Page 138 of Reverb

“You hurt me, and every time I spoke to you, that made things worse.”

He continues to touch my face. “I meant to get in touch earlier, but Connor was admitted to the hospital last week, I switched off from everything.”

I cringe. I'm selfish. “Sorry. I never asked how he is.”

“He's sick but going okay.”

“That's good.”

Bryn nods. “Now I want to focus on you. Us. I don’t want to lose you and I’m scared I already have.” He pulls me closer and I place a hand on his chest to prevent my body meeting his because I won’t want to let go again. “I love you. Come to Australia.”

“I livehere.”

“You have a couple of weeks off. We can find somewhere to stay for Christmas. I can introduce you to Connor and Hannah, show you they’reinmy life but aren’t mywholelife. I can show them how important you are to me, too.”

I waver. “And then what? After I come back to England, what happens?”

“I don't know, Avery.” He catches my look. “I'm being honest. I don't know if I'll stay in Australia when I'm not working or come back here. I have a lot of years with Connor to make up for.”

“I understand.” I look down at my feet, stomach sinking that Bryn has come back for me but will let me go again.

Bryn tips my face to his. “Can you forgive me for being such an idiot?”

“I always do, don’t I?” I say with a sigh. “I don’t know how many more times I can.”

“I understand. I’ll make this up to you. I promise.”

The amazing man who gave me his gentle love has stepped from my unwanted daydreams to flood my body with hope. The moment he touched my face, filled my personal space with his presence, I was lost, and Bryn knows it.

Leaning down, his mouth hovers close, his lips millimetres from mine. I close my eyes but that only intensifies the situation. As I open them, our mouths touch, sparking the connection between our hearts and souls that never breaks. Bryn kisses me softly and I relent as I meet his need. I’ve missed the taste of him, of the strength of his arms around me. My mountain of a man who I feel safe and loved with came back and, maybe foolishly, I want him to stay.

Giggling, along with loud throat clearing, pulls me out of my place with Bryn. I stumble back and see Karen Hunter, the Year One teacher, pursed lipped. Two Year Six girls disappear back into the school hall, whispering about Miss Paige ‘snogging somebody’ in the corridor.

“Avery, I don’t think that’s appropriate,” Karen says sternly.

Mortified, I nod.

“My fault. I’m sorry. I’ll take Avery outside and make sure she’s reprimanded.”

“Bryn!” I say in horror, and he laughs, guiding me to the door with his hand in the small of my back.

As soon as we step into the cold December evening, I push him, annoyed at his continuing amusement.

“Will you be that authoritarian when you’ve been a teacher a few years?” he asks.

“Only to people who misbehave.”

Bryn grabs me by the loops on my jeans and drags me into him. “I misbehave.”

“I know you do. You’re a bad man.”

“Jesus, I’ve been an idiot,” he mutters and backs against the building wall, pulling me with him. He shuffles down to meet my height and puts a leg either side of me, pulling so I almost trip into him.

“Yes, you have,” I say, placing a hand on his chest. “One last chance, Bryn, I won’t have my heart screwed around with again.”

“I understand.”

The chatter of voices inside the school grows louder as the door opens and others leave. We shuffle further from the door, Bryn’s face illuminated by the light from the window. He pushes hair from my face with cool fingers. “The last couple of months, I’ve felt as if somebody tore a hole in me and dragged something out leaving an emptiness I couldn’t fill. I thought this was the situation with Connor and that if I went to Australia and fixed things, I’d feel whole again. I was wrong. It was you.”

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