Natalie’s brows rose and she came further into the room, one of her hands carefully cradling her baby’s downy head. ‘Do you want me to call for a replacement? You look busy as usual, and more than a little frazzled, to be perfectly honest.’
His scowl deepened. ‘You’re supposed to be on mat leave.’
‘And you’re supposed to congratulate me on the birth of my baby and gush over him like everyone else does.’
‘Didn’t you get the flowers and presents I sent you?’
‘Yes, they were lovely. You’re great at buying presents.’
‘Glad somebody thinks so.’ His tone was so dry, he could have offered his services as a nappy for the baby. He still had those wretched pink diamonds. He looked at them every day just to remind himself of his foolishness in agreeing to Ivy’s plan.
He moved a little closer to Natalie. She could have been carrying a bomb strapped to her chest by the way he was feeling. Babies freaked him out a bit. More than a bit. They were so tiny and needy and...and cute. Yes, heart-squeezing cute, even if he said so himself. ‘What’s his name?’
‘Thomas Charles,’ Natalie said, unclipping the carrier, taking the sleeping baby out and handing him to Louis. ‘Want to have a cuddle?’
Louis wanted to say no but didn’t want to offend her. Mothers had a thing about their babies. His mother had told him recently about her utter devastation as each of her subsequent pregnancies since his birth had failed—how she had loved and grieved for those unborn children, even though she had only been a few weeks along. Somehow, he found himself holding the baby, not as expertly as he would have liked, but the kid didn’t seem to mind. Thomas opened his tiny mouth and yawned, and one of his little starfish hands came out. Louis offered his index finger and the baby grasped it. His chest felt as if the baby had grasped onto his heart as well. ‘Oh, wow, he’s really cute. I can’t believe how tiny he is.’
‘He didn’t feel tiny when I was pushing him out.’
‘Spare me the details.’ Louis couldn’t stop staring at the baby’s tiny features and thought about how amazing it must be to see a part of yourself in the next generation. The baby broke wind loudly and Louis quickly passed him back to his mother with a grimace. ‘You’d better take him back. This suit is expensive.’
Natalie crooned over the baby as she strapped him back into the sling carrier. ‘So, how have you been, Louis? Seen any more of Ellen?’
He stared at her blankly. ‘Ellen?’
‘Stalker Ellen. Has she been hassling you any more or has she finally got the message?’
Louis raked a hand through his hair, went back behind his desk and sat in his chair with a thump. ‘Haven’t heard a peep, thank God.’ He hadn’t thought of anyone but Ivy. She filled his thoughts every hour of the day and most hours of the night.
Natalie studied him for a moment. ‘Are you all right? You don’t seem yourself at all. You look like you’ve had no sleep for a week.’
Was he all right? Not really. And, yes, he hadn’t slept for a week, and not just because of his dad’s health scare. He hadn’t been right since Ivy had left him in Paris. But then, maybe he hadn’t been right since the first time he’d kissed her. Making love with her had changed him and he couldn’t change back to who he had been before. He couldn’t slip back into his old life as a carefree, freedom-loving playboy because, damn it, holding his secretary’s adorable little baby had shown him a part of himself he had strenuously denied existed until now. He had refused to acknowledge these past few days, even though it was there in how he had come to his parents’ aid, supporting them both through a harrowing time.
He was capable of love—more than capable.
He loved Ivy.
How had he not realised until this moment? Why had he shied away from the core of who he was as a person? He adored her. Worshipped her. Missed her so badly it was destroying him day by day.
Louis sprang out of his chair and swept past Natalie. ‘Sorry, Nat. I have to go.’ He stopped at the door, came back over to her, kissed her on the cheek and dropped a kiss to the baby’s head as well. ‘Thank you for making me see what a stupid fool I’ve been.’
Natalie’s smile spread over her face and her eyes twinkled. ‘Well, look at you. If I’m not very much mistaken, I’d hazard a guess and say Mr Amazing One-Night Stand has fallen for someone and fallen hard. Am I right?’
Louis grinned. ‘You’re right.’ And then he shot out the door.
Ivy was home alone on Friday night watching a box set—story of her life—when the doorbell rang. Millie and Zoey were supposedly both working late, but she knew from Millie it was a ruse—they were doing last-minute party preparations for tomorrow night. She clicked off the TV and tossed the remote back on the sofa. She went to the front door and opened it to see Louis standing there with a huge bunch of pink roses and a box of chocolates. But, sadly, no black velvet jewellery box.
‘May I come in? I have something to say to you.’ His expression was tightly set and she mentally prepared herself for another argument. Why did he have to come here and rub it in?
She held his gaze, raising her chin a fraction. ‘I think you said everything back in Paris.’
He handed her the roses and the box of chocolates, the tension around his mouth loosening. ‘Please, Ivy, hear me out. I wish I could rerun that night and do everything differently.’
Ivy wasn’t brave enough to pin too many hopes on his coming to see her. It had been a week since she’d left him in Paris. Over a week with not a single word from him. Why should she think anything had changed? She took the roses and chocolates from him and stepped aside to let him in. ‘All right. But make it snappy because it’s my birthday party tomorrow and I—’
He frowned. ‘You know about the party?’
She blew out a breath and closed the door. ‘Millie let it slip but I’m pretending I don’t know for Zoey’s benefit. She’s gone to a lot of trouble and I don’t want to ruin it for her.’
‘I got an invitation, but I wasn’t sure if you’d want me there.’
Ivy moved further inside her flat and put the roses and chocolates on the coffee table. ‘I can’t imagine how you’d want to be there now.’
‘Ivy. Look at me.’ His tone had a note of desperation about it, his expression etched in remorse. ‘I can’t begin to tell you how much I regret how I handled things in Paris. I was a fool to let you go like that. I don’t know why it took me all this time to see what has been staring me in the face from the start. You were right when you said I wasn’t being true to myself. I wasn’t. I was living a lie, denying any feelings in case they made me vulnerable. But, over the last few days, I’ve come to understand how little I knew myself—the real me. I had stopped listening to my heart for so long, I didn’t recognise the signs that were there all along. I love you. I adore you. I can’t imagine my life without you in it—not just as a friend but as my lover, my partner. My wife.’