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Authors: Jessica Steele
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race to see which one of them got to the divorce lawyer quicker. A slight snag there in that she had a vague notion that a couple had to be married for a whole year before they could divorce-but that of course didn't mean that they had to wait to set the wheels in motion.
On the other hand, perhaps it wasn't such a snag. Hadn't she thought at the start that a year free of that unremitting pressure from her mother was all she craved?
What it all boiled down to was the fact that, while she loved her family dearly, she was getting more and more worn down bythem. She wanted peace to get on with her life and in her own way. She didn't want her mother, her aunts, colluding with each other on what they thought was right for her. They wanted her married. She could marry-but to a man of her choice.A man who was as keen to divorce as she was.
Noah Peverelle, in the circumstances that prevailed, was the ideal candidate. She panicked a little at the thought of having to sleep with him, but realised she could hardly complain. Recalling his suggestion that he'd leave it to her to contact him at her fertile period, he wasn't exactly champing at the bit to sleep with her either, was he?
Her eyes went to the phone. Do it, urged the logic of her head. She resisted. There was a child to consider here. Though what exactly was there to consider? If Noah Peverelle was so keen to have a son that he was prepared to give up his bachelorhood, albeit briefly, then from what she knew of him, had gleaned of him and his integrity, she had an idea that any child would be much cared for. It wasn't as if she wouldn't have access. Noah might have chief guardianship, but she felt certain, having heard his talk of it being better for the child to know her, that she would have all the access she wanted.
Having thought everything through for a final time, Elexa, though admittedly not without quite some feelings of apprehension, reached for the phone.It barely rang before it was answered.
'Peverelle,' he said firmly.
She wasn't ready. Even then, having thought about everything so much, she wasn't yet ready. `H-hello,' she said huskily-and couldn't even get her name out to tell him who was calling.
But then she found that she did not have to. Noah Peverelle, as tintack-sharp as ever, knew with that one word who was calling. `Does the fact that you've made this call at all mean that I can go ahead and book the registrar?' he enquired evenly.
No, Hello Elexa, how have you been. Just straight down to business, she fumed, and was glad to feel niggled; it put paid to her speechlessness. `The baby,' she said bluntly. `With you being so busy all the time, when are you going to have chance to be a father to him?"
'The earliest I need be around for him is in ten months' time,' Noah answered straight away, making her realise that she wasn't the only one who had thought everything through. `While the child is an infant I'll see him at every available opportunity. I'm already aiming to lessen my workload. All being well, give it a couple of years and I shall be in a position to enjoy both him and that place in the country I spoke of.' He let that sink in,then asked seriously, `Anything else bothering you?"
'Um-wh-where do I tell people I met you?' she asked, realising as the question left her lips that she had more or less agreed that he could book the register office, and that she was just clutching at last minute panicky straws.
`You mean Lois Crosby?' Was he sharp, or was he sharp? `I suppose so,' Elexa answered-her parents already believed they had met when Noah had seen her at one of his offices. 'Lois was the person I rang when I wanted your home number.' Elexa supposed he already knew that, just as he seemed to know that she hadn't told Lois why she wanted his home number.
`You don't feel like telling her you wanted my number because you found me so fascinating you just had to contact me to ask me for a date?'
He was teasing. Wasn't he? Elexa
On the other hand, perhaps it wasn't such a snag. Hadn't she thought at the start that a year free of that unremitting pressure from her mother was all she craved?
What it all boiled down to was the fact that, while she loved her family dearly, she was getting more and more worn down bythem. She wanted peace to get on with her life and in her own way. She didn't want her mother, her aunts, colluding with each other on what they thought was right for her. They wanted her married. She could marry-but to a man of her choice.A man who was as keen to divorce as she was.
Noah Peverelle, in the circumstances that prevailed, was the ideal candidate. She panicked a little at the thought of having to sleep with him, but realised she could hardly complain. Recalling his suggestion that he'd leave it to her to contact him at her fertile period, he wasn't exactly champing at the bit to sleep with her either, was he?
Her eyes went to the phone. Do it, urged the logic of her head. She resisted. There was a child to consider here. Though what exactly was there to consider? If Noah Peverelle was so keen to have a son that he was prepared to give up his bachelorhood, albeit briefly, then from what she knew of him, had gleaned of him and his integrity, she had an idea that any child would be much cared for. It wasn't as if she wouldn't have access. Noah might have chief guardianship, but she felt certain, having heard his talk of it being better for the child to know her, that she would have all the access she wanted.
Having thought everything through for a final time, Elexa, though admittedly not without quite some feelings of apprehension, reached for the phone.It barely rang before it was answered.
'Peverelle,' he said firmly.
She wasn't ready. Even then, having thought about everything so much, she wasn't yet ready. `H-hello,' she said huskily-and couldn't even get her name out to tell him who was calling.
But then she found that she did not have to. Noah Peverelle, as tintack-sharp as ever, knew with that one word who was calling. `Does the fact that you've made this call at all mean that I can go ahead and book the registrar?' he enquired evenly.
No, Hello Elexa, how have you been. Just straight down to business, she fumed, and was glad to feel niggled; it put paid to her speechlessness. `The baby,' she said bluntly. `With you being so busy all the time, when are you going to have chance to be a father to him?"
'The earliest I need be around for him is in ten months' time,' Noah answered straight away, making her realise that she wasn't the only one who had thought everything through. `While the child is an infant I'll see him at every available opportunity. I'm already aiming to lessen my workload. All being well, give it a couple of years and I shall be in a position to enjoy both him and that place in the country I spoke of.' He let that sink in,then asked seriously, `Anything else bothering you?"
'Um-wh-where do I tell people I met you?' she asked, realising as the question left her lips that she had more or less agreed that he could book the register office, and that she was just clutching at last minute panicky straws.
`You mean Lois Crosby?' Was he sharp, or was he sharp? `I suppose so,' Elexa answered-her parents already believed they had met when Noah had seen her at one of his offices. 'Lois was the person I rang when I wanted your home number.' Elexa supposed he already knew that, just as he seemed to know that she hadn't told Lois why she wanted his home number.
`You don't feel like telling her you wanted my number because you found me so fascinating you just had to contact me to ask me for a date?'
He was teasing. Wasn't he? Elexa
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