‘That’s when you come in,’ Leila said, because it was when she sobbed that he stepped into her dream and held her.
She wasn’t even sure if it was a dream or a memory. Leila thought back to times looking out of her window, watching her mother and Jasmine walking in the grounds side by side.
‘Hey, Leila,’ James said. ‘Don’t wait so long.’
‘Sorry?’
‘When you’re dreaming and you knock the glass over, or you realise they can’t hear you, just roll over in the bed to me.’
CHAPTER ELEVEN
‘MANU!’ JAMES HAD WAITED till Leila had left for work to make the call.
‘I was wondering if you could come to meet with me here in New York. I want some help to deal with Leila’s parents.’
‘You certainly need it.’
‘Which is why I want you to get on a plane as soon as possible.’ James looked out to the view below as he spoke. He hated that Leila cried each night. Yes, he knew she had been unhappy enough to run away but that he might have caused an irretrievable breakdown between Leila and her family, so much so that they might want nothing to do with the baby, appalled him.
Dream interpretation wasn’t his particular forte; in fact, he didn’t even pay attention to his own. It was clear though, James had decided, that Leila was worried that her family was carrying on completely fine without her and that they might want nothing to do with their baby.
He wanted to do his best to put things right.
‘I’ve been trying to learn Arabic so that I can hopefully apologise in person to her father.’
‘It is more than the language you need to learn, James.’
‘I get that.’ He did not need a lecture from Manu and was just about to tell her so when the door opened and there was Leila.
‘I’ll call you back,’ James said.
‘No need,’ Manu said. ‘I’ll arrange my flight. I can be there tomorrow for two days, but I am not guaranteeing I will work with you. For now I’ll just agree to meet and discuss the situation. I’ll text you with the times.’
‘Did I disturb you?’ Leila asked.
‘Of course not,’ James clipped. ‘I was just moving some stocks...’
She knew that he was lying—Leila had heard a woman’s voice on the other end of the phone.
She had sensitive ears too!
‘How come you’re not at work?’ James asked.
‘Their evening player has asked to swap and so I am working tonight instead,’ Leila answered. ‘I have to be back at six.’
‘I don’t want you...’ James halted himself. Who was he to tell her that she couldn’t work when she so clearly loved it? Who was he to rein her in when she was just starting to find herself?
And, James questioned, who was he to force her to marry him?
He just wanted her to want to now.
‘Whatever you feel like doing,’ James said.
‘Anyway, clearly we need to have some time alone,’ Leila said. ‘To make our private phone calls and things.’
James heard the little dig and he gave a wry smile as Leila huffed off to the bathroom.
She was the most adorable creature of habit—as soon as she came home, she would remove her make-up and he followed her in, watching as she took out a make-up–remover wipe. Leila started taking off her mascara but he could see the angry strokes of her hands.
She was jealous, James thought, but it made him smile for she had no reason to be.
‘Leila.’ He came behind her and tried to catch her eye in the mirror but she was deliberately ignoring him.
‘Leila...’ James slid a hand around her waist but she shrugged him off and so he sat on the marble vanity beside where she stood angrily taking off her make-up.
‘Just because I’m on the phone to a woman it doesn’t mean that I’m seeing someone else. You are the most insecure person I have ever met.’
‘I’m not insecure, James,’ Leila corrected. ‘I’m very secure with myself.’
‘You could try trusting me.’
Leila breathed out. Yes, she could try trusting; it just felt like a scary place to be. She wanted to trust him; she wanted to believe that he was here for more than their baby, that somehow a marriage between them could work.
She wanted to tell him that she loved him.
He handed her another make-up wipe and she took it.
‘I’m your personal make-up remover assistant,’ James said, and watched her lips do their best not to smile.
She liked him in the bathroom with her, how he even made taking off her make-up stupid fun.
He picked up her moisturiser and squeezed some onto his fingers.
Sexy fun, Leila amended, remembering those fingers removing her lipstick that night, and so she rather pointedly took the bottle from him and put on her own moisturiser.