“Bugger off,” she said. And she closed the door on his stupid laugh.
Kate padded down the stairs into the kitchen and stopped at the sight of the Christmas tree, now perfect and balanced. And something else that undeniably worked – Bea holding Olivia’s hand while they checked over their work.
A feeling bloomed in her chest. A longing.
The silly thing was, now that they were together, and despite all the chaos and bad experience in the past, maybe she did want to marry Olivia.
Chapter 6
Kate was being silly. Romantic. Conformist. Carried away by social pressure and appearance. That was too easy as a movie star, even with her feet kept on the ground by the kids and Olivia.
They didn’t need to get married. She and Olivia had committed to each other with more maturity, truth and conviction than any of Kate’s previous partners, without even talking about marriage.
Kate had to swallow at the recollection, past relationships scarring her there. Olivia had restored her faith in people, so much she seemed to have a halo to Kate.
They’d promised to be together, all in, balancing Kate’s complex life as an actor, and mum to two kids, and co-parenting with Harry. And that worked so well, with Olivia home so often, they decided they should live together. Then Olivia wanted a baby, and it seemed a natural step, already blending into a family.
They’d managed every wonderful step in gentle conversations, Olivia approaching property arrangements with her practical lawyer head. Olivia kept her house to rent out as something of her own. She always considered Kate’s kids and now their baby. And Kate would gaze at her with adoration for being so fair and sensible.
And when necessary, Olivia always did that, taking a careful moment to consider everyone, no matter how delicate the topic.
For everything but this.
They never mentioned marriage.
Not when Olivia’s mother married Charlotte’s mother. Not when best-friend, Charlotte laughed with her partner, Millie, at their fantasy wedding plans they couldn’t afford. Not when they attended the ceremony of Kate’s co-star from her last film.
It had never been awkward. There wasn’t any knowing avoidance. Just acceptance, given the catastrophe of Kate’s divorce.
Except...was it something to consider now? After a little time?
And was it only Kate who’d been ignoring it?
It bothered her as she stepped into Quod on the High Street late Monday afternoon. She pulled off her woolly hat and puffy coat and warm, humid restaurant air steamed her cheeks, cold from the icy day outside.
She immediately spotted an old friend at a table and waved to the fellow actor, now turned executive producer on a joint project. He stood up as she joined him, leaning down to kiss her cheek, and fondly squeezed her hands.
“Sorry I’m running late,” she said. “It’s Olivia’s day at the office and I had to drop Zoe at the nursery. She wouldn’t settle for ages and I’ve been playing catch-up since.”
“How are they?” Tom asked with an indulgent smile, knowing she was besotted with both.
He pulled out a chair for her, just as she noticed a guy standing by the central bar taking a photo.
Her heart sank. She usually passed through the streets of Oxford unrecognised, her makeup-free face, standard mum gear and stompy walk nothing like what people expected from a glossy actress who graced red carpets around the world.
She could imagine exactly the photo he’d taken. A kiss from a tall, handsome guy. Him pulling out the chair, as Tom would for a man as well, including his boyfriend. She couldimagine the headlines just as clearly. Kate’s new man? Is it lover number whatever for Laurence. It was all so predictable, like they had a headline generator for her name.
“What’s up?” Tom asked.
“Oh, just a pap,” she waved away the concern.
Tom rolled his eyes before glancing over his shoulder.
“It’s all right. He’s going.”
“You can guess the shot though?” she said.
“Course.” He grinned. “Are we engaged?”
