lights had been turned off, another set of lights flicked on. Swathed in layers of tiny glowing bulbs, the Christmas tree lit up the whole room like magic.
Not ‘like’ magic. It was magic. The tree. The night. The family. It was as if he’d never left three years ago. He didn’t know whether to be glad or horrified. Had he not moved forward even a little?
No, he’d done nothing to forge a life without Anna. But he needed to either do just that, or...
Or try to do something to make things right between them.
Only, Max wasn’t sure that was a good idea. They’d wounded each other without even trying. Wouldn’t they just take up where they’d left off and do it all over again, if given half a chance? Wouldn’t she ask him to leave once again?
He didn’t know. All he knew was that he wanted to live here in this moment. Surrounded by Annabelle’s family and the life and love they shared between them.
Except they needed to leave, if they were going to make it to the gala in time.
As if reading his thoughts, Annabelle looked up at him, her eyes shining with a strange glow that was probably due to the lights on the tree. ‘We should go.’
‘Are you sure you don’t want to stay here and eat with your family?’
She lifted a handful of the fabric of her dress. ‘We got all dressed up, so let’s just enjoy the night. Okay? No expectations. No preconceived ideas.’
That shocked him. Annabelle was by nature a rigid planner. The attempts to get pregnant had been accomplished with clinical precision—the spontaneity wiped out more and more with each new wave of treatment.
If she hadn’t just said those last words, he would have assumed she was following through with what they’d planned to do. But something about the way she said it...
Well, if that was what she wanted, who was Max to disagree? And maybe it was the twinkle lights messing with some rational part of his brain, or the fact that her dress clung in all the right places, but he suddenly wanted to have Annabelle all to himself.
THE GALA HAD some twinkle lights of its own. Everywhere she looked there were signs of Christmas. From the garland-draped refreshment tables to the large ornate tree in the corner, filled with presents. Those boxes, mostly filled with toys and hygiene supplies, would make their way to needy kids all over the globe. Max had brought a small gift too, placing it gently under the tree.
‘What is it?’
‘A couple of toy cars.’ He smiled at her. ‘Not very practical.’
She smiled back at him, touched by his thoughtfulness. ‘Some little boy is going to love it. Especially since it’s not practical.’
When Max had suggested staying at her parents’ house, she’d heard what she thought was a note of yearning in his voice. She’d been so tempted to just fall back into old patterns, but her parents might have started asking some harder questions if they’d stayed for the meal. Questions she didn’t have the answers to. Or maybe she simply hadn’t wanted to face those answers.
So here she was, with her ex-husband, at a party. And she had no idea what she was going to do about him.
No expectations. Wasn’t that what she’d said?
Yes. So she was simply going to enjoy this night. Max was right. She’d worked herself into the ground over the last couple of weeks. Didn’t she deserve to just let her hair down and have a little fun? He’d suggested using this time to celebrate Hope’s successful surgery, so she would. And maybe she’d even send a wish up to the universe that the baby have a long and happy life.
That was what she’d do. She’d worry about what happened tomorrow when it came.
But for now, they had the whole evening in front of them, and she intended to enjoy it.
‘Do you want something to drink?’ Max’s voice brought her back from wherever she’d gone.
‘I’d love a glass of red wine, if they have it.’
‘Wait right here. I’ll go and see.’
He went off in the direction of the bar where there was quite a large crowd waiting to get something. He’d be up there for a while. She took the opportunity to study her surroundings.
Were all of these people doctors who volunteered with the organisation? Surely not. Some of them must just be donors who were here to pledge their support. Or people like her who simply wanted to know more about what happened in the places those volunteers served.
A leader board hovered over the raised platform to the left. Annabelle assumed they would unveil an amount at the end of the evening. There were also wooden boxes at all of the doors where you could drop in either a pledge card or a one-time donation. She’d gone to do just that when they’d arrived at the building, but Max had stopped her. ‘I didn’t bring you here for that.’
‘I know you didn’t.’
She’d wanted to give. Annabelle had often thought of going on one of the medical missions with the organisation, but, once she and Max had separated, the idea had been put on a back burner. Maybe she should rethink that. She glanced at the bar again. He was still waiting so maybe she could find some more information in the meantime.
She took the opportunity to move over to one of the doors where the boxes were, along with some colourful brochures about the organisation. Taking her purse out of her clutch bag, she pulled out several notes and dropped them into the slot of the box in front of her, then she went to peruse the pamphlets.
‘What can I help you with?’ A voice to her right made her look up.
A man in a tuxedo stood there, hand outstretched. ‘I’m Dale Gerrard.’ He flashed a set of very white teeth. ‘I should warn you that I’m a recruiting agent for Doctors Without Borders. And I’m very good at my job. Are you in the medical profession?’
‘I’m a nurse.’ She accepted his handshake, although it felt weird doing so with her long white gloves in place.
The man epitomised the meaning of ‘tall, dark and handsome.’ With raven-black hair and tanned skin, he probably had more than his share of female admirers. He smiled again, giving her hand a slight squeeze before releasing it. ‘Have you been on a mission with us before?’
‘No. But I’ve thought about it in the past.’
‘Really?’ His level of interest went up a couple of notches. ‘What stopped you?’
And that was something she wasn’t about to tell him. It was too personal. And too painful. She glanced back at the line. Max was still over there. But just as she caught sight of him he suddenly turned, his eyes sweeping the crowd. Probably wondering where she’d gone.
And then he saw her. Just as the man next to her touched her arm to get her attention. Even from this distance she saw Max’s brows pull together.
She
