Isabel handed out the gorgeous bottles of scent and Lana was grateful Olivia and Sasha’s excitement made her own more sedate response fade into the background. She felt like such a fraud. She didn’t deserve to be a part of this. She only had to look at Matt to know he was thinking the same thing.
Thankfully, the party finally ended two hours later. Megan was tired and had begun to cry and Matt declared they were leaving, for which Lana was relieved. It had been a long afternoon and Megan had been a little angel through it all, but now she needed her bed.
And that bed should now be at Matt’s place. In the days leading up to the wedding she hadn’t thought to ask where that was, but he’d told her he’d have all Megan’s things and anything Lana wanted transferred to his apartment while they were busy with the ceremony.
Twenty minutes later Matt turned the car into the gated driveway of a large house that had a picturesque garden and lawn. Then she saw the high fence had a board with a Sold sign across it.
She twisted toward Matt in disbelief. “Tell me you didn’t buy this house for us?”
His satisfied look completely disappeared. “Yes, I did.”
“When?”
“Yesterday.”
Her eyes widened. “But we’re only going to be married for a year.”
“So? It’ll be a good investment. Anyway, my apartment wasn’t suitable for a child.”
“I can just imagine,” she muttered.
His eyes turned cold. “There were only two bedrooms.”
“I could have shared with Megan.”
She certainly wouldn’t have shared with him.
“Megan needs her own space.” He paused. “And you need your sleep if you insist on working.”
Okay, so she couldn’t fault that.
Her irritation subsided a little; then she thought of something else. “You could have just left us at my apartment, you know. And you could’ve stayed at yours.”
“No.”
Her lips pressed together, even though she hadn’t much hope he’d agree. “I’ve lived there for almost a year now. There’s nothing wrong with it.”
“That doesn’t mean it’s suitable for Megan.”
That stung.
“I see.” Obviously she could live in a dump for all he cared, but Megan needed to live somewhere befitting the Valente name.
Then she felt bad.
It sounded as though she was jealous of her daughter, and she wasn’t. She had the Valente name herself now anyway, even if she wasn’t going to use it, having decided to stick to Jensen. After hearing herself referred to as Mrs. Matthew Valente at the Registry Office today, she needed this to keep a sense of independence.
No, it was Matt’s dominating way that really irked her. He thought he knew what was best for her and Megan. He should have asked her opinion.
Clearly having had enough, Matt pushed open his car door. “Come on. Let’s go inside.” He got out of the car and opened the back door, ducking back in to release Megan from her car seat. “Leave her things. I’ll get them later.”
Lana alighted and then went to take Megan out of his arms. “Here. Give her to me.”
“No, she’s heavy. I’ll carry her.” He walked away and up the front steps, leaving Lana to grit her teeth and follow them.
Matt produced a key and opened the door wide and they stepped into an entry foyer. A glimpse at the formal living room on the right confirmed the place was stunning.
“Did you even take the time to look around before you bought this place? You didn’t, did you?”
His aristocratic brow rose. “Why? It’s not good enough?”
She waved a dismissive hand, parroting his off-handedness. “Don’t be crazy. It’s lovely. I just wondered, that’s all.”
“I always think before I act, Lana.”
Not always, was her immediate thought as their eyes met and she saw that same thought in him. She flushed. The one time he hadn’t thought things through was the reason they were here now.
“We have a housekeeper starting tomorrow,” he said, somewhat in a clipped tone. “She has her own apartment at the back of the house.”
She nodded and glanced down the hallway as if she was looking around, but it was more about not looking at him.
“I’ll give you a tour later. For now I’ll show you the bedrooms.” He started down the hallway and she tensed as once again she followed him until he turned left into a wing. He opened the first door. “This is your room. You’ve got your own en suite.”
At least they didn’t have to share a bathroom. Nor that beautiful, king-size bed, which she pretended she didn’t even notice. “Very nice.”
“There’s a connecting door to Megan’s room.” He walked to the next room. “This is hers.” He pointed to the door farther along. “My room’s next to this one.”
Lana’s heart missed a beat as the impact of their circumstances started to roll over her. She was going to be sharing a house with the man who had the monopoly on high-powered virility.
God help her.
All of a sudden Megan saw her crib and squirmed to get to it. “She wants to go to bed.”
Matt nodded. “Everything’s here, so I’ll leave you to it while I go get the rest of her things from the car.”
“Okay. Just put her down on the carpet while I get organized.”
Once he’d left, Lana stood looking around. Megan’s furniture appeared miniscule in this room that was painted in pale yellow with nursery rhyme characters stenciled around the walls. Her daughter was going to love looking at them from her crib.
But for now…
“Right, madam. Let me get out of this jacket first,” Lana said, slipping off her cream jacket and placing it on a chair, leaving her cream camisole top above her short skirt. “That’s better.”
She gathered a few items. “Now it’s your turn.”
Lifting Megan up, she laid her on the change table while she gave her a top-and-tail with a washcloth and then put on a clean diaper.
She chatted as she went. “You were such a good little girl today. Mummy is very proud of you. I think you…”
Five minutes later Matt stood in the doorway, letting Lana’s voice flow over him as he watched her preparing Megan for bed. It was an odd feeling watching these two new women in his life.