The Boy Toy - Nicola Marsh Page 0,93
him. “Thanks for almost blurting the news, by the way.”
He grimaced. “I wanted to shut her up.”
“It was a close call . . .” She trailed off, wondering why she really cared whether they announced their news now or not.
Initially, it had been out of deference for her mom. This crew had finally accepted her mother at a time Kushi had needed it most; they were her friends, and while Samira wouldn’t have to see them often even when she moved home permanently, her mom would. They’d been Kushi’s support network for years when she hadn’t been around, and she owed it to her mom to be circumspect. But she’d like nothing better than to barge outside again and announce to everyone she was expecting Rory’s baby.
“You were awfully quiet out there,” she said. “Overwhelmed, huh?”
He glanced away, his expression shuttered. “Something like that.”
Before she could quiz him further, she heard a clearing of a throat and glanced up to see Manish in the doorway leading to the hallway.
“Sorry to interrupt, but the front door was open and I let myself in.”
“Come in,” Samira said, torn between wanting to throttle her mom for inviting Manish tonight and doing a happy dance because he could meet Rory. “Manish, I’d like you to meet my boyfriend, Rory.”
Rory tensed and stepped forward as if poised for battle. “Nice to meet you.”
“Likewise.” Manish shook Rory’s hand, his smile guileless, but Samira couldn’t get a proper read on the flicker of unease in his eyes. “You’re a brave man.”
Rory’s eyebrows rose as he released Manish’s hand. “How so?”
Manish pointed toward the backyard. “Meeting that crowd for the first time is like walking into a lion’s den holding ten pounds of sirloin steak.”
To her relief, Rory laughed. “Man, you have no idea.”
“Actually, I do. I’m Anglo-Indian, I’m forty, and I’m single. Whenever I’m around those aunties, I’m the sirloin, a piece of meat ready to be bartered.”
Rory laughed again. “Want a drink?”
“Yeah, that’d be great.”
Samira’s head swiveled between the two of them; she was relieved they were getting on. Moving back to Melbourne meant she’d like to keep Manny as a friend, and she didn’t need her boyfriend getting jealous over it.
“There’s lassi or nonalcoholic fruit punch?” Rory asked.
“Punch is fine.” Manish turned to her. “How are you feeling?”
“Good.” Her hand automatically drifted to her belly like it always did whenever she thought of that night eight weeks ago and how close she’d come to losing her much-loved baby.
“You haven’t been back to the hospital, and I haven’t heard from you, so I assumed everything’s okay.”
Rory’s quizzical gaze darted between them as he handed Manish a glass of punch. “You know about the miscarriage scare?”
Manish nodded, hesitant, as if he knew he’d just stepped on a land mine. “I work in the ER at the hospital where Samira was admitted. I saw her the next morning.”
A tense silence stretched between them before Rory finally said, “I’m glad she had a friend around for her. Thanks, man.”
“No problem,” Manny said, raising his punch in a cheers.
But by Rory’s rigid body language and the mutinous clenching of his lips, Samira knew there were problems.
And she wasn’t in the mood for dealing with them.
Forty-Three
After Rory survived the inquisition at Kushi’s house, Samira dropped Pia off at the health center to catch up on some admin before heading to his place. He’d been grateful for Pia’s presence in the car, because she kept up a steady stream of conversation, from amusing anecdotes of the various people he’d met at Kushi’s, to accurate imitations of the aunties that had him laughing when nothing about the evening had been remotely funny.
He’d been out of his depth from the moment he’d walked into that cozy family home in Dandenong. Samira’s mom had been lovely, and they’d got on well, but as for the rest . . . he’d wanted to charm them, but he’d clammed up like he’d done many times before when floundering. He’d probably come across as moody and recalcitrant, but Samira hadn’t seemed to mind.
Then Marvelous Manish with his piercing gray eyes and movie-star smile had strutted in and really turned the evening on its head.
Why hadn’t Samira told him Manish had been there for her at the time of the miscarriage scare?
He wasn’t jealous per se, more annoyed that some guy who her mom would rather see her married to had been around to support his girlfriend when it should’ve been him.
The moment he’d stepped off the plane at