out I could’ve had the money when I reached eighteen. Imagine how different our— my life could’ve been.’
And that was what rankled the most. If she’d had the money when she’d been entitled, maybe they would still be together. He wouldn’t have had to scrape by from job to job, town to town; they could have had a healthy start to their marriage with enough capital to do whatever they wanted.
But her parents had robbed her of that opportunity, had stolen the kind of life she and Blane had talked about while lying under the stars beside the river in Rainbow Creek, two young lovers daring to dream.
And she’d never forgive them for that.
‘I’m sorry.’
He reached out and touched her cheek, a soft, comforting gesture, all too fleeting when he withdrew his hand. ‘For everything.’
Tears scalded the back of her eyes, hot, burning tears that threatened to spill out and run down her cheeks in a cascading waterfall.
Shaking her head, she used her hair as a shield, grateful she’d had the common sense to release it from its plait.
It didn’t work, as he reached forward and gently tucked a few curly strands behind her left ear.
‘I know this has been tough, listening to all this heavy stuff. But we had to have this conversation, Cam. It’s the only way we can move forward.’
Her gaze snapped to his, her belly tumbling into a sickening free-for-all as she registered what he meant.
Moving forward.
He’d met someone.
Someone important enough for him to hunt her down, soften her up with his sob story, then demand a divorce?
As if sensing her distress, he cupped her chin and leaned forward, his face scant inches from hers.
‘I really want to move forward. With you.’
Her angst dissipated in an instant, dissolving on a wave of such intense longing she could have quite happily flung herself into his arms across the table and never let go.
Before her common sense kicked in. What was she thinking, considering taking another chance on a guy like Blane?
Sure, his reasons for leaving sounded sincere, and a small part of her agreed they’d probably been too young, too crazy in eloping, but going down that road again after all this time? He’d also been right about the fact they’d both changed and they had grown apart—thanks to him.
‘I can’t.’
Hurt flickered in his eyes, the smoky-blue flecks shimmering, and she reached out to touch his cheek before she could stop herself.
She’d meant her touch to be innocuous, a brief touch on his cheek to prove a point. However, she hadn’t banked on the urge to linger, the tiny prickles of whisker beckoning her to explore, to trace the contours of his cheek with her fingertips ever-so-slowly just as she used to.
Nor had she counted on him capturing her hand, gently scraping her fingers across his cheek, as if trying to imprint the feel of him into her palm.
‘You sure about that?’
She jerked back, withdrawing her hand with the finesse of a wounded rhino, ignoring the questioning gleam in his steady gaze.
‘Because, the way I see it, we’re still married. We still have chemistry, and you still care as much as I do, otherwise why agree to meet me here?’
She’d been asking herself the very same question since she’d agreed to this foolhardy evening.
‘Because you wanted a chance to explain, and I’m a decent enough person to give it to you. But that’s as far as it goes.’
He shook his head, the corners of his mouth curling into that devastating smile he used to his advantage. What hope did a girl have?
‘Sorry. I’m not buying it.’
‘Fine. You want to know the truth? I said yes because I’ve wasted enough time looking for you, and now that you’re here it’s a good opportunity to get divorced and move on.’
He should have bristled, or been angry, or defensive, or…something!
Instead, he sat back, looking way too relaxed for a guy who was just about to go through what for most people was a major life-changing event. Apparently divorce ranked right up there with death of a spouse and moving house; considering she’d already been through both those cataclysmic events six years ago—losing Blane had been akin to him dying in the devastation stakes—she knew firsthand how rough it could be.
‘You looked for me?’
No acknowledgement of what she’d said about the divorce, just a hint of curiosity as he leaned forward and placed his arms on the table.
He had strong forearms, lean yet muscular, with a light sprinkling of dark hair, forearms she’d trailed her fingers over when she’d explored his body for the first time, forearms that had lifted her up and swung her around after they’d married, forearms that had cradled her close on their honeymoon night spent in a dingy motel on the outskirts of Echuca.
It had been all they could afford, but it hadn’t mattered. Not the annoying neon sign that flashed on some crazy cycle, not the sagging mattress, not the grungy brown carpet in their room. All of it had faded into oblivion when they’d fallen into each other’s arms for the first time as man and wife.
It was a lifetime ago, in her past, so why was she suddenly all too aware of the underlying buzz of electricity still flowing between them?
‘Yeah, I looked for you, for about a year. You know, to serve you divorce papers.’
‘Only a year, huh?’
Once again he ignored the D word hanging between them, and strangely enough it didn’t seem all that important anymore with his steady grey-eyed gaze fixed on her, her skin tingling as if he’d physically touched her.
She made a frantic grab at her plait before belatedly remembering she’d let her hair down— metaphorically only, she hoped!
‘I like your hair better this way.’
Before she could blink, he’d reached out and captured a strand of her hair, gently twirling it around his index finger, forming a loose curl before releasing it, his fingertips brushing her shoulder as he sat back, a wistful expression on his face.
Clamping down the urge to yank his hands across the table and shove them through her hair, she shrugged, trying to ignore her burning, yearning skin where he’d briefly touched her.
‘Having long hair in the hospitality industry is impractical. I have to wear it tied back all the time.’
‘As long as you get to let it down once in a while.’
Was he asking if she had a social life, if she’d dated?
Hmm…if she counted the catch-up
