Page 19 of Only Ever You

Mum had a real screwed-up idea of love.

“I’m sorry if I said anything to upset you, Pippa. I was a mess back then. You were a kid—even if you knew about Lucas and my mother, I wouldn’t blame you if you said nothing.” I blow out a long breath.

She reaches across the table and places her hand on mine. “I just always wanted you to know. You never gave me a chance to tell you.”

“I was so young and stupid.” I turn my hand up and squeeze hers. “What I do know is that I’m really glad you’re here.” Pulling back my hand to hold up my cup and take a sip, I shoot her a wink. “Now, tell me about you.”

Her smile lights up her face. That’s the Pippa I knew. That girl never had a care in the world. Her parents adored her, and Lucas for all his faults was a proud big brother—even when he was grumpy with her.

She was always sunshine even on the cloudiest of days.

“What do you want to know?” she asks.

I lean back in my seat. “The last time we saw each other …”

Her brows knit, and I swallow hard. She probably doesn’t want to remember that day any more than I do.

“It was twelve years ago, Pip. I’m sure a lot has happened in your life since then.”

She shrugs and drops her gaze. “There’s not a lot to tell. I finished high school, went to uni in Wellington, worked down there for a while, and now I’m here.”

“What brought you to Auckland?”

Her head shoots up, and those hazel eyes fix on me. “Something different? I thought there’d be more opportunities here, and the chance to earn better money. The company I worked for in Wellington had gone into receivership, and I knew if I left it too late I’d be out of a job, so I took the initiative and planned my exit.”

“You were always smart. Smarter than either me or Lucas.”

Her affectionate gaze is unsettling—more than it should be. She was so soft-hearted, and she never held back when it came to telling people how she felt.

“I don’t know about that. Look at everything you’ve built. You and your friends have done amazingly well. Your drinks are everywhere.”

I nod. “Yeah, I’m really proud of that. I wish Dad was around to see it.”

Her whole expression changes, and my heart lurches as I think I just broke hers. Tears well in her eyes. “Your dad isn’t with us anymore?”

“You didn’t know?”

She shakes her head, and I feel like the biggest bastard for dropping it on her like that.

“I’m not sure about the rest of my family, but I didn’t hear anything about you or your dad after you left. It was too sad to talk about. I only knew about your success because your company was in the media. You made me so proud.” She smiles through her tears, and I lean over and swipe a couple that have landed on her cheeks with my index finger.

“Don’t cry. My dad wouldn’t have wanted to make you sad. He thought you were the bee’s knees. Just like I did.”

Her lower lip wobbles, and before I can stop myself, I’m on the other side of the booth. I wrap my arm around her shoulder, and she leans into me. Closing my eyes for a moment, I breathe in the vanilla scent of her perfume.

“I’m so sorry, Deacon. Your dad was always so nice to me.”

I know I shouldn’t—not when she’s technically on company time, but I kiss the top of her head and hold her close. “I’m sorry to tell you this way. I think he’d be happy we’re working together.”

She barks out a laugh. “I still don’t know how that happened. Are you crazy?”

“Maybe just a little.” I plant another kiss in her hair. Twelve years apart is too much. If I’d stayed, would this shift in how I’m feeling about her have taken place? We were all so close, but time apart has changed everything. “I don’t want to let you go now. It’s been too long.”

“Then don’t,” she whispers.

“As much as I’d like that, we do have to get to work at some point.” I chuckle, but the truth is I’m very reluctant to let her go now she’s in my arms.

“Can we just stay here for a minute?”

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