Page 81 of Where She Is
He pulls me onto his lap and runs his hands up and down my back.
“Never compare me to that fuckwit. I’ve never met the bloke and I hate the bastard for what he did to you.” His finger glides along my cheekbone. “How the hell could I not love you? You are fucking perfect. You’ve got to know that by now and if you don’t, I’m saying it once and for all. You’re perfect. Perfect for me, in every way, and I can’t stand back and not fight for you. I can’t let you go, so for Christ’s sake, put me out of my misery and tell me you will not leave me.”
His words set my skin alight as I nuzzle my head into the crook between his chin and shoulder. He’s gone to such lengths to prove he didn’t cheat on me. By bringing Tabitha here, he’s shown his determination to make this work—to show how much he cares for me. He could have anyone and it’s me he is fighting for. I breathe in his delicious scent and realise for the very first time that this is it. We’ve had everything possible thrown at us and we’re still fighting to be together. I’ve found my one and there is no way on God’s green earth that I’m letting him go.
“I’m yours, Daniel. Plain and simple, forever yours.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Life has changedin the past eight months…
I’m so in love with this city. My relationship with Daniel could not be stronger since we decided that nothing would ever keep us apart again. Keeping away from Freya as much as possible has been a great move. It’s difficult for Daniel. He loves spending time with his parents and brother at the farm and I appreciate the enormous sacrifice he’s making, especially as we’ve visited less than half a dozen times for birthdays and Christmas. The family do everything they can to make things easy and for the most part, Freya is kept out of the way. Peter’s suggestion of a trip with Joe to Melbourne helped one weekend.
I am astounded by Joe. His life is taken over by this woman and he’s lost his freedom because of her, yet despite this, he still seems to care. Watching him exist is heartbreaking for me so God knows how his family feel.
Christmas day was the only time we had to spend with Freya and she was obviously under strict instructions not to cause any problems. She spoke very little and when she did, it was pleasant, polite conversation. Yet we were still uneasy. Daniel and I have no misconceptions when it comes to his sister-in-law andalthough we can never prove it, we’re positive she is responsible for Tabitha’s reappearance and the whole sorry saga. I’m certain she will always be in our lives, but because of her, Daniel and I have become stronger.
As a couple, our day to day is pretty normal. I go to the office and Daniel works from home. He did venture into Sydney once or twice, but it became apparent that Daniel’s refusal to visit Grant headquarters was not out of some sort of phobia. It was merely his worry of being photographed or bumping into his past. He wants to leave his old life behind. This is his way of making sure that happens.
We are building a future together in Seaforth. We’ve met new friends, eat out frequently, enjoy parties on the beach or maybe we just catch a film. We like to do all the normal things that couples do, and most of all, we enjoy each other.
Every few weeks, I meet the girls for lunch or we have a night out. I’ve finally built up my circle of friends and I love being with them although I miss Lucy so much. We promised a while ago to speak each week, be it by email, phone or FaceTime. At one point, it became too easy to let time slip by without contact so we made sure we never lost touch. I’m ashamed to say our lack of communication was mostly due to me. I’d wrapped myself up in Daniel. Lucy understood, but it was no excuse and I would hate our friendship to suffer. She is my oldest friend.
Rob is a common theme during our phone conversations, mainly because he’s tried several times to call and I’ve managed to avoid him, which is more luck than judgement. I found out his interview for the Sydney job actually took place in London after all. He didn’t need to come here in the end, although his trip is still on the cards. He got the job. I don’t feel compelled to warn him about Daniel anymore as there is a new girlfriend on the scene and she’s moved into our old flat. I’m not sure how that will work if he is moving abroad but it’s not my problem. All I can say is I am deeply grateful to the girl. Isuspect she is the reason he stopped calling and that’s worked well for me.
Mum and dad are also never far from my thoughts. I talk to them regularly, either on the phone or via FaceTime, even roping Daniel into the conversation once or twice. The first time, we had a kind of virtual ‘meet the parents’ scenario which was pretty funny. I could sense Daniel was chuffed that my mum had taken such a shine to him and after talking at length one afternoon, she announced (and within earshot of Daniel I might add) that he was a real ‘spunk.’ I nearly fell off my chair.
“Where did you get that word from, Mum?” Daniel’s eyes popped out of his head as he tried desperately to hold in his laughter. “Isn’t that what Australians say when someone is good looking? They say it in Neighbours all the time!”
Bless her heart. I knew she’d said it on purpose to make me smile. That’s the thing, they just want me to be happy and I’m lucky I never have to worry about them. They get on with their lives and are not the type of people to sit back and wait for something to happen. They have a healthy and very active social life and still love to venture into London whenever they can, even though I’m not there. I miss them, although I don’t miss London as much as I thought I would.
During the early summer, I manage to persuade Richard to give me an extended holiday. I want to see more of this great vast country, so Daniel and I spend a whole three weeks travelling. We visit some of the most stunning places in the world. Granted, there are no backpacker hostels involved which would be my preference, but this is Daniel Grant and he only stays in the best hotels.
We travel along the Gold Coast and through Surfers Paradise. From there, we stay in Cairns then on to the Whitsundays. I’vealways wanted to learn how to scuba dive, so in Daniel’s usual fashion, he hires a boat with a full crew which comes complete with a diving instructor. We both take a week-long course and gain our PADI diving certificates. I will never forget our first dive around the barrier reef. The sea was the most incredible mixture of turquoise and deep blue. I felt as if I was on a film set in paradise. We were taken aback by all the incredible hidden wildlife, the intricacy of the coral and every fish that held a new colour. I never imagined sharing space with sea cucumbers or a reef shark, but it was the most fantastic day and I can’t imagine experiencing it with anyone else. We are both on such a natural high that evening as we sit on the boat and talk about everything we’ve experienced. Neither of us can contain our excited teenage grins. We take in the calm blue water and as I gaze towards Daniel, I realise how beautiful he is, inside and out.
My skin is tight from the salt water as I relax, still in my bikini and eat on the deck. I enjoy the warm early evening breeze along with the view of my delicious boyfriend and the unzipped wetsuit that hangs over his hips. His skin has turned a deeper shade of olive which enhances his toned body. He’s had more time to workout while we’ve been away and the benefits are certainly on show. I watch him move around the boat and noticed the female members of the crew appreciate his hard work, but I don’t worry about that stuff anymore. He only has eyes for me.
There is only us to please during our travels, and we are free for the first time. We don’t need to look over our shoulders or worry about upsetting anyone for no good reason. It is one of the happiest times of my life although our days fly by too quickly. We both knew three weeks was never going to be enough to do everything we wanted, and I’m surprised to learn Daniel has a longer list of places to explore, than I do. There is so much to this vast and vibrant country and we want to see it all. We make a promise to do this again.
When I think about it, I’ve never explored my own country.I’ve yet to visit Scotland, Ireland, or Wales so I’ll fix that one day. It won’t be anytime soon. I don’t want to go home. I want to stay with him here in this amazing and colourful country. We’ve never discussed what will happen when my work visa expires. I try not to think about it too much. I don’t want to force the issue with Daniel because I want him to ask me to stay of his own accord. Although we’ve made so many forever promises together, I just need this last piece of reassurance. There is just under a year left of my Visa and a lot could change in that time. So much has already happened to me. I’m building a wonderful life with the most incredibly gorgeous man on the other side of the world and it’s these special times, when it’s just the two of us, I realise how in love I am with my tall, strong Australian cowboy. I will be lost if it all comes to an end.
The situation between the two men in my Australian life has improved. Richard can see how Daniel takes care of me and how he isn’t quite the ladies’ man he thought. As far as Richard is concerned, there is no question of me leaving and he’s already set the ball rolling for me to settle in Sydney. I only need to say the word and the company will help me sort out residency. No matter what happens, I think of Sydney as my home and Daniel is the centre of my universe. It’s just a shame the clouds are turning black and the Gods have other plans for me.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
It’samazing how quickly your life can change.
We just get out of the shower when Daniel saturates a hand towel and twists it tightly. I’m not quick enough so I yelp as his home-made whip stings my arse. I squeal and have a fit of the giggles with every lash. His laughter-filled grunts follow me around the bathroom as I stop. “Come on, beautiful, I know you love it.”
“Give me a minute,” I puff, but he catches me again when I’m off guard. “Hey! Not fair!” I can’t breathe for giggling and he gives up once he scores a perfect ten. I try to catch him unaware with my pathetic attempt at retaliation; soaking wet cotton wool balls. My aim is poor, and when they hit, he stands with his arms out to his sides. “Really? Is that all you’ve got?”
Our war ends with him manhandling me into a crouching position. Giddy with laughter, I can’t muster the strength to fight him off. He picks me up and carries me to our bed.
I’m still giggling when he throws me onto the mattress and straddles my wriggling body. His eyes devour me right where I lay and the familiar throb between my legs has made a welcome appearance. His kiss is so urgent that my skin prickles withdesire from head to foot. His hand moves towards my bare breast as the phone rings. We stop for a second until it goes to voicemail. Our heated gaze locks as we dive into the other and continue with deep sensuous kisses. His fingertips knead my nipple as I scratch my fingernails down his chest, but the ringing starts again.
“Leave it,” he whispers.
My fingers comb through his hair while he licks and sucks my breast and we do our best to ignore the continued ringing in the background. We don’t notice it stop until it starts again. Daniel and I are in our own bubble, just the two of us.
