His eyes flicked to hers and he made a tut, tutting noise. “Don’t tempt me.”
“Oh, I plan on tempting you.”
“You already do.” He kissed the tip of her nose and then shifted over a little on the banquette seat, putting space between them. And for emphasis, he reached down and lifted her handbag, settling it between them as a sort of barrier, his eyes smiling when they met hers.
“I will say, Gen’s been very secretive about all this,” Didee said as she sat back down at the table. “Refused point blank to talk about the father.”
Theo’s smile was tight as he threw Imogen a look of amusement. “She tells me I’m not at all what you’d hoped for her.”
“Oh!” Didee’s face flushed and she reached over, batting a hand on Imogen’s. “That’s very rude of you, dear.”
“I don’t believe in lying to make someone feel better,” Imogen flashed her long, curling lashes, grinning at Theo.
“No, your daughter is honest to a fault.”
Brian took the spare seat, handing some menus across before placing a bottle of wine between them. “I went for Pinot Gris. Trust that’s okay?”
“Perfectly,” Theo nodded, reaching for the bottle and unscrewing the top, pouring three glasses before checking Imogen’s mineral water was still charged. “Shall we say a toast?”
“A lovely idea.” Didee lifted her glass in the air, her large, brown eyes locked to Theo’s face. “What to?”
“The baby. And the future,” he turned to look at Imogen as he said it and her heart throbbed heavily in her chest. Her smile was tremulous and, ridiculously, tears stung the back of her eyes.
Their four glasses connected and Imogen reached for a menu, perusing it with a sigh.
“So you’re planning to stay in London then, love?” Brian asked, the question quiet yet somehow loaded with depths Theo didn’t understand.
Imogen nodded, her eyes lifting to her mother’s face first. “It makes sense,” she agreed slowly.
“Of course it does,” Didee nodded. “Theo’s here…”
“I’d have thought you could work from anywhere,” Brian pointed out.
Theo nodded, his expression unchanging even as his brain worked overtime decoding the man opposite. He didn’t have a chance to reply; Imogen spoke first.
“His offices are here.”
“Couldn’t relocate?”
“No,” Imogen shook her head. “It wouldn’t be fair on Theo.” She lifted her gaze to his face, her smile calm. “He’d end up spending so much time commuting, he’d hardly ever see the baby.”
Brian was about to respond but Didee forestalled him with a small shake of her head.
Theo witnessed the interaction with curiosity. “My apartment has several guest rooms. You’ll be welcome to come and stay with us anytime and for as long as you’d like.”
Us. The word was a gauntlet that they all heard. It sat in the middle of the table like its own little cyclone.
“So you’re an item then?” Brian asked gruffly. “A couple?”
“Yes.” Theo turned to Imogen and his smile held all the promises in the world. They clawed into her heart, burying themselves there. And then, staring at him, she remembered something that had been sitting at the very back of her mind since it happened. She couldn’t believe, actually, that she’d forgotten. He’d called her his fiancé. Hadn’t he?
She frowned, trying to remember for certain, but the moment had been rushed and stressful and even then Imogen wouldn’t have bet money on her remembering with accuracy.
She made a mental note to query it with him later. Lunch was a surprisingly relaxed affair after that. Imogen had the pleasure of watching Theo be his most charming, thoughtful, interesting self. There were only a handful of occasions that had her tensing and scanning her parents’ faces for a reaction.
Like when he referred to falling into his own trout stream as a young boy. Or the story he told about going to the Rugby Union World Cup with the Prime Minister. And when they emerged from the pub and he pointed in the direction of the highrise that housed his penthouse.
“Why don’t you come up and see the nursery?” He suggested. “We can have a coffee, or tea,” he said with a pointed smile at Imogen.