“Of course, I would.”
“But then—”
I lean up and kiss him on the cheek. “You might not trust yourself, Seb. But I do. You’re not the Incredible Hulk. If you don’t want to shout in front of your baby, you won’t.” I nudge him with my hip. “Hey. Maybe it won’t be that bad.”
He sighs, takes a deep breath, then rings the doorbell.
The door flies open almost immediately.
“Sebastian!” His mother cries, delighted. Sebastian doesn’t even have time to open his mouth before she throws her arms around him, tugging him into the house. He stiffly returns the hug, obviously uncomfortable, while I look on in shock.
I’m not sure what I expected Sebastian’s mum to look like, but it certainly wasn’t this. She’s small and round, with a sweet face and long, grey-streaked hair. Her cheeks are flushed with happiness as she pulls away from her son and turns to me. “And who is this?” She asks loudly.
I offer her my hand to shake. “I’m Beth. Thank you so much for inviting us over, Mrs Bright.”
She beams. “Please, call me Ellen.” Her eyes drop down to Cami. She gasps. “Andhereis the little angel! Aren’t you beautiful!”
Cami laughs, bopping around in my arms like a helium balloon. Ellen reaches to take her from me, and Sebastian frowns, stepping forward.
“Mum—”
“Oh, hush,” she orders, “let me hold my granddaughter.” She pulls Cami against her chest, smiling down at her. “Oh, she is very sweet,” she coos, tapping Cami’s pink cheeks. “Aren’t you a sweet little girl!” Cami giggles, wriggling happily into her jumper.
Seb puts his hands behind his back like a soldier, and I reach out and squeeze his palm.
“I can’t believe you didn’t bring her to us sooner!” Ellen cries. “We should’ve known as soon as you got her pregnant!”
I open my mouth to correct her, but Seb cuts me off. “Sorry. It’s all been a bit of a rollercoaster.”
I frown up at him.
Ellen rolls her eyes, turning to me. “He was always like this when he was a child, too. Never told me anything. I hoped he’d grow out of it, but he’s just become more secretive as he’s gotten older.”
I smile uncomfortably, not sure what to say.
Ellen blinks. “But why are we standing around here? You must be hungry! Dinner is all ready. I made a chicken roast.” Her forehead wrinkles. “You’re not vegetarian or anything, are you, dear? I’m sorry, I should’ve checked.”
I shake my head. “I eat everything.”
Ellen gives me a soft look, turning back to Sebastian. “Oh, she’s lovely. Where did you find such a lovely girlfriend?”
“I met Beth in our building,” Seb says, before I can answer. “She lives in the flat below mine.”
“Neighbors!” She claps her hands together excitedly. “How romantic! Well, come in, come in. No need to hang around on the doorstep.”
She turns around and bustles into the house. Seb goes to follow her.
I poke him in the hip. “What are you doing?” I hiss.
“Later,” is all he says, following his mother inside. I stare at his retreating back. What the Hell is he playing at? No one is going to believe Cami is my child; she looks nothing like me. And even if she did, I agreed to come here as Seb’s nanny, not his fake girlfriend.
Sighing, I toe off my shoes, shut the front door, and follow behind him. Ellen leads us through a long corridor and into a large, high-ceilinged dining room. There’s a table draped in a snowy-white tablecloth in the centre of the room, filled with covered dishes. A silver-haired man, probably in his sixties, is already sitting at one of the places. He sets down his wine glass and nods as we all step into the room.
“Beth, this is my husband, Steve,” Ellen introduces, bouncing Cami in her arms. “Steve, this is our son’s secret lovechild, Camilla.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” I tell him.
He just takes another swig of his wine. “Can we eat?” He asks his wife, his voice rough.