Page 61 of Always a Bridesmaid

“I’m sorry if I made you feel as if you couldn’t come to me with these kinds of things, Sarah. I’ll do better.”

She cupped his jaw. “I just never want to let you down.”

“You could never let me down,” he said, cupping her cheek. “Never. Understood?” She nodded. “Now, what’s wrong with your downtown flat? You love that flat.”

“You bought it for me,” she explained.

“Because you loved it.” He was more confused than ever. Sarah hadn’t just loved that flat, she’d said she’d made it her home. And he’d been a part of that. Was proud to have been a part of that. And now she was giving it up? Henry wasn’t sure how that made him feel.

“Now I love Wayne, and he loves me and wants to take care of me. I know that has been your role for so long, but now it’s time for me to start a new chapter, where my husband and I take care of each other. It doesn’t mean that I won’t still need you from time to time or that my love for you will change.”

Then why did he feel as if he were losing her? As if his family was once again being torn apart? His heart went heavy at the idea.

“What about Mum and Camilla?”

“They’re happy for me. And I need you to be happy for me too,” she whispered.

Henry had spent his whole life making sure his family was happy. How could he deny his sister now?

“If this is what you want, then I’m happy for you,” he said, and promised himself that even if was hard to say it, he’d work on meaning it. Starting today.

“Wayne is an amazing guy. He doesn’t care about the money or your fame. In the States I can just be me—no press, no one wanting to use me to get to you. I can do my job from anywhere. Wayne already owns a home and I love Missouri. This is what I want, Henry.” She studied him for a long painful moment. “Now, what do you want?”

“To get back to a world where the only surprise is who is trying to pass me.”

His sister’s eyes went sad. “So you aren’t going to call Jane?” At the mention of her name, he stumbled. “If it makes you feel better, she tried a number of times to get me to tell you the truth,” she said quietly.

“She did?”

“She said you deserved to know the truth. But I was so mad that there was clearly something going on between you two and I was afraid she’d tell you, so I made her swear to stay away from you and I didn’t listen to her. I was wrong to do that. I can tell you care for her.”

“She didn’t tell me about Elle. Even when she could have taken the easy way out, she said it was your story to tell.”

Sarah nudged his shoulder. “Sounds like a pretty stand-up woman to me.”

He hadn’t thought about it like that. He’d felt so foolish, his pride so dented that he hadn’t thought about it from her side at all. Hadn’t taken into consideration that she was just doing her job. He and Jake were mates, but when they hit the track, they were fierce competitors in a race where anything was fair and all bets were off. They didn’t share strategies or secrets, they did what they were paid to do—win. And they didn’t hold it against each other when the checkered flag came down.

Jane had tried to warn him, tried to tell him that things would get complicated if they became involved, but he’d kept pushing, tempting her until he’d won the prize—her.

So who was the bad guy in this whole mess?

“Do you love her?” Sarah asked.

“How can I love someone I don’t know?” But he did know her. Maybe not her name or what she did for a living. But he knewher.And what he knew, he loved. “Yes, I do.”

“Then what are you still doing here?”

“It’s your wedding. Where else would I be?”

“At the airport, on your knees groveling. Her flight leaves at eleven. If you leave now, you might just make it.”

18

“The final payment went through?” Jane asked, too numb to care about the bottom line and money. But she wasn’t the only one affected by her decisions and she needed to remember that.

Not only had she left Sarah hanging, she’d broken Henry’s heart. She’d seen it in his eyes before he’d turned his back on her.

He broke your heart too.

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