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I stare at her.
‘You’re worth far more than any amount of money,’ she adds as if I haven’t grasped it already.
I feel awkwardness heat my face.
‘And I don’t want your money.’
Yeah, I’ve got that message, actually. She’s already given back the money that I put in her account. I understand why she did it. If our positions were reversed I’d have done the same. Even so, it annoys me immensely.
‘You never have to worry about not having a home. Or not having enough ever again. You never have to worry about this being taken away from you or having to just up and leave.’
Her face pales and I know I’ve hurt her by reminding her of the past, but the point is she’s through that now. ‘You know it’s nothing to me.’ And there are no conditions.
‘It’s not nothing. You can’t do things like this for everyone or you won’t be a billionaire for very much longer.’
‘You’re not everyone,’ I mutter through gritted teeth. ‘You’re the mother of my child.’
She stiffens, and somehow I feel as if I’ve said the wrong thing.
‘I don’t want a massive disparity between his parents’ lives,’ I try to explain, but I’m making it worse. ‘I don’t want him subjected to bitter comparisons—’
‘You mean when we live separately.’
I hesitate. We haven’t talked about the future and it feels like boggy ground to cover now. I don’t want to go there. I don’t want to think on it. Not yet. We’re still letting that chemistry run. ‘You let me give Ava money.’
‘Yes, and that benefitted me. That was enough,’ she says passionately. ‘This, for Lukas, I understand. That you want to make his future secure no matter what. But this isn’t what I want from you.’
There’s suddenly an undercurrent between us that I’m wary of exploring.
What does she want? What does she really want from me?
I don’t want to know. It’s safer to retreat.
‘If you don’t want to touch the money, then don’t,’ I grit. ‘Earn your own and save my unwanted amount for Lukas.’
‘I will,’ she says firmly. ‘I’ll do exactly that.’
‘Great.’
She turns away from me. I’m not sure if I’ve angered or pleased her. I shake my head as I walk away. I really need to get to the office and get myself back on track.
I last less than three hours at the office. It’s too soon to be there, right? I need to make sure they’re okay. Talia’s not in the main house and for a moment panic flares before my groundsman quietly tells me she’s at the pool house.
There I stop in the doorway, stunned at the scene. Those boxes are open but things are not organised. There are beans and froth and coffee grounds everywhere. A million lattes are scattered over the bench, each with intricate designs on the top. There’s music quietly playing and randomly she’s in a bikini. The whole thing makes me smile. My heart sings. My body has its usual reaction—on steroids. But as much as I ache for her right now I don’t want to interrupt her and take her from her happy place. I step back but she catches sight of me.
‘Hey.’ Her smile is huge.
It’s all the invitation I need. I step forward, warmth flowing through me already. ‘What are you doing?’ Duh. As if it isn’t obvious.
‘Making use of Lukas’s nap time,’ she says. ‘We had a swim earlier hence...’ She glances down at the bikini she’s wearing. ‘I got this from that drawerful in the wet room. They’re all new. All sizes catered to.’ She pauses. ‘For your guests?’
I shrug but the possessive thread in her question makes me even hotter. ‘Did Lukas enjoy the water?’
‘Loved it until he got completely over-tired. The nanny took him inside.’
I wish I’d been here to play in the pool with them both. ‘And you decided to do some content creation. In your bikini.’
‘Of course,’ she answers, with a nonchalance that’s undermined by her sparkling gaze. ‘You said this was my kitchen to do whatever I wanted in.’
