Chapter Eighteen
1034 Words
We didn't leave the apartment until late morning the next day, mainly because of the amount of wine we had consumed. Luca didn't want to risk driving until he was sure it was out of his system. For once, he was completely open with me about where we were going. We were heading to Toulouse, but it was simply a pit stop where we would stay overnight before starting the next leg of our journey the next morning. I felt quite sad as we left Paris. Although I was glad that Julia had agreed to visit really soon after we got home.
I decided then and there that we needed to plan a girls' night. With Em back at the vineyard, she, Aurora, Julia, and I could all head out together and make a real night of it. The whole route to Toulouse was a dual carriageway, and it made me miss being back in England. I had expected France to be similar and driving between destinations to be great for seeing the country. Instead, all I seemed to see was tarmac. In England, most of the cities weren't connected by dual carriageway and there were often sections on country roads with great views of the surrounding areas. France had routes that were faster, but they lacked that country feeling that I was used to.
We were stuck in the car for nearly seven hours, with just a short break at a service station on the way. There wasn't even any good conversation because Luca was concentrating on driving too much. I was sure it was the wine from the night before, that it had made him paranoid that he was impaired in some way.
The hotel in Toulouse was simple, but a welcome relief to the car. I sunk down onto the sofa as Luca made us a couple of coffees, which were also very welcome. "It's a nice hotel."
"I chose it specifically. There's a pool on the roof. I figured after all the traveling, a swim would be just what you wanted. I know you've gotten used to having a pool on hand at the vineyard." He bent down and plucked a smaller but still familiar gift bag from beside the suitcase. I hadn't even noticed him retrieving it from the boot and wondered how many more were lurking in there. I had been given strict instructions that I wasn't allowed in the boot for the whole trip. Taking it from him and ripping it open, finding two swimsuits inside. One for me and one for Isabella. They were simple matching lilac and were perfect for a quick dip.
"Em was sure you wouldn't have thought of packing swimming things."
"Well, she would be right."
"Go swim. I'm going to chill here. We have an early start in the morning." I didn't need further encouragement and grabbed Isabella, getting us both changed. I grabbed the robe from the back of the door and a towel and I was gone without so much as a look back.
The pool was heated gently and it eased every ache and pain I had acquired along the journey. Gliding through the water with Isabella. She was such a water baby, she loved the pool at the vineyard and I always got lots of smiles and giggles when we were in the water. We were in the water much longer than I had expected and when we returned to the room Luca was snoring away. I got Isabella ready and fed her before putting her to bed. Only then did I turn my attention to Luca, trying to take his shoes off without disturbing him. He was right across the bed, but I just managed to pull enough blanket from underneath him to cover him.
I grabbed the spare blanket from the side and settled down on the sofa. It wasn't a great option, but better than having to wake him up. He had really tired himself out on the trip. I was almost dreading us heading home. When we did, we would have so much to do and would have to jump straight into work. Really, Luca needed at least a week to recover from the honeymoon.
The next morning, Luca woke me. "You should have come to bed."
"I couldn't. You were hogging it all."
"I figured. You should have woken me."
"You were exhausted and needed to sleep. I was fine. It's only one night." He was much more careful about hiding our next destination from me and even turned the sat nav away from me to put the details in. I hadn't slept well on the sofa and I was more than a little drowsy as we traveled on yet another boring road. I was certain I was going to fall asleep when I spotted the water and jumped up in my seat.
"Is that the sea?"
"Yep."
"South of France?"
"Not quite, Spain."
"It feels like forever since I last went to the beach."
"It is forever. The last time was when we went together, and that was years ago now."
"It feels like a different lifetime."
"I know. Time to start making memories of our new life. Which includes Isabella's first beach trip." We headed straight to the beach, and I practically ran from the car once I had gotten Isabella out of her car seat. Some of mine and Luca's best times were at the beach. I wasn't really sure why it had been so long since we last went. Luca followed and soon presented me with another pink gift bag. "Don't get excited. This one is not yours, but you can open it for her."
I opened it and found a bucket and spade and some little paper flags for the sand castles. Finally, there was a brightly coloured pinwheel. "I'm not sure she's quite competent at building sand castles."
"You're so funny. I'm going for a swim. Are you going to have a panic attack when I go further than when I can still touch the bottom?"
"No, I've learnt that you are a strong swimmer. I just won't look, so don't drown."
"I'll try my best."
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