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“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.
