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She looked over her shoulder and saw him watching her intently, that smirk still in place. He thought he had her outplayed, but she could call his bluff, and if he really did buy everything, well, that might be a problem. But she could donate the excess. He probably didn’t care.
A part of her did enjoy being spoilt like this. Owning one item off these racks would have been impossible for her.
‘Are you just going to sit there and watch?’ she asked, while flipping through hangers.
‘That’s the plan.’
‘Whatever floats your boat,’ she said nonchalantly.
‘Would you like to try them on?’
‘Can I?’
‘Of course.’
Hannah selected several garments that she took to her room, each more beautiful than the last. She stepped out of her clothes and pulled a long, flowing, teal dress off a hanger. This was ridiculous. She didn’t really need all these clothes and yet she couldn’t stop smiling. It meant something that Matt wanted to spoil her this way, and that was exactly what this was. Merely providing for her would have been very different, but Matt didn’t do anything halfway.
She slipped the dress over her body, doing up the two little buttons at her nape, and stepped in front of the mirror. Hannah could scarcely believe she was looking at herself. The dress was cool and comfortable but the woman in the mirror was elegant and striking. Her red hair contrasted vividly against the patterned colour. The floral details brought colour to her normally pale skin.
She’d never owned anything quite this nice before and, despite herself, she grew a little excited at trying on the other items. Her eyes landed on a jumpsuit, something she had missed wearing since she’d fallen pregnant. She could never find one that worked for her. So she shed the dress she wore and stepped into the soft cream fabric that draped over her body as if it were part-liquid, light as air. She tied a knot in the soft belt under her breasts and closed her eyes.
Turning to face the mirror, she let out a small breath and opened them. She took it all in. The deep V-neck showed off her bump and still made her look so effortlessly poised. Her hands travelled over belly as she turned this way and that, examining herself from every angle. Admiring the flutter of the fabric. It was so perfect.
This was what Matt was offering her—a life where he gave in the way he knew how. Feeling this good could be hers all the time if she became Mrs Matthew Taylor. He wasn’t offering ‘enough’, he was offering the best of everything to their baby and her.
Hannah looked to the bed where the rest of the clothes she’d brought with her lay. She was seeing them for what they were now—the start of a future she couldn’t possibly have dreamed of.
When she walked back into the lounge there was a pile of clothes neatly placed on one of the chairs. Clearly Matt didn’t think she had chosen enough.
‘Do you like what you picked?’
‘Yes! I love them.’
‘Good. And you have something for tonight?’
It was the very first thing she had taken off the rack. She only hoped that Matt would like it on her.
‘You don’t have to do all this, Matt.’
Matt rose from the couch. ‘I know I don’t have to. I get to.’ He helped her take all of her new belongings to her dressing room, where he hung them up. Hannah had followed him in, trying to find the right way to say thank you...but before she could he announced that he had work to do and left.
* * *
Matt sat outside on the high-up terrace, elbows on his knees, head bent, phone clasped in his large hands. His impeccably pressed dress shirt was pulled tight over his broad shoulders. Tonight’s annual Summer Gala, held by Command Technologies—Matt’s company—was an opportunity for investors, management and clients or potential clients to mingle. A glamorous affair which gave everyone an opportunity to look and act their best.
The dinner had been Matt’s idea, from the company’s first summer, and after the success of that first one it had become an annual tradition. Now it was the ideal showcase for Hannah and him. The world’s hawk-like gaze would be fixed on them both. When Hannah looked back at the pictures, he wanted her to see how well they fitted together. See an image that would make her believe this thing between them would work.
He turned the phone over and over between his palms before he scrolled through to find the one person who always made him feel better.
‘Bear!’ came the happy greeting he loved hearing.
‘Hey, Shrimp.’ Matt adored his sister. From the moment he’d seen her when his mother had retuned from the hospital, she’d been his favourite person.
‘What’s up? Need another non-date to a society event?’ Sarah teased.
Matt huffed a laugh. ‘You know there aren’t any tonight.’ With a head full of memories all centred around Hannah, he had taken Sarah to the first society event he’d had to attend after returning from Melbourne. After that he’d pushed himself to take other dates. There’d always been someone willing, but he’d hated the way they’d looked at him like a possession to be owned. Just the thought of taking them home had had him shuddering. He couldn’t bear it. So, after a while, he’d taken Sarah if she’d been free.
He hadn’t told her how he had been feeling. Which was strange because, even though she was five years younger than him, she was his rock. He told her everything, but not this. And she never asked, which only made him love her more.
