Page 51 of Her Fantasy Husband

“Social services thought it was best. Give her a clean start. Maybe they were right.” He shrugged. One minute she’d been his whole life, the next she was gone completely. “Anyway, I took a sniper bullet in Afghanistan. Just over my heart.” He rubbed at the spot where he could still feel the raised scar. “I was about to be discharged, and I had no ties—my girlfriend at the time had just dumped me.”

“Why?”

“She wanted more, and I wasn’t ready to give it. She said I was a commitment-phobe, and she was right. Families fuck you up.”

“Tell me about it,” she said morosely. “So what happened next? How did you end up marrying me?”

“Jamie Frobisher was my commanding officer. He knew I was at a loose end. He approached me when I came out of the hospital. Said he had a friend who needed help, and that I could give it. He named a pretty impressive sum of money. And I had this idea. At seventeen, I’d had nothing. I couldn’t fight the system. But with that much money, I could get a private investigator to find Evie, and I could hire a lawyer and try to get custody or at least visiting rights.”

“Did he find her?”

“Yeah.”

“But you didn’t get custody. Oh Josh, I’m sorry.”

He swallowed, the regret still an ache in his chest. “I didn’t try. I saw her and she was so goddamned beautiful—blond-haired and blue-eyed like me.” And like his mum. “She must have been thirteen then. I went to the house—it was a great fucking mansion out in Surrey—and watched from a distance. She had a pony and a real family and she was so fucking happy. What was I supposed to do? I couldn’t spoil that. I had nothing to offer her.”

He’d stood in the shadow of some trees and watched her for what seemed an age. It was a good thing no one had noticed him, but he hadn’t been able to drag himself away. Part of him had been happy for her, but it had been a bittersweet feeling, all mingled with loss and resentment that these people were everything he was not. It meant finally acknowledging the dream was really over, and feeling the emotions draining from him as he’d accepted that she was better off without him. She was so obviously happy, and no way could he jeopardize that. The truth was he’d needed her far more than she needed him, and he’d be selfish to impose himself on her now. He’d been so goddamned hopeful. That had been a mistake, and it had nearly broken him.

Never again.

“So I walked away—used the money to start the business, and forgot her.”

“Of course you didn’t forget her. She’s still there in your heart.” She thought for a moment. “That was five years ago. She must be nearly eighteen now.”

“Next week.”

“Well, there you go. At eighteen, adopted children have the right to know the details of their birth families. You can contact her. Tell her you’d like to see her.”

“There’s no point.”

“Of course—”

“Change the subject, Lexi.” He’d said good-bye that day. He wasn’t laying himself open to that again. What could they possibly have in common after all these years? It was better left alone. “Tell me something about you.”

She clamped her lips closed. He could almost see the mental turmoil; she didn’t want to let it go. Then she sighed. “Okay—something about me. I’ve spent the last five years fantasizing about you.”

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