She stopped walking. “Then let me lend it to you.”
My jaw dropped. “I couldn’t. My flat would sell for about one-eighth of that.”
“Then let me buy it as an investment. You can pay me rent. Only what you could afford, of course.”
As we headed back, my head swam with all kinds of domestic fantasies. I saw Cian playing in the backyard. I saw him on the piano that I planned to get, with Theadora as his teacher.
When we arrived back at her house, Ethan met us at the door, looking like a sexy god in jeans and a checked sports jacket. He held Cian in his arms.
I was tempted to snap that beautiful image on my phone. Ethan, with his dark hair tussled and those chiselled good looks, holding our equally handsome little boy, made for a stunning photo.
Chapter 32
Ethan
“Ihearyouboughta house,” my mother said as we were finishing dinner.
“In Winchelsea Lane. Close to Declan’s place.”
Her eyes narrowed slightly. When I was a boy, I recalled her looking at me with that same suspicious look whenever we played with the neighbours’ kids.
“Why not live in Merivale? There are so many rooms. It will be just me soon.”
I held her stare. Was she telling me she’d discovered Will with Bethany and was about to boot him out?
I gazed over at Savanah, who shrugged.
“Savvie’s still here most of the time. I plan to live with Mirabel and my son. You can barely string one civil line whenever you’re in her company, so how could you expect her to live here?”
“It’s different now that you’ve coupled.”
Was that what we’d done? It still felt surreal.
Mirabel had finally agreed to let me buy the house, after conceding that a nurturing and airy environment for our son superseded her need to remain independent. She also hastily reminded me that she wasn’t on the take, to which I just as quickly retorted that I’d bought the house for our son. We stared into each other’s eyes in silence, then I let her push me against the wall and call the shots. By that, I mean her groping my arse and pushing her naked pussy onto my very willing dick. That had become our dynamic—her asserting her independence before fiery sex that left me speechless.
She’d often send me photos of Cian. I was at a board meeting when she sent an image of Cian in the bath looking so cute, I smiled like a proud dad. I kept scrolling, and there was Mirabel in a black lacy negligee, and I nearly dropped the phone. I had to adjust my pants. In many ways, especially while going through this ravenous period, I preferred us having our own space. Mirabel was a screamer.
As Bethany served the table, Savanah asked my mother. “Where’s Will?”
“He’s in London. He’s got a sick uncle.” My mother’s cool tone made me wonder if something had happened or whether that was just her being her naturally reserved self.
“Are you going to marry Mirabel?” Savanah asked.
“Let’s see how things go.”
“Oh, darling.” My mother shook her head, looking like she’d just run over a family pet. “How did you let this happen?”
I rolled my eyes. “It’s life, Mother. Babies are born this way all the time.”
“When are you moving?” Savanah asked.
“On the weekend.”
“Mirabel strikes me as her own woman.”
My sister got that right. “That’s one of her best features.”Apart from being drop-dead gorgeous and irresistibly sexy.
“I do admire an independent woman. But she’s not one of us.” My mother put down her cutlery. “Why not support her and be there for Cian, but also give yourself time to meet a woman that will one day be equal to all of this?”