AllFreeNovel
Share Us
‘Don’t wave,’ Chloe muttered. ‘The teachers tell them off if they wave.’
‘Sorry.’ Lara clasped her hands in her lap. ‘It’s just that she looks gorgeous.’
Aggie walked onto the stage in her white angel costume, her eyes frantically searching for Christian.
She saw him and gave a dazzling smile, happier and more confident than she’d been for months, and suddenly he felt a lump in his throat. How could he doubt that he was doing the right thing? How could he ever consider putting his needs before those of his girls?
‘Go, baby,’ he murmured, and Lara pulled a face and started to chew her nails.
‘I’m really nervous for her,’ she whispered. ‘We’ve been practising her lines all week.’
Christian reached across and gently removed her hand from her mouth. ‘Stop biting your nails. She only says one sentence.’
‘I know.’ Deprived of her nails, Lara bit her lip instead. ‘We’ve practised it over and over again. I hope she gets it right.’
Christian watched his daughter but he was acutely aware of Lara sitting next to him, mouthing the words along with Aggie.
She was sweet with his children.
Touched by how much she appeared to care, he gritted his teeth and reminded himself that it didn’t make any difference. Liking his children was quite different from taking them on for the rest of her life.
Sweat broke out on his brow.
Where had that thought come from?
There had never been any suggestion of permanence in his relationship with Lara.
They’d rejected a wild affair, nothing more.
Clearly unaware of his thoughts, Lara was clapping. ‘Wasn’t Aggie great, Chloe?’
Chloe gave a wistful smile. ‘Yes,’ she said huskily. ‘She was tremendous.’
Something in Chloe’s tone drew Christian’s attention and for a moment he forgot about Lara. Was Chloe jealous of Aggie? It had never crossed his mind before, but still…
Realising that the nativity play had ended, he clapped dutifully.
Christian noticed that quite a few of the other parents were glancing at Lara with interest.
She had clearly noticed the same thing because she blushed slightly.
‘Oh, dear. The gossips will be working overtime,’ she said to Christian as she slipped her coat on and reached for her bag. She held the scarf across her mouth and nose, gave him a sultry look and adopted a foreign accent. ‘“Oo is zee mysterious and glamorous woman seen out with zee handsome Christian Blake?”’
‘I don’t know—who is she?’ Trying to lighten the atmosphere, Christian pretended to look around him and Chloe chuckled.
‘Dad! You’re awful. Lara looks gorgeous. Surely you can see that.’
Yes, unfortunately he could see that.
Had his daughter noticed, too?
Was that why she was so quiet?
Chloe was growing up. Perhaps she’d picked up the tension between him and Lara.
He reached for Chloe’s hand. ‘You both look gorgeous.’ He smiled at his daughter. ‘What do you want to do when we’ve collected Aggie?’
Chloe’s smile was self-conscious. ‘I don’t mind. Anything.’
