Page 72 of The Christmas Holiday
‘I know!’ he fired back, ‘at least on this subject! I know for a fact. For God’s sake, from the moment I met you all I ever wanted to do was take care of you, support you in whatever you wanted to do and love you, because I was fucking crazy head over heels in love with you. I never wanted you to feel abandoned orunwanted, or threatened ever again. I certainly never wanted to trap you into anything! The only reason I talked about my childhood was to share it with you, and to try and show you that a similar situation didn’t always turn out badly. It’s down to the people involved. It didn’t mean that was necessarily what I wanted for us. We would have found our own way. It’s what people do – assuming they careenough about each other to try.’
His eyes were rimmed faintly with red and after a moment he looked away, running his hand over his jawline a couple of times.. I hadn’t replied.
As the silence ticked on, Hunter leaned out of the window, peering around the car in front. ‘It looks like there’s some movement up ahead. Let’s hope.’
I got the distinct feeling that the sooner he could getout of this car, and this job, the better. As I tried to process everything he’d just told me, I could hardly blame him.
Liv and Sandeep were on a sofa in the foyer waiting for us when we returned. Two empty coffee cups in front of them hinted they’d been there a while.
‘Sorry. Traffic was a bitch,’ Hunter explained as we walked towards them.
‘Not a problem,’ Sandeep replied. ‘YouOK?’ he asked, catching both of us in his glance. I half-smiled. Sandy didn’t say a lot, but I knew he didn’t miss a trick.
I nodded as Liv gave me a hug. ‘I heard what Doctor Dexter said. I’m so glad you’re OK.’
‘Thanks,’ I replied.
She pulled away and slid her hands down my arms, resting just about at my wrists. ‘Are you OK, though?’ she asked, her voice more serious now.
‘Yep,’I nodded again, mortified as I dislodged a rogue tear that now seemed to be leading a charge. ‘Really. I’m fine.’
Liv shot a glance at Hunter, who was standing apart from me, hands rammed into the pockets of his cargos, his whole body radiating tension.
‘I think we need to get you to bed,’ Liv said, decidedly taking charge. Suddenly exhausted, I let her.
‘And you look like you needa drink.’ Sandy nudged Hunter towards the bar.
‘No. I’m good.’
‘All right. Then you can keep me company while I have one,’ his friend countered, clearly not about to be moved on the subject.
Hunter pulled his hands out of his pockets and made a “whatever” gesture. Sandeep nodded in acceptance before leaning across and giving Liv a kiss on the temple.
‘I’ll see you later. Mia, makesure you get some rest.’
‘I will. And—’
‘If you say you’re sorry one more time I shall put you on a plane home now.’ He grinned as he said it but I had a feeling there was an underlying promise. ‘These things happen and it’s far more important to me to ensure thatour friends are well and happy than to stick to any schedule. Understand?’
‘I do. Thank you for everything today.’
‘You’re most welcome. Now, let Liv take you up to bed. Get some sleep and I’m sure you’ll feel much better in the morning.’
I wasn’t taking any bets on that, but I was willing to give it a shot.
Liv shuffled me out and we made our way up to my room. While I headed straight for the bathroom to wash my face and clean my teeth, Liv busied herself pouring me a glass of water and turning backthe sheets on the bed. I’d grabbed my jammies on the way and emerged a few minutes later ready for bed in more than one way. I was physically and mentally exhausted.
‘You look shattered.’ Liv’s face was all concern as she sat on the end of the bed. I fell in and shuffled myself around to lie on my back. ‘It’s the first time I’ve seen you look anything other than on top of things and in control.’She reached for my hand where it lay on top of the silky, high-thread-count sheets.
Having found a comfy position where my bump wasn’t pressing, I slowly rocked my head a little from side to side, the thoughts of the day, and especially the drive home, tumbling through my mind. Liv scooted up the bed a bit and wiped away a tear I hadn’t even noticed escape.
‘Oh Mia,’ she said, leaningover to give me a hug.
I closed my eyes and sighed as she sat back up. ‘Please don’t be nice to me. You’ll probably finish me off entirely.’
She rubbed my arm. ‘You know, sometimes it’s good to get it all out. Cathartic.’
‘Not for me. And definitely not this time.’
