‘Married?’
She blinked as her insides lurched crazily. She’d imagined he’d spilt the beans about the pregnancy, but this… This wasn’t happening. This didn’t make sense. She opened her mouth, about to deny it, about to say there’d been some kind of mistake, when her eyes jagged with Damien’s and the denial she expected to find echoed within his was nowhere to be seen. Instead, their dark intense depths seemed aflame with victory even as they threw out a challenge.
‘Oh, married,’ she said, wanting to sound as rational as possible for her mother’s sake while her mind reeled with insane possibilities. ‘Well, Damien and I have to talk about that. Just like we have a lot of other issues to resolve. Don’t we, Damien?’
He smiled in response, one eyebrow arched, and not looking half as uncomfortable as she would have preferred him to. What was he up to?
Her mother broke the impasse. ‘Well, this is wonderful news but I’m afraid I need to lie down for a little while now before dinner. All this excitement has worn me out. But I’m sure you two have plenty to catch up on. So if you’ll excuse me, I’ll just have a nap.’
‘Of course,’ said Philly, kissing her mother on the cheek. ‘I’ll see you get comfortable. We can have a late dinner tonight.’
Daphne turned to Damien, who dropped a kiss on her cheek likewise. ‘Oh,’ she said in response, ‘if I were twenty years younger, I think I’d fancy giving you a run for your money myself.’
‘If you were twenty years younger, I’d be taking you up on that.’
Her mother laughed like she hadn’t heard for ages and Philly was half tempted to enjoy the sound. It was just so good to hear her mother laughing, let alone flirting. But she knew how fragile her mother was. How devastating it would be for her to realise this was all just some game Damien was playing.
Why was he doing this? What on earth was he trying to prove? She wouldn’t see her mother hurt for anything or anyone. And this bizarre idea about marriage wasn’t going to help anyone. Damien had had his chance earlier today and he’d made it more than clear then that he simply wasn’t interested. So what was he doing here, putting thoughts of weddings and goodness knew what else into her mother’s head?
Had he really not said a word yet about her pregnancy as she’d first feared? It was far too early to tell her just yet. What the hell was he playing at?
She saw her mother settled on her day bed and returned to the living room, white-hot fury building within her with every step.
Damien was waiting for her, still standing, the look on his face like a cat that had just caught a mouse. Well, this mouse was about to fight back.
‘Welcome home,’ he drawled, one side of his mouth curving up mockingly. ‘Hard day at the office?’
‘Don’t “welcome home” me. We need to talk,’ she said, her voice a low snarl.
‘Sure,’ he said easily with a shrug, as if he hadn’t the least idea what she would want to talk about. ‘Shoot.’
‘Not here. Outside.’ She didn’t want any chance of her mother overhearing this conversation. She stalked through the kitchen to the rear entrance, leading the way to the small timber deck without looking back. But she knew he was there. She could feel his smug expression laughing into her back as he shadowed her out the door. She’d wipe that smug look off his face if it killed her.
She turned and somehow the deck had shrunk. The small outdoor table and chairs still took up the same space but Damien consumed the rest as he leaned his length over, propping his arms on the railing and looking out over the sun-dried back lawn and the fringe of shrubs lining the fence.
How dared he look so relaxed and at peace with the world? How dared he turn her life upside-down with a click of his fingers? And how dared he fool with the emotions of a frail, sick woman?
The fury inside her only mounted as he continued to gaze out, ignoring her completely. She crossed her arms over her chest but the action only seemed to magnify the crazy thumping of her heart.
‘What are you doing here?’
He turned slowly, almost lazily, towards her, as if her question and tone were no more than the buzzing of an annoying insect somewhere nearby.
‘That doesn’t sound like the kind of greeting I’d expect from the woman I’ve just become betrothed to.’
‘I never said I was going to marry you. What the hell is this all about—some kind of warped payback because I said no to your earlier demands?’
‘You’re having my baby, aren’t you?’
‘And what’s that got to do with it?’