Page 96 of Only Ever You

“Deacon, it’s so good to hear from you,” she practically purrs down the phone.

Is she for real? “Really? I thought given our last conversation you wouldn’t be so happy to hear from me.”

There’s silence for a moment. “Deacon, I …”

“I told you that if you hurt Pippa with that photo, you were done.”

She pauses again. “I didn’t … I mean, you were out partying and I thought?—”

“You sent it to her?”

Adeline laughs, and it’s like a red rag to a bull.

“I realised you can’t hurt my career. I’ve already been dumped by your company. What’s the worst you can do?”

I smirk. She’s about to lose the plot.

“Well, for starters, you won’t be doing any advertising for Jacob Preston.”

She gasps. “You can’t?—”

“I already did. Jacob likes Pippa. And he doesn’t like anyone who deliberately hurts her. Am I continuing down this path, Adeline? Should I be digging into who else might be interested in employing you?”

“I’m sorry,” she whispers.

“I’m not the one you should be apologising to. If you don’t apologise to Pippa, then I’ll just keep on going.”

“I … I … I’ll call her.”

“See that you do. Goodbye, Adeline.” I disconnect the call and throw my mobile on the table.

To win Pippa back, I have to show her how important she is to me. No matter how long it takes, I’ll do the hard work to prove that to her.

There’s a long road ahead of me, but she’s worth it.

Chapter Thirty-Four

Pippa

Any aspirations for a better night sleep were dashed by around 3 a.m. this morning.

Tossing and turning all night was already my thing, but Deacon’s arrival has made it even worse. Plus, there’s the churning in my stomach every time I picture his sad eyes.

He seems sincere, but my reluctance to trust him again might just be the undoing of any hope I had for us.

When I do fall asleep, my dreams are weird. Deacon’s running away with Adeline Walsh, and I’m running after them, but I can never catch up.

Tap tap tap.

My eyes flicker open.

Tap tap tap.

Is that the door?

I’m only dressed in sleep shorts and a tank top, so I push myself up and slip my bathrobe around me.

I pull the door open and meet the blue eyes I know so well.

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