Page 88 of Outback Reunion

He poured milk into a small metal jug.

‘Okay, tell me aboutyourgirl,’ he said as he settled the portafilter into position and pressed the handle down, raising his voice slightly over the noise of the beans grinding.

‘Her name’s Gabriela. She’s with the circus.’

‘The one in town?’ Grant let out a whistle. ‘Faith told us they’re fabulous. I’ve been trying to convince Ryan to go with me, but he reckons it’s just for kids and poofters.’

Mark didn’t know what to say to that.

Grant snorted, clearly amused. ‘Don’t worry; I told him that was inappropriate.’

‘He’s missing out,’ Mark said. ‘They’re really good.’

The machine clicked and coffee spurted into the first mug.

‘So how did you meet thisGabriela?’ Grant asked.

It was a reasonable question, considering Mark had been mostly resistant to his friends’ efforts to get him socialising, and Grant’s efforts to set him up with someone.

‘We actually met eight years ago at a pub in Melbourne,’ he admitted.

‘Ah... so were you together before your wife?’

‘Not exactly.’ Mark shook his head. ‘No, not at all. There was a night—a really good night. We met, had a drink, there was this amazing connection, and she came home with me.’

Grant nodded, waiting for Mark to continue.

He shrugged. ‘That’s it. When I woke up, she was gone, and I didn’t see her again. Until last week.’

‘And between last week and now?’ Grant asked as he emptied the portafilter into the knock box and put a second cup beneath the spout.

‘We’ve reconnected.’ That was all Mark was going to say; Grant could read between the lines. Mark didn’t want to focus on the sex here—sure, it was unbelievably fantastic, but it was only one of the reasons he wanted Gabriela to stay.

Grant frowned. ‘So what’s the problem? She’s not as into you as you are to her?’

‘I’m pretty sure she’s into me.’ He thought of their late-night conversations when they’d bared their souls to each other and the heat in her eyes when she looked at him. ‘But it’s supposed to be just a fling while she’s in town. She feels obligated to stay with the circus. Her in-laws own it and—’

‘In-laws?’ Grant looked up from where he was pouring the steamed milk into the first cup. ‘Ah... I see your problem; she’s married. Look, I’ll be honest with you—’

‘No! No, she’s not.’ Mark rushed to set things straight, explaining about Dante. He didn’t go into all the details, not wanting to break Gabriela’s confidence, but he made sure Grant knew the dead husband wasn’t the issue.

‘I see. And this isn’t just about sex. You’re serious about this girl?’

‘Well...’ Mark swallowed, not used to talking about this kind of stuff with other blokes—neither footy players nor farmers tended to wear their hearts on their sleeves. He hoped it was worth it. ‘The sex is off the charts, but yeah, I want more than just a fling.’

He chuckled. ‘What are you thinking? Marriage, babies, the whole shebang?’

Although Grant was clearly joking, his question made Mark pause.Wasthat what he was thinking? He hadn’t really thought beyond getting Gabriela to stay in town but yes, his chest suddenly ached with how much he wanted what Grant described. Instead of Dante’s smug face in that photo frame, he wanted to be the face she woke up to. He wanted to be the one who held her while she fell asleep and brought her a cup of coffee to wake up to.

He couldn’t imagine living another day without her.

‘Earth to Mark?’

He blinked at Grant. ‘Yes. I do. I want all of that. I’m in love with her.’

Holy shit.

The realisation slammed into his chest with a force a hundred times stronger than the collision that had ended his career, but the truth was he’d known how he felt since the moment she’d confessed she hadn’t been in love with Dante. Until then, he’d been guarding his heart, not allowing himself to admit his real feelings. And he didn’t just love Gabriela, he loved Luna as well—he loved her feisty spirit and the fact that when she was awake, she almost never stopped talking—and he wanted them both in his life, not just for a week, but forever.

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