My lips purse. ‘You’ve told everyone, haven’t you?’ I can’t believe this man. My poor parents don’t even know that they’re going to be grandparents yet.
‘I might have.’
‘Jesse,’ I moan, completely deflated.
His adorable face takes the edge off my irritation slightly, and then he shrugs guiltily, completely diminishing the rest of my exasperation. ‘Can we visit my in-laws this weekend?’ he asks quietly.
‘Well, yes. We’d better before news travels and makes it to Cornwall before we do.’
He grins at me and stoops down to seal our mouths, his hand landing on my stomach and caressing my non-bump, while his tongue caresses my mouth. ‘You make me a very happy man, Mrs Ward.’
‘That’s because I’m letting you trample all over me at the moment.’
‘No, it’s because you’re beautiful, spirited, and all mine.’
‘My Man!’ Sam’s happy greeting distracts us from our moment. He claps Jesse’s shoulder and stands me up, looking me up and down. ‘I can tell,’ he says, staring at my tummy before lifting his sparkling blues. ‘You’ve got that healthy glow about you.’
I actually laugh, and I’m dying to ask if any of these happy well-wishers know of the circumstances surrounding my pregnancy. ‘That’s funny because I mostly feel like shit.’ I quip.
‘Mouth, Ava!’ Jesse snaps, but I snub him and move past Sam to take Kate’s hand. ‘Let’s sit over in the corner.’ I smile sweetly and lead her away from the bar. Her pale face is cautious, and it bloody well should be, but she doesn’t resist, letting me direct her away from the men to a little table in the quietest part of the busy bar.
I practically push her into a chair. ‘Okay, Matthews. Spill.’ We’ve got way past the fun excuses, so she’d better not even try. Not now my brother is involved, even if I don’t particularly like him at the moment.
‘So,’ she begins, all chirpy and unfazed by my sharp order, ‘It’s official then?’
‘What?’ I sit down opposite her.
‘The baby,’ she nods at my stomach. ‘You’re not getting rid of it.’
‘Kate!’ I blurt on a shocked whisper, making a quick check of the nearby tables. We’re safe, but her hard-hearted words have hit a nerve and for the first time since all of this sank in, my hand rests on my tummy protectively. And I feel untold guilt.
She smiles. ‘Ava, I knew you’d never see that through.’
I’m a little speechless. ‘Why didn’t you tell me sooner?’
‘You needed to figure it out.’ She looks across to the men, who are all chatting at the bar. ‘I don’t get him, but look at that face.’ she says, smiling fondly at Jesse. ‘I was a breath away from telling him, Ava.’
I knew she would be. I follow her eyes and see a very happy man, but he’s always happy when we’re together, or he’s always happy when I’m conceding to him and his impossible ways. Whichever, I can’t deny how happy it makes me to see him like this and to know it’s me who does it—me and now his little peanut, too. Jesse catches my eye and flips me a wink, sending a comforting, warm shot of contentment deep into my heart, but then I remember that I have a friend with some explaining to do.
‘Hey!’ I blurt across the table. ‘It’s time to explain yourself.’
Kate returns her body forward and gives me a tired look. I don’t appreciate it. ‘I’ve told your brother to go back to Australia.’
‘Oh?’ I lean forward, utterly rapt by this news. ‘And is he?’
She shrugs. ‘I don’t know, but I haven’t heard from him since Saturday.’
‘I knew he was there.’ I’m scowling. ‘What happened?’
‘Sam happened.’ she answers quietly. ‘It’s not ideal, but we’re going to work on it.’
‘You mean The Manor?’
‘Well, yeah.’
‘Then why are you here now?’ I ask. If they are working on eradicating The Manor and all things kink from their relationship, then wouldn’t it make sense to avoid this place?
‘We’re having a drink.’
‘But won’t you be tempted to…’ I can feel myself burning red, and I could kick myself for it. ‘you know…’ I look up at the ceiling. ‘get your fix?’
Kate bursts into a hysterical fit of laughter, her palms hitting the table, making me jump back. ‘Oh, Ava. Considering you’re married to the man who owns this place, your primness is laughable.’
‘Clearly,’ I scoff, a little offended. I am not prim.
She gets her laughter under control and smiles fondly at me. I might not be delighted by her humour, but I’m more than happy to see her back to her old self. ‘We’re only going to have sex with each other from now on.’ Her face is somewhere between amusement and complete seriousness—amusement because I know my mouth has just fallen open, and seriousness because I know that despite her open-mindedness and blasé approach to her relationship with Sam, she really likes him, and that has never happened.
I close my gaping mouth. ‘I’m happy for you.’ I’m ecstatic, in fact. ‘So why are you here again?’
‘There are private suites.’ She grins.
‘Your bedroom is private!’
‘It is, but it’s not…’ her grin widens. ‘furnished suitably.’