Take his parents. She didn’t know anything about them. If she’d been shaped by her mother and father, then surely it was logical to assume that Ram had been shaped by his parents too. So why not take this opportunity to see what they were like? For the sake of their child, of course.
She glanced up at him hesitantly. ‘Would you like me to meet them?’
Ram stared at her in silence, wondering how best to answer that question. Nola meeting his parents had not been part of the equation when he’d brought her here. Yet clearly she was trying to meet him halfway, and as it had been he who had suggested they get to know one another better it seemed churlish to refuse.
But going to lunch with them would mean leaving the rainforest, and he didn’t want to do that.
He wanted to stay here with Nola. For it to be just the two of them. There was no need to involve Pandora and Guy. Only how could he explain that without having to explain who he was and what he was...?
His chest tightened.
Lifting his face, he smiled coolly. ‘Of course. It will give me a chance to drop in at the office. There are a couple of papers I need. I’ll ring her back and see if she can do tomorrow.’
CHAPTER EIGHT
THEY FLEW BACK to Sydney the next day.
Gazing out of the window, Nola wished her thoughts were as calm as the clear blue sky beyond the glass. It was hard to believe that only a few days ago she’d fled from the RWI building. So much had happened since then. So much had changed. Not least her perception of Ram.
She had believed him to be domineering, insensitive and unemotional, but as she glanced across the aircraft to where he stood, joking with the cabin crew, she knew that he was a different man than she’d thought.
Yes, he had as good as abducted her from the airport but, seeing her upset, he had backed down, given her the option of leaving. And he’d been unexpectedly gentle and understanding when she’d told him about her father.
Shifting in her seat, she bit her lip. She still didn’t really understand why she had confided in Ram. The words had just spilled out before she’d been able to stop them. But she didn’t regret it, for they had both learnt something about one another as a result.
Yet now she was about to meet his parents, and she could feel all her old nervousness creeping over her skin. Glancing down at her skirt, she pressed her hands against the fabric, smoothing out an imaginary crease.
If only they could just stay here on the plane, circling the earth for ever...
She jumped slightly as Ram sat down beside her, and plucked her hand from her lap. Threading his fingers through hers, he rested his grey eyes on her face.
‘So, what’s bothering you, then?’
‘Nothing,’ she protested.
‘You haven’t said more than two words since we got on the plane. And you’re fidgeting. So let’s start with the obvious first. What have I done?’
She shook her head again. ‘You haven’t done anything.’
‘Okay. What have I said? Or not said?’
Despite her nerves, she couldn’t help smiling.
‘It’s not you...it’s nothing—’ She stopped, suddenly at a loss for words. ‘It’s just been such a long time since I’ve done a family lunch, and spending time with my mum and dad was always so stressful.’
‘Then you don’t need to worry,’ he said dryly. ‘My parents are the perfect hosts. They would never do anything to make a guest feel uncomfortable.’
She frowned. There was an edge to his voice that hadn’t been there before.
‘Are you sure they don’t mind me coming along too? I don’t want to put them to any trouble.’
He smiled—an odd, twisted smile that made her heart lurch forward.
‘Pandora is the queen of the charity dinner and the benefit dance. She loves entertaining, and Guy does as he’s told, so you coming to lunch will be absolutely no trouble at all.’
Her heart felt as if it were high up in her chest.
‘And who do they think I am? I mean, in relation to you?’ She hesitated. ‘Have you told them about the baby?’