36. Kate
Everything was so perfect with Elias, it was kind of unsettling. Of course, there were outside things like his mother and her parents she could worry about if she really wanted to—but as long as she and Elias were on the same page, no one else mattered. They only needed each other.
They’d spent an awkward Christmas lunch with Kate’s family, but at least her parents had been civil. Georgia’s kids kept everyone distracted, and then Kate and Elias left early to go to his brother’s for Christmas night. That celebration had been a lot more fun and relaxed. Alexis had gone out of her way to make Kate feel like part of the family. And Elias had been right. Levi had seamlessly folded her and the baby into his protective circle.
New Year’s was at Theo and Sarah’s place. They didn’t have a perfect view of the fireworks on the river, but they could see them in the distance and besides, Theo and Sarah’s place was incredible. They almost didn’t need the fireworks. And then there were the fireworks she and Elias made when they got home.
It was lovely that Alexis and Sarah had taken on the roles of surrogate aunts. She also had Georgia, although it seemed her husband was working away more and more, so Georgia was busy looking after her own children.
She hadn’t spoken to Hugo since he’d cried on her doorstep, but he had sent through a few sweet texts checking in on her. She hadn’t been sure what to make of them and hoped he had been honest about his intentions to honour their friendship.
Today was the baby shower. Kate never thought she’d be the kind of person who would be into something like that, but she was weirdly looking forward to it.
Alexis and Sarah had come over early to help set everything up, along with Levi and Theo. The three guys took their time hanging streamers in the corners of the ceiling while the women mixed up mocktails.
‘Is your sister coming?’ Alexis asked.
‘Uh, she said she might drop by for an hour later. She was having a hard time finding a babysitter, and she didn’t want to inflict her four children on me.’
‘Ah. And your parents?’
‘My dad doesn’t believe in men attending these kinds of events. He thinks they’re for women only. But my mum might show up. When I invited her, she was a bit stand-offish.’ She lowered her voice. ‘I think she’s still disappointed Hugo isn’t the father.’
‘Pfft. How could someone dislike Elias? I mean, yes, at first glance, he seems a little rough around the edges, but he’s not, really. Can’t your mother at least appreciate you’ll have a beautiful child thanks to him?’
Kate smiled. ‘Yeah. Hopefully it just takes a little time for her to warm up.’
‘What’s the deal with Elias’ parents?’ Sarah whispered.
‘Uh, I don’t know. His mother seems to be intent on clearing her name or something, so I don’t think she’s had much contact with Elias the past couple of weeks. And I have no idea what’s going on with his dad. Elias acts as if he’s not even a real person.’
‘Anyway!’ Alexis said brightly. ‘Let’s focus on all the good stuff today.’ She handed Kate a glass. ‘This is called the Fairy Tale.’
Kate took a sip. ‘Ooh, that’s nice.’
‘The secret is the combination of pineapple and grenadine. Doesn’t it taste like a tropical island getaway?’
‘It does.’
She watched as the women lined up glasses on the kitchen counter and plated up hors d’oeuvres. The dining table was soon full of cupcakes, delicate sandwiches, and rainbow fruit skewers.
‘I’ll put some music on,’ Alexis said, going over to the stereo and pairing her phone’s Bluetooth. “Lovely Day” by Bill Withers started to play.
‘Oh, this song is perfect. Hey, you didn’t go ahead and organise any weird games behind my back, did you?’
‘Of course not. You were quite adamant about that.’
‘Good. Because I don’t want to inflict baby food tastings or doll dressing competitions on my cherished guests.’
There was a knock at the door. It was already opened, so Kate turned to welcome the guest but froze when she saw who it was.
Hugo.
She hadn’t invited him, so why was he here?
He strode in, holding a stroller. As he got closer, she saw it was covered in the Fendi logo. How much would that thing have cost?
‘Happy Baby Shower, or whatever the appropriate greeting is for an occasion like this,’ he said, placing the pram on the ground in front of her. ‘I thought you might need one of these.’
‘Ah, thanks. But I can’t accept something so extravagant.’
‘Nonsense. Have you forgotten who you’re talking to? You didn’t complain about the hamper I sent.’
Kate hadn’t known he’d sent a hamper… and then the question was, which one did he send? She did often forget that Hugo was loaded. Not because he didn’t show it off, but he possessed the kind of money that lost all meaning when you said the numbers out loud. He was probably worth a few hundred million now thanks to the tech company he started.
She glanced over at Elias just as Elias noticed Hugo. He frowned and came over.
‘What are you doing here?’
‘I came to give the mother-to-be another gift.’
Elias frowned as he looked at the pram. ‘We already have one, but I appreciate the thought. I hope you kept the receipt.’
‘I’m sure yours can’t be better than this one.’
‘Are you implying I can’t afford to provide for my child?’
‘I’m just saying, you should accept the gift. You can’t get this easily in Australia.’
‘I don’t care. My baby doesn’t need a pretentious pram. Please leave, and take that thing with you.’
Hugo looked at Kate as if to ask, ‘do you agree?’
‘Uh, Hugo, I really do appreciate the thought, but I’m not sure it’s appropriate. And you don’t really know anyone here today, so it might be awkward for?—’
‘He knows me,’ Kate’s mother said as she entered the living room. She looked at the pram. ‘Did you buy this, Hugo? What a lovely gift.’
‘Mum,’ Kate warned.
‘You should accept everything you can. I know you have a decent job, but I’m assuming you’ll be working less over the coming months, and then you’ll be taking time off when the baby is born. Money could get tight.’
‘I wish you’d give your daughter a little credit,’ Kate said. ‘Don’t you think I’ve budgeted for this situation?’
‘Well, the father was originally going to be Hugo. I assumed his wealth was built into your plan.’
‘Um, if you remember, Hugo was never going to have anything to do with the child. He signed a contract saying so.’
April waved a dismissive hand. ‘I’m sure he would have been involved, regardless. Wouldn’t you, Hugo?’
‘Uh…’
‘He can’t say he would have, because that would be a violation of the contract,’ Kate pointed out.
‘Contacts make everything so rigid,’ April said. ‘I don’t know why people can’t just use their common sense when it comes to matters of the heart.’ She rummaged around in her handbag. ‘Anyway, I brought along a game for us to play.’
‘I don’t want any games,’ Kate protested.
‘Why not? It’ll be fun. You should like it because it’s all about you.’
Kate frowned. ‘What?’
April held up a bunch of cards. ‘We’ll see how well everyone knows you.’
‘No, Mum. Besides, not everyone is here yet.’
‘There’s enough to get started. Come on.’ She turned to Hugo. ‘Don’t you think it sounds entertaining?’
Hugo looked at Kate. ‘I guess?’
‘Excellent.’ April clapped her hands together. ‘Attention, everyone. Thank you all for coming to my daughter’s baby shower. I thought we’d start off the festivities with a little game honouring Kate. I’m going to hand out some paper and pens, and then we’ll do a quiz. The winner will be awarded this.’ She held up a bottle of champagne.
There was murmuring amongst the group. Elias looked at Kate and mouthed ‘are you okay?’
She pouted and shrugged.
‘Ah, Mrs Croft, I’m not sure—’ Elias started, but April wasn’t listening. ‘Okay, I’m coming around with the paper and pens.’
Elias was by Kate’s side in a flash. ‘What’s going on?’
‘I have no idea. My mother is intent on embarrassing me, apparently.’
April handed out the supplies and then held up a card. ‘Are we all ready for the first question? This should be an easy one. How old was Kate when she had braces?’
Kate furrowed her brow. How was that an easy question? No one here even knew her when she had braces. The person she’d known longest was Levi, and she hadn’t met him until university.
Levi and Theo whispered something to each other, looking confused. She supposed they would just have to guess their answers.
Elias leaned into her ear. ‘What should I do?’
‘Nothing. Just let her have her fun, and then we can move on. Not knowing the answer to any of these questions means nothing.’
He squeezed her hand reassuringly.
‘Next question. How did Kate get the scar on her ankle?’
Again, no one would know that. Half of them wouldn’t have ever even seen her ankle.
She glanced at Hugo and saw him madly writing something on his piece of paper.
Hmm…
‘Third question. What was the name of Kate’s first pet? Bonus points for the breed.’
Okay. Now she understood what was happening. Hugo was the only one who might know all these answers. They had met seven years ago, and since they were friends, they’d had lots of late-night drunken conversations. She’d probably told Hugo a bunch of useless information about her life in that time.
Was her mum really that calculating? Was she trying to prove Hugo was the better match because he knew a few random facts about her childhood?
‘Mum, I appreciate you putting the focus on me, but you’re just highlighting the fact that everyone here today wasn’t in my life when I was younger.’
‘Honey, I…’
‘I think we should have some food,’ Kate said. ‘Everyone, please enjoy the spread that the lovely Alexis and Sarah helped prepare.’
Alexis gave Kate an uncertain look. Kate nodded, urging her to take the lead.
‘Uh, if you need plates or serviettes, there are some on the counter,’ Alexis explained.
April looked like she was going to protest, but Hugo whispered something in her ear, and she closed her mouth.
She really did not like that these two were teaming up behind her back. What was going on with Hugo?
Elias was about to say something when another voice piped up.
‘Oh, isn’t this darling?’