Fernando furrowed his brow watching his wife as she moved around the kitchen; there had been something off with her for a few weeks now; he had hoped that she'd open up to him but she hadn't. 

Nicola glanced at him as she prepared dinner as much as she wanted to tell Fernando about their son, she couldn't; Luke had made it perfectly clear when she had seen him that he didn't want Fernando knowing about him. 

"Is everything okay?" Nicola asked wiping her hands clean after she had popped the casserole into the oven to cook; the Spaniard watched her closely for a moment. 

Nicola stared at her husband concerned, there was clearly something on his mind; the blonde stepped towards him making Fernando sigh and shake his head hating that she was keeping things from him. 

"You're keeping something from me," Fernando ,murmured making Nicola bit her lip, she knew that it was pointless to say that she wasn't; her husband frowned as he realised that she wasn't going to deny that she was hiding something from him. 

"Nicola... please," Fernando begged her stepping towards her, the blonde sighed as she ran a hand through her hair and looked down at her hands that grazed her stomach that was slowly swelling with the growth of their second child. 

"I can't Nando... I promised that I wouldn't," Nicola whispered softly making Fernando frown, she had never kept anything from him and now she had promised someone that she would a fact that he didn't like. 

Taking a deep breath, Nicola stepped towards her husband she could see the hurt in his eyes as she moved towards him; he glared at her as he stepped back from her. 

Nicola shifted nervously as she realised that he wasn't going to let this go, she sighed as she looked at him; she was sixteen weeks pregnant and she didn't want them fighting right now. 

"Nando please... I promised our child didn't want me to tell you," Nicola said as she rested a hand on her small bump, Fernando stared at her as he swallowed; she had met their unborn child and she hadn't told him about it.

The couple stood quietly as the news settled around them, Nicola watched her husband as he struggled to come to terms with the news that she had dropped on him. 

"Why didn't you tell me?" Fernando asked making Nicola sigh as she moved to sit at the kitchen table, she glanced at him guilty as she tried to organise her thoughts; she had no idea what she was going to say to him since Luke was still a mystery to her. 

"They didn't want you knowing. I don't know why but the child didn't seem happy to speak about you," Nicola revealed making Fernando frown watching his wife, he could see that she was confused and he wished that she would just be honest with him. 

Fernando moved to sit next to his wife sensing there was more to this story than she was telling him; Nicola licked her dry lips wondering how to tell him about her vision. 

"I had this vision when I met... it was about five years into our future and it seemed like we were divorced or at least separated," Nicola whispered slowly making Fernando stare at her heartbrokenly, he hated the idea that he was going to lose Nicola and his family. 

Fernando would do anything to make sure that that didn't happen and he hoped that they could avoid that future no matter what the cost; the blonde sighed as she looked at him. 

"It would explain why Charlie and Lilia seemed so interested in watching us together... why our next child didn't want to meet you," Nicola said softly making Fernando stare at her, it was slowly becoming clear that the reason for their future separation that Nicola had seen was him.