Page 30 of Tempting the Player
His shoulders sag with relief, “Yeah, I agree we should tell them separately, and I’ll spend Sunday night here with quality time with Luce, and you can do the same at your place with Jess, but let’s walk them to school together Monday to show them that we mean business.” He grins at me, “I’ll even let you hold my hand.”
I laugh. “Are you ready to take on the school gossips then?”
“You know how I feel about that. I would have told them weeks ago. I don’t care who finds out about us - I want to shout it from the rooftops!”
“Well . . . I hope you realise what you’re letting yourself in for. I’ll tell Pat too, Jess will only tell him if I don’t – it’s better if he hears it from me. He’s not going to be bothered - he wants me to be happy.”
“And are you?” he asks quietly.
“You know the answer to that one.” I look at him, his eyes shining with emotion.
“I love you, babe.” He leans forward and cups my face in his hand, leaning in to kiss my forehead lightly, then looks into my eyes.
I smile at him. “I love you too. I'm never gonna get tired of hearing that!”
“Well, I can promise you I'm never gonna get tired of saying it.”
We sit watching dinner that he's made for us in front of Saturday night TV... bliss.
We go to bed early and don’t sleep much at all... also bliss.
Sunday afternoon, after a lazy morning in bed, we both go our separate ways with arrangements to meet for walking to school tomorrow. When I hear Patrick’s car pull up, I glance out of the window to see him and Gary getting out with Jess, she'schatting their heads off as usual. I open the front door and smile at my girl. She sees me and comes running over. I crouch and open my arms, ready for her attack.
“Mummy, mummy!” she says as she comes running into my arms. “Guess what... Daddy says that I can have a puppy at his house.”
I look at him over her shoulder and straighten up, “Oh... does he now?”
Patrick cringes, “Sort of . . . what can I say? I caved. Gary and I have been considering it, and she tipped us over the edge!”
I love dogs, and if I weren’t allergic, I would have let her have one here. I smile at Jess. “You are one very lucky girl, you know that?”
She nods, “I do, mummy.”
“When is this puppy arriving?”
“We’ve found the most gorgeous Pug, it’s going to be a couple more weeks until she can leave her mother, but we’re taking Jess on Wednesday after school to the breeder to meet her. She’s gorgeous, though, Kate.”
I smile, “Can’t wait to meet her, and I'm sure Jess will come up with a lovely name.” I say sweetly to Patrick because I’m sure it’s going to be the most ridiculous name possible.
She hears me and her eyes light up, “Princess, Princess… I want to call her princess… or Merliah.” She ponders which is her favourite mermaid from a Barbie movie.
I laugh at Pat and Gary's horrified expressions. They asked for it. As if they weren’t camp enough, images of them shouting out Princess in the park is priceless!
I need to speak to Pat about Nate, so I put Jess’ favourite movie on the TV and tell her I'm going to speak to Daddy in the kitchen and that I won’t be long. Pat and Gary exchange puzzled looks before following me into the kitchen.
“Is something wrong, Katie?” Patrick asks
He’s always called me Katie. I don’t like it from anyone else, it makes me feel like a little girl, but I don’t mind it from him and Gary. It’s what Patrick always called me, and Gary followed suit.
“No, nothing’s wrong, nothing at all.” I turn around and rest my bottom on the kitchen worktop, smiling at them.
“I knew it!” Gary said, pointing at me.
“What?” I widen my eyes
“I told you, Pat,” he says to Patrick, and turns to me, narrowing his eyes. “You’ve got a man, haven’t you?”
My eyes go to Pat, who is watching me strangely. “Have you, Katie?”
