The Hamilton Charm

Chapter 31

Recap:

His eyes met mine and I gasped. In panic, I dropped to the ground and hid behind the gardener’s wheelbarrow. The man started to shout in Italian again, I tried to shush him but it was too late. I heard a shuffle of feet as he approached.

“Talia...is that you?” he asked, his melodious voice giving me shivers.

I sighed and gently placed my forehead against the cool metal of the wheelbarrow. I knew I had to face him sometime but did it have to be now. I peeked over the edge and saw Hamilton in all his glory, his blue eyes swirling with bewilderment. His hair was messy as if he had ran his hands through it too many times...or maybe it had been blondie. He was wearing a beige waistcoat with dark brown suit trousers an over coat completed the ensemble.

I breathed out slowly and then stood up from behind the wheelbarrow. I tucked a strand behind my ear as I faced him. The Italian gardener was shouting obscenities but we both ignored him. He soon grabbed the wheelbarrow and walked off throwing his hands up in the air in a typically Italian fashion. He took away the only barrier separating me from Hamilton.

“Hello” I mumbled, not making eye contact. He was about to reply after giving me a once over but then I saw his eyes flash to my enlarged stomach. “You’re Pregnant!” he gasped his eyes widening in shock.

My stomach was turning in on itself, I felt sick. He was going to figure it out. I started to panic, I could feel that I was sweating. “Yes” I answered shifting from one foot to the other. “I assume it’s the vets. Where is he then?” He asked his eyebrows coming together in confusion as he looked around, searching the garden as if Cassio would miraculously appear.  He then glanced at my hand, presumably noticing that there was no ring. I cleared my throat uncomfortably and then slipped my hand behind my back. “I uhh- we called off the engagement” I confessed, there was no use lying, he was going to find out sooner or later.

“Did he know about the baby?” he asked, his voice laced with steel. I nodded and saw him clench his fists in anger. “That bastard! How could he leave his fiancé who is pregnant with his child!” he shouted, his eyes flashing with pure rage. I gulped, if only he knew...

I tried to interject but he continued on his rampage. “No, I must talk to him. How dare he let his child grow up without a father figure. What is he going to do when this child starts asking you why he doesn’t have father like all the other little boys in his class? Just despicable behaviour! There were bad vibes radiating off him from day one.” He exclaimed becoming angrier and angrier by the second. The guilt was eating at me from the inside. I knew that he was right about how my child would ask where his father was someday. I needed to tell Hamilton...but not today. I wasn’t ready.

“Please Hamilton stop. Can we talk about something else” I pleaded with him. I needed to steer the subject away from my pregnancy. “Of course, mio caro” he whispered and grazed my cheek with the backs of his knuckles. I shied away from his touch, there was no way I was falling for that shit again.

"So how is the engagement going?" I asked after a minute or two of silence. His eyebrows came together in a frown. "What engagement?" He asked as his head titled to the side in a decidedly cute fashion. I flashed an incredulous look at him. Did he really not remember his fiancé. He really was a dickhead on a hole new level.

"It was all over the news a few months ago after you went back to London. Everyone was talking about the newlyweds" I elaborated, hoping that it would spur the jackass into remembering his soon to be wife.

A burst of laughter from Hamilton made me jump in fright. "She wasn't my fiancé!  That was my business partners fiancé. The three of us were heading out for dinner to celebrate their recent engagement!" His eyes flashed with mirth as he gazed down at my more than likely, bright-red face. "Oh" I mumbled and chuckled a little in reply.