Page 61 of The Player

A few pieces of the puzzle shifted and he had a fair idea what she was going to say. She would’ve never agreed to the publishing contract after vehemently refusing it unless she needed the money. Which meant someone had taken advantage of her.

‘What happened to your investment?’

Her eyes darkened to indigo, filled with pain. ‘My financial adviser absconded with the lot. Scammed millions in client funds.’

He swore.

‘The police are investigating leads but the likelihood of recovering my cash are slim.’

‘That’s why you did an about-face with the publishing deal.’

She nodded. ‘I needed that money as a safeguard for Cindy. It was the only way.’

He hesitated, glad they were talking things through but needing to know all of it, however unpleasant.

‘I’ve seen how much you love Cindy, so you’re not ashamed of her.’ He grimaced. ‘Sorry for saying that. So why did you really leave her out of your biography?’

‘I always thought it was fear of her spasticity worsening and resulting in permanent deformities if her emotions careened out of control with the probable media circus.’

She smoothed his shirt and let her hand fall, only to clasp his and squeeze. ‘In reality? I think it’s because I’m overprotective to the point of stifling. I’ve tried so hard to make up for our parents’ shortfalls I’ve gone the other way and become smothering. I didn’t want Cindy exposed to any judgemental media, which can still happen to disabled people even in this enlightened day, so I cut her out of the story.’

‘Did you ever stop to think how she’d feel if she knew that? Because she told me she loves reading and that means she’ll read your biography and wonder why you omitted her.’

Her brows arched in horror. ‘I was doing it to protect her—’

‘I know, sweetheart, I know.’ Maybe he needed to quit while he was ahead. ‘You still haven’t answered my original question.’

The corners of her mouth curved up and he had his answer before she spoke.

‘I’ll have to chat with Shar and see if she can become a permanent live-in carer. And I’ll need a raise to cover it. Plus I still want to spend as much time as possible with Cindy.’

‘Anything else?’

‘Just this.’

She surged against him, grabbed his lapels, dragged him closer, and kissed him.

The teasing wolf whistles of nearby patrons faded as her lips moved against his and he wished he’d had the foresight to book a suite.

When she finally broke the kiss, he grinned. ‘That’s a yes, then?’

‘You bet.’

She cupped his face and stared unwaveringly into his eyes. ‘And I love you too. How did I get so lucky?’

‘We got lucky.’

He kissed her again to prove it.

Epilogue

‘Wow, check out the view.’

Cindy pressed her face against the glass pod of the London Eye, captivated by the incredible view of the city below them.

‘Amazing, huh?’ Liza slung an arm around Cindy’s shoulders and squeezed, her heart full to bursting.

Seeing her sister’s wonder as they visited every popular tourist site—the Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Kew Gardens, Westminster Abbey—sharing in Cindy’s joyful exuberance, made for precious memories.

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