Page 93 of Bride Under Contract

Love had returned to his life even when he’d tried to deny it had ever existed.

A bird landed on a branch—a blaze of colour in the silver and grey—and, yes, all these years on he knew it was the kingfisher his mother had hoped to capture in her photo.

He looked down at the silver teething ring, at the scratched surface, and thought of Hugo’s bright smile, how trusting he’d been...

His milky breath and gurgles of laughter.

His contented smile.

Contentment...

He thought of Grace...how she was terrified of being forgotten by those she loved.

‘You’ll never be forgotten, Hugo,’ he said aloud.

He wouldn’t let a single memory fade for as long as his life allowed.

He could almost hear his brother’s bright smiling laughter and, pocketing the treasure, he knew now where he was headed...where he’d been trying to get all those years ago.

He had been going home.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

‘SELAMAT.’

Arif offered peace as he greeted him, just on the edge of dawn.

‘Selamat,’ Carter said. ‘I thought you were away...?’

‘I heard you were back...’

And, like a friend, he’d dropped everything the moment he’d found out.

It had taken Carter a full twenty-four hours to get back, and he’d eaten more of that damn fruit—but thankfully not rotten this time. Or was it that the world was a bit sweeter this day?

‘You need to bathe,’ Arif said. ‘Eat...’

‘Sleep?’

‘Soon.’

And as Carter ate a light meal he was grateful that he did not ask how it had been.

Only as Malay cleared his plate did Arif tell him he was in trouble. ‘You left the plans behind.’

He frowned.

‘Your blueprints. Grace was calling everyone...’

He would have to come up with a suitable lie, Carter decided.

Or simply tell her the truth about where he’d been.

‘She’s asleep,’ Arif told him.

‘Who?’

‘Grace,’ Arif said, and told him his brother had picked her up last night.

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