Page 101 of Outback Reunion

She must have; he doubted a taxi or Uber would have driven her all the way from Perth.

Swiping at her eyes as a tear finally snuck down her cheek, she nodded. ‘I think I’ll drive back to the city now. No point hanging around here.’

‘Good idea.’ Mark saw Tahlia to her car and this time when they said goodbye they both knew it was for good.

She surprised him by giving him a quick hug. ‘I truly am sorry.’

‘That means a lot,’ he said. ‘And I am too.’

She sniffed, then smiled. ‘Good luck with Circus Chick.’

‘Thanks.’ He had a feeling he was going to need it.

Chapter Twenty-six

Gabi had found Luna playing Twister on the dry back lawn with Heidi and a couple of slightly older kids. ‘Grab your shoes, we’re leaving.’

‘What?’ Luna lost her balance as she looked up, falling in a heap on the plastic mat. She scowled up at her mum. ‘I don’t want to go. I’m having fun.’

‘Now!’ Gabi ordered in a tone that told her not to mess with her.

‘Is Mark leaving too?’ Luna asked, once she had her thongs on.

That’s when she realised he’d driven them here and that they were too far away from town to walk back themselves.Crap.Cursing silently, she searched around for someone who could help.

As luck would have it, the nearest person happened to be Drew, the cop. ‘Can you please give us a lift back to town?’

He frowned as if he might be about to say ‘no’, but then nodded. ‘Of course.’

Luna was placated by getting to ride in a police car and when Drew asked her how old she was and told her she was big enough to ride in the front next to him, Gabi could have kissed him. She needed the solitude of the back seat to try and wrap her head around what had just happened.

On the drive back to town, Luna pestered poor Drew with a hundred questions about everything on the dashboard, but he didn’t seem to mind too much, and Gabi couldn’t bring herself to intervene. When they were on a quiet stretch of road, he even let her push the buttons to turn the siren on. By the time they arrived at the lot, Luna had decided that when she grew up, she was going to be a policeman too—what would her grandparents think ofthat?—and Gabi was beginning to wonder if she’d overreacted back at the party.

Had she really told Mark he was just like Dante?

Shame washed over her. Nothing could be further from the truth. Not once in the past week had he ever made her feel insignificant or unsafe. Instead, every word, every action—whether they were in bed together, just hanging out or dealing with an emergency—had been about lifting her up.

Oh God.He’d told her he had feelings for her, that he wanted to be with her, and she’d basically thrown it all back in his face.

Tears leaked down her cheeks as she realised she had big feelings for him too.Hugefeelings. How could she not?

She wanted the picture he’d painted of her and Luna living a normal life in Bunyip Bay, one of the most beautiful places she’d ever been. Maybe he could have gone about convincing her in a different way, but his heart had been in the right place. As had all his friends. The fact that all those people had agreed to help him didn’t make them manipulative at all. They were good, caring friends, the kind of people she’d like in her and Luna’s corner.

But Luna had made it more than clear she wouldn’t give them her blessing as a couple. She didn’t want to move to Bunyip Bay and leaving the circus would mean taking her away from the only family she had.

Then again, Luna was only seven years old. Did she really know what was best for her? For them? Growing up in this town, going to a regular school, being able to make friends would offer her the kind of stability Gabi never had. Perhaps the positives would outweigh the negatives of leaving her family. And just because they left the circus wouldn’t mean they’d never see Eve and Lorenzo again. Dante’s parents were good people; they might be hurt but they wouldn’t turn their backs on them. Would they?

Maybe she and Luna could just take a break to start with. Test the waters here in Bunyip Bay. Test the waters with Mark—they’d have to take things slow for Luna’s sake anyway.

Did she have the guts to do that?

She wasn’t sure but she knew one thing. She needed to apologise to him. She had to tell him she didn’t believe he was like her husband at all, that the time they’d had together this past week was the best time of her life, and that whatever happened she would cherish it—and him—always. She couldn’t leave things the way they were between them.

‘Thanks for the lift,’ she told Drew as she climbed out of the car and Luna dashed off to go to the bathroom.

He shrugged. ‘All good. I’m supposed to be on duty, so it was time to head back to the station anyway. You enjoy the rest of your day.’

‘You too.’

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