Chapter 19
CHAPTER 19
GAbrIEL
I enter the apartment to voices. Leah didn’t tell me her girlfriends were coming around this evening.
“There you are, darling,” a voice says before I’m enveloped in a floral hug.
“Mum.” I pull back, my eyes meet Leah’s over my mother’s shoulder.
Leah holds her hands up and shrugs, her shoulders close to her ears. This is not what I expected when I walked through the door. I revert my attention back to my mother, holding her gently away from me by her upper arms.
“This is a surprise,” I say. “What are you doing here?”
“Surprising you,” she says, patting my arm. “Isn’t a mother allowed to come and visit her son?” she says, turning away from me to smile at Leah. “Aren’t you a sly one, keeping all this quiet. It’s a good thing I have called in.”
From my mother’s tone, I know there is going to be a long phone conversation, in my future. She’s not going to let this rest.
My gaze locks on Leah, who is smiling back at my mother. What the hell? We haven’t even finished our conversation about family from a couple of nights ago. I’ve done as she asked and left her to think about it. Now this? Mum clearly thinks she’s my girlfriend. Is this Leah’s way of telling me she’s on board?
“I can’t believe you’ve been working together for eight years now!” Mum says, moving back towards Leah and linking an arm through hers, patting her forearm. “How time flies. You really should let me into the office more, Gabriel.”
“The office is where I work. It’s not a place for family gatherings,” I say.
God help me, it’s bad enough Caleb feels the need to drop in all the time, let alone if my mother starts.
“Caleb visits you all the time,” Mum adds, as if prompted, and I see Leah’s lips twitch.
“Not by choice,” I grumble.
“So, Leah, you know Caleb?”
I suppress a groan.
“I do,” Leah says, biting her lip to stop herself laughing.
A trait I notice more and more now she’s living with me. Leah extracts herself from my mother, her attention fixed on the pot of food bubbling on the stove. Is she enjoying this?
“Leah is one of the few people who can tell us apart,” I say.
“Really?”
Leah’s eyes fly to mine as her cheeks flood with colour.
“To me, they are very different,” she says, shooting me a look that promises retribution.
“That’s interesting,” Mum adds, her expression thoughtful. Oh shit, I recognise that look. What have I started?
“Not really,” I say, deciding to change the subject.
“Can I get you a refill, Mum?” I move to the cupboard and grab myself a wineglass.
“That would be lovely, darling.”
I refill Mum’s wine before walking up behind Leah. I rest my hands on her waist as I stare over her shoulder .
“Sorry,” I whisper in her ear. “I had no idea.”
I’m not sure what I’m doing, but before I can stop myself, I lean forward and drop a kiss on her cheek.
“This smells delicious,” I say against her ear, surprised as goosebumps rise along her forearms.
She turns her head sharply, our lips millimetres apart. I can feel her breath on my skin. Leah’s eyes drop to my lips, my heart rate picks up, and my muscles tense. She turns away before I can respond and directs her attention to another pan.
I look up, my mind racing, only to find my mother watching us. A slow grin spreads across her face. If we want my family to believe we’re a couple, we’ve scored the first goal of the game. Leah in my apartment, cooking dinner for us both, working for me. This could not be more perfect, if I planned it.
A pressure builds in my chest and my stomach clenches as I think of Leah agreeing to carry my child. Of her stomach growing swollen with our baby. My hands tighten on her waist, and she lets out a small gasp.
“Would you like to stay for dinner, Francesca?” Leah asks.
I freeze as Leah pats, then squeezes the hand still wrapped around her waist. I retract it, the sense of loss immediate. Having Leah in my space is playing havoc with my senses.
“Oh, I don’t want to intrude,” Mum says, although her eyes tell a different story. If I know my mother, she wants all the gossip. This is her dream come true. Finding her youngest, socially awkward son, me, with a woman in his house, cooking him dinner.
“It’s no trouble. There’s plenty,” Leah says, turning off the stove.
She turns towards me and raises an eyebrow, her eyes full of mischief. She’s telling me two can play at this game .
“Gabriel, lay a place for your mum.”
Mum looks over, her grin reminiscent of the Cheshire Cat in the Alice in Wonderland book she read to us when we were little. I do as I’m told and lay an extra place.
“Oh, Leah, this is delicious,” Mum says on her second helping. “It’s amazing you come home after working such long hours and cook for my son.”
I roll my eyes. Mum never approved of my restaurant-supplied diet. She’s probably fallen in love with Leah purely because she knows how to cook.
“It’s no trouble. I enjoy cooking, and I’d rather know what I’m eating,” Leah says. “I grew up cooking alongside my mum. She taught me everything I know.”
“How lovely,” Mum says. “It’s a skill so many of the younger generation are losing.”
“To mum and I, it was a bonding session. We still cook together when I visit.”
Mum clasps her hands in delight, holding them to her chest. “That’s lovely. Do you see them often?”
“Usually once a month. They’re currently travelling around Australia. I miss them,” Leah says.
“Then Gabriel, you need to bring Leah home one weekend. She can have some family time at our house,” Mum says shooting me a look that garners no argument.
“Of course,” I say. I need to change the subject before she’s locked us in. “Did you have a pleasant lunch with your friends?” I ask Leah, garnering a shocked look.
“Er, I did,” she says, inclining her head, questioning how the hell I knew she went to lunch with her friends. I smile and raise an eyebrow.
“Oh, that’s wonderful,” Mum says. “It’s so important to maintain your friendships when you’re in a relationship. I kept all my friends from before your father and I married. They’ve kept me going... after I lost him.” My mother’s voice drops. She and Dad were inseparable, but she always maintained her own friendships and hobbies.
Leah squeezes my mum’s shoulder as she collects her plate, and I’m shocked when Mum pats her hand in acknowledgement. Who is this woman bewitching my mother?
Mum helps clear up. I can tell that Leah is shocked. Mum might be worth billions. Dad took the family business and grew it during their marriage. But there was one thing Mum ensured. We were never too big for our boots or too wealthy to muck in.
I watch as my mother and Leah fall into an easy conversation. I might as well have not been there. Having taken their drinks to the sofa, they have barely come up for air.
It’s only when my mum’s phone beeps she looks up in shock.
“Oh gosh, is that the time? I’m sorry I’ve monopolised your evening. That’s Freddy, my driver. I’ll leave you two lovebirds alone,” Mum says, carrying her glass to the kitchen and rinsing it under the tap.
“Well, it was lovely to meet you, Mrs Frazer... sorry, Francesca,” Leah says, following behind her.
“You too, Leah. I’m so happy he’s found you.” Mum pulls Leah in for an impromptu hug, which Leah accepts. Her arms wrap around my mother.
Together, we walk her to the elevator.
“I’ll take Mum down to the car,” I say, stepping in beside my mother.
“See you soon,” Leah adds.
“Oh, Leah, will you come to the Frazer Fundraising Weekend this year? We have a family get-together to celebrate my birthday, and the next day, it’s all about raising as much money as we can for the causes we support.”
“Er,” Leah says, as her eyes shoot to mine.
“Of course, Leah will be there,” I say .
If I’ve got to go, there’s no way in hell I’m going to expose myself to the society mothers and their daughters, who flock to our country estate every year without Leah by my side, especially if the world thinks we are a couple.
Leah shoots me a look that tells me we will discuss this later, but steps back to allow the doors of the elevator to close.
“Oh, Gabriel, she’s lovely,” Mum says as soon as the doors shut, and we begin our descent. “I should have seen it. I’m surprised I didn’t. No wonder you’ve not been interested in any of the women I’ve introduced to you. Not when you were waiting for Leah.”
Her face brightens, and I feel a flash of guilt. This is what she wants for me. Tonight has made her happy. My mind wanders to Leah and what I will face when I return upstairs. It’s her fault. She’s done an amazing job of making my mother fall in love with her. Now she’ll have to deal with the fallout.
“She is,” I reply, unsure what else to say.
“I remember meeting her briefly years ago. I can’t believe she still works for you?” Mum fishes.
“She does. She’s my communications officer. My right-hand woman.”
Facts... only facts, a safe subject.
“It makes sense,” she says.
“What makes sense?” I ask, confused.
“Leah working for you. She’s perfect. I know you overthink things, but, really, Gabriel. Eight years?”
My heckles rise at her words. “Excuse me, Leah was engaged until recently. She wasn’t available.”
“Oh.” Her face drops. “This isn’t a rebound thing, is it?” Her concern for me is evident. Maybe my mother hasn’t taken Leah’s side over mine. Yet .
“No, Mother, we’ve very much entered this relationship with our eyes wide open.”
Not lying.
“I trust you. More than any of your siblings. You’re the sensible one.”
Her words leave me speechless.
“Pardon?” I say.
I listen to her chuckle. “You’re my thinker. You weigh up every option and nuance. I trust in you, Gabriel. You need to trust in yourself. Don’t overthink it.” She pauses. “I like Leah. She’s open and honest. It’s obvious she gets you.” Mum pats my cheeks. “And she’s normal, not like some of those other social climbers.”
I wonder if she means Rachel. She never really liked her.
Her eyes twinkle when I look down at her, surprised.
“Let it follow its own path.”
The doors open, and Mum’s driver is waiting in the basement. He holds open the car door. She turns to me and pulls me down for a hug and to rain kisses on my cheek.
“I love you, Gabriel. Now get back upstairs to Leah.”
I smile, certain that I have a cheek covered in fuchsia pink lipstick.
When she’s seated in the car, I step back into the elevator and make my way back to the apartment.
I find Leah waiting near the kitchen unit.
She turns to me in a flash. “I tried to set her straight, but she appeared to have made up her own mind the instant she saw me,” she says, her voice panicked.
“I believe you,” I say, grabbing another glass of wine. “I did warn you. This situation, you being here. My mum is a romantic, and you are everything she wants for me. She just told me as much.”
Leah blanches. “But?—”
I step towards her but refrain from touching her again. “I told you we wouldn’t need to lie. My family will jump to their own conclusions because of what they see.”
I make a sweeping gesture.
Leah rubs a hand down her face.
“Have you thought any more about what I said?” I ask. “I take it you spoke to the girls about it?”
Leah sinks onto one of the stools positioned along the kitchen island.
“I did. I hope you don’t mind.” She looks at me cautiously.
I shake my head. “I take it they’re watertight. That if we do this, they won’t run off and sell our story to the press?”
Leah looks at me in horror. “No. They’ve been my friends since secondary school. We’re more like sisters.”
I nod, letting her know I trust her judgement.
“What did they think?”
I’m surprised at how much this has interrupted my thoughts. Waiting.
Leah’s shoulders sag. “I don’t know. They were surprisingly positive. It’s just?—”
“Just what?” I push.
“It’s just... I work for you. You’re now my landlord. If something goes wrong, I lose my job. Something I love, and my home.”
I pull out one of the stools and sit down next to her.
“We will have a legal contract. We can include helping you find another job if something goes wrong. As you’ve probably guessed, Caleb would employ you in a heartbeat, or Elijah, Kat. Any of my siblings.”
“You can’t guarantee that.”
“I can and I will. I promise if we do this and something goes wrong, and you feel you can no longer work for me—which I don’t foresee happening by the way—Then I’ll ensure there is no comeback on you,” I say, knowing I mean every word. I won’t let Leah suffer .
“What else is bothering you?”
I sense she has another question but is holding back.
I watch in fascination as colour creeps up Leah’s neck and spreads across her cheeks.
“We never, er, discussed...” Leah stumbles over her words. For the second time in as many days. My communications officer, the most adept communicator I know, is lost for words. I clamp down on the smile that threatens.
“Leah, whatever it is, spit it out.”
“How do you see me getting pregnant?” The words rush out in a flurry, and I have to take a moment to comprehend what she’s asking. “I can’t sleep with you... sorry, have sex with you. That would be totally unprofessional.”
I bite the inside of my lip to stop myself from laughing.
I take a deep breath before carefully choosing my next words.
“I thought you were thinking of artificial insemination.”
Leah visibly releases the breath she’s been holding.
“That’s what I was thinking,” she says, giving me a small smile.
“I can arrange for us to be seen at a clinic,” I say next, surprising myself.
Leah looks at the ground, her colour rising again. “I was wondering if we can try here...at least at first. A clinic sounds so impersonal. If I have problems conceiving, then maybe.”
“Not a problem. It may be better, as my brother and I share the same face. It could set tongues wagging if I’m seen at a fertility clinic,” I say almost too quickly. The thought of having to perform while Leah waits anxiously in the other room. Maybe I should have thought this through a bit more.
Leah hops down from the stool and turns to face me. “Are you sure?” she asks, the uncertainty in her voice makes my heart clench .
“When have you ever known me to suggest anything I’m not one hundred per cent behind?”
Leah lets out a shuddering breath. “Okay,” she whispers.
“Okay, what?” I ask, needing clarification.
“If we can come to a legal agreement on how this is going to work.” Her gaze locks with mine. “I don’t want either of us to go into this unprepared. Once that’s done, I’ll come off the pill and order the kits.”
The shy smile she gives me stops my heart, and I swallow past the tightness in my throat.
Leah holds out her hand, and I envelop it in mine. “But we are both within our rights to back out if something changes. Promise me,” she says, her voice pleading, but it appears more for me. She’s trying to give me a get-out-of-jail-free card. Warmth spreads where our skin touches.
“I’ll speak to my solicitor tomorrow and get the ball rolling.”
Leah says nothing. She silently nods, her eyes focused on our hands. I let go but find myself immediately missing the connection.
Leah looks up at me. “Thank you, Gabriel,” she says.
“Thank you? This is mutual, Leah. Let me know what you need.”
She nods in affirmation. “I’ll see you in the morning. I’m going to bed.”
When she turns and walks away, I miss her presence. Leah, in the three weeks we’ve been living together, has turned my ordered life upside down, and now I’m about to add to that with a child.