p; His gaze locked onto his wife’s and something flickered in his eyes that Celia didn’t even want to try and analyse. ‘Right,’ he murmured, softening for a second before snapping his gaze back to her and glaring.
‘You can stop looking and sounding all outraged,’ said Celia, refusing to rise. ‘This is the twenty-first century, you know. Women do get pregnant by accident and out of wedlock.’
‘I know,’ said her brother, shoving his hands through his hair and frowning. ‘I’m just a bit stunned, that’s all. I’d never have thought you...’ He tailed off. Looked a bit bemused. Then rubbed a hand over his face as acceptance settled in. ‘Do Mum and Dad know?’
‘Not yet. I’ll tell them soon.’
‘Who’s the father?’
Celia didn’t see the point of not telling them. If Marcus was intending to be as hands-on as he claimed they’d find out soon enough anyway. ‘Marcus.’
Dan nearly fell off his chair. ‘My Marcus?’
‘If you want to put it like that.’ Although to be honest she didn’t think he was anyone’s. Nor, in all likelihood, would he ever be, given his track record, his comments on the subject and the look of horror that had filled his face when she’d jokingly asked if he was going to suggest they got married.
‘I thought you couldn’t stand each other,’ said Dan, while Zoe merely smiled knowingly and helped herself to the last of the prawns.
Celia lowered her gaze and studied her non-alcoholic cocktail. ‘Yes, well, things change,’ she said, ignoring the sudden and unexpected urge to ask her brother if Marcus’ aversion to commitment was simply down to an enjoyment of variety, because why would she need to know that?
And actually, things had changed quite a bit, she thought, turning it over in her mind as she twiddled her straw. Primarily her opinion of him. How she could ever have thought him shallow and pointless and irresponsible she had no idea. He might go out with—and probably sleep with—a lot of women but he was none of those things, and she’d been stupid and arrogant in her presumption that she had the measure of him all these years.
There was clearly a lot to learn about the father of her child. A lot of assumptions she had to ditch. So maybe she could do a lot worse than spend the next six months trying to figure out who Marcus really was, because if she was being honest he was turning out to be more fascinating than she’d ever have imagined.
‘Since when?’ asked Dan, slicing through her thoughts and making her head snap up.
‘Since your wedding,’ she said, and to her irritation she felt a blush storm into her cheeks.
Zoe flashed Dan a smug grin. ‘Told you,’ she said.
‘So much for not ending the drought,’ Dan muttered.
Celia snapped her gaze to him. ‘What?’
‘Before you, Marcus hadn’t slept with anyone for six months.’
Blush forgotten, her jaw dropped as yet another assumption exploded into bits. ‘Six months?’
‘Exactly. We talked about it at the wedding. He had an ex who turned into a bit of a stalker. I told him that as you were the only single woman there and you weren’t exactly each other’s flavour of the month I didn’t think that’d be changing. Seems I was wrong.’
‘You were,’ she murmured, intrigued and a bit distracted by the stalkery ex.
‘I take it you’re keeping it?’ said Zoe.
‘I am,’ said Celia, dragging her thoughts back on track and deciding that there was no need to go into detail about the roundabout way they’d made that particular decision. Dan had only just got over his shock at finding out she was pregnant.
‘And how the hell’s that going to work out?’ he asked.
She took a sip of water and thought about all the very practical—if faintly overwhelming—suggestions Marcus had made sitting on that bench in the square outside the clinic. ‘I’m not entirely sure at the moment. We’ve tossed around a few ideas, but I guess we have six or so months to figure it out.’
And to figure out other things. Such as the truth behind his wicked reputation. Such as why he wanted to keep the baby. Such as whether she and Marcus had anything in common other than chemistry.
Her brother frowned. ‘Have you considered the fact that Marcus has about as much stickability as an old Post-it note?’
‘I have,’ she said with a brief nod. Mainly in the moments of doubt she had when she wondered what the hell they were doing, if maybe a couple of years down the line she wasn’t going to be left literally holding the baby. But then she’d recall what he’d said about never giving up once he’d started something, the steadfast determination etched into every inch of his face and the burn of his eyes, and her doubts eased somewhat.
‘And he might be my best friend,’ said Dan darkly, ‘but Marcus and responsibility aren’t words I’d put in the same sentence.’
‘Oh, I don’t know,’ said Celia, unexpectedly finding herself bristling a bit on his behalf. ‘I think you’d be surprised.’