I’m not sure how everything happens, but one minute we’re kissing and the next I’m pulling the pram into the restaurant while Casper scares the shit out of the paparazzi enough that he runs across the road almost getting run over by a bus.
“Are you all right?” Lucian rushes to where I’m standing.
The other patrons are all staring at us. Me, actually. I hate it. Unsure of what to do with myself, I check on Grace.
My girl is oblivious to everything. Her eyes flit to me and then Lucian before she yawns.
“I’m fine. We’re fine,” I finally reply, looking around for Casper. He’s on the phone, clearly losing his shit at someone.
He’s so angry that when he comes in, I expect him to be surly towards everyone. Instead, he checks me over, followed by Grace. When he’s sure we’re okay, he greets Lucian.
“Did you catch who it was?” Lucian asks him, walking us to the table at the back of the restaurant.
“No. They’re everywhere. I get rid of one and a handful appear from the wings.” Casper pulls out a chair for me and then grabs another from one of the other tables around us. “I’ve never seen that one before.”
We leave Grace in her buggy while so many eyes are on us. God, I wish they’d go back to their food and conversations.
The table we’re at is set for two, but one of the waitstaff quickly remedies that.
“She looks great.” Lucian peers across me, into the buggy with a smile.
“She is,” I tell him, feeling proud. “She’s officially taller than babies her age.”
I sound like one of those mothers other mums tell you about—boasting about my daughter like she’s the most important thing in this universe. And she is. To her daddy and me, Grace is everything.
Lucian looks ready to melt with the goofy expression on his face. He too seems proud, and I can’t not ask, “Would you like a cuddle?”
“I would.”
Carefully, I lift my baby from her pram and hand her to him. It’s odd how the sight makes me happier than I already am. I pull the tiara hat that’s getting far too small off her head and take her jacket off too.
While Lucian is fussing over her, I take a moment to make sure everything is okay. Just because we have security trailing at a discreet distance, and we’re prepared for any eventuality, it doesn’t mean I don’t worry. Too much can happen too quickly in our world. A lesson we’ve learned far too many times.
“It was paparazzi.” Casper leans into me, kissing my cheek. “Nothing to worry about. I’ve spoken to Francis, and he’s going to try and find out who it was. We can pay to get those photos taken care of. If you want?”
I know how this works. You do something like that, and the vultures will circle you until they have something to pick at. My fear of having photos of us out in the world like that is that they make us an easy target, but this is what life here is like. Whether I like it or not.
“The photos of us don’t bother me as such. I don’t want any of her out there; she shouldn’t be a target. I want to keep her safe and all to ourselves.”
Squeezing the hand that he’s resting on my thigh, I give him my best relaxed sigh.
“If you’re sure, Trouble.”
“I am, big man.”
We sit back, turning to look at Lucian, and he’s still completely wrapped up in Grace.
“She’s gorgeous,” he tells me with a kiss to Grace’s head. “A true credit to her mummy.”
“That she is,” Casper chuckles before ordering drinks from the waitress that comes to our table.
“I want to talk to you about the money you found at the cottage,” Lucian says when she walks away.
“What money?” Casper asks.
With all that’s happened and is still going on, I’d forgotten about it.
“My mum kept it stashed in her bedroom, and we found it when we were there.”