Page 96 of That Reunited Feeling

“What did he do?”

“Long-haul pilot. He also had an apartment in Boston for between flights and only came up to the house in Fullerton during downtime.”

I snort. “Idiot.”

“Why?”

“What a fool to have you, but not be around you every available second.”

“Says the man who ran off to London and abandoned me.”

Okay, maybe I deserved that. “Any chance we could set aside the swipes about that for now?”

She shrugs.

As much as I want to learn Hannah’s full story, hearing about her being with another guy turns my stomach. But it’s all part of what’s made her the woman she is today, and I need to know it all.

“Were you in love with him?”

“No.” The shake of her head is definite. “I probably did it more out of convenience than anything else. And because I knew it would be a good, stable home for Dylan.”

“And Dylan finally got his father figure?”

“Not really. They got along totally fine. But Nicholas wasn’t interested in being a parent. That was all down to me. And, like I say, he was awaya lot. He and Dylan were more like acquaintances who lived in the same house.”

“Does Dylan miss him?”

“Kind of. I think maybe he just misses the company of a man, sporadic as it was. And he definitely didn’t want to leave the house. He had a huge room all to himself. I think he misses that more than anything.”

And now the sixty-four-million-dollar question. “And why did you leave in such a hurry?”

Hannah’s eyelids lift slowly, fraction by fraction, until those big blue eyes meet mine. “Because he was sleeping with twoflight attendants, a bartender in Texas, and an Australian teacher who lives in Madrid.” She speaks slowly, deliberately. All the joy drained from her face. “We all thought we were the only ones.”

“Jesus fucking Christ.” Apart from the disgusting behavior, how the hell does anyone have that much time in their day? “How did you find out?”

“He left a phone behind. I guess when you have five, you’ll eventually slip up and forget one. Just after he’d headed off to work there was this ringing and ringing and ringing, and I found it under the bed. It was one of the flight attendants. She already had a suspicion about the other flight attendant, and then we cracked open the whole can of worms. I was out of there and at Jude’s before he got back from his trip.”

What a totally arse-faced jerk-wipe.

“I can’t believe what a fool I was not to notice for all those years.” Hannah rests her hand gently on my thigh, and I let her this time. “It’s embarrassing. Humiliating.”

The warmth from her touch spreads directly to my crotch, distracting from my fury, but not from a new and all-consuming desire to protect her, to make sure no one hurts her or breaks her, ever again.

“Don’t ever think any part of that was your fault. Don’t ever think you were the fool.”

I curl my body around her and pull her into my cocoon. I might not be able to fix what those shits have done to her, but I can do my level fucking best to make sure she understands I am not one of them. That she can trust me, depend on me. That I will not let her down.

She nestles her cheek against mine, perhaps a sign she realizes I am different.

Stroking the top of her sweet vanilla-scented head, I rest my mouth against her ear. “I hate that you’ve been treated so badly.I hate that it’s all been so hard.” Her body gives a satisfying shudder as my words and my lips brush her skin. “And I hate that you and Dylan don’t have a family.”

Her light touch traces the outline of my shoulders. “He said Maggie and Jim are like grandparents.” The words catch in her throat, the last one not making it all the way out.

As heartbreaking as those words are, I know for sure they’d bring deep joy to my aunt and uncle. “Did you tell them?” I ease back just far enough to see the side of her face. “They’d be delighted. God knows they can’t wait for all these boys of theirs to have kids now they’re all settled down.”

She bites her lip and shakes her head. “I didn’t want him to get close to anyone. But he’s already fond of them. And I’m going to take him away.”

“But you have the best reason for moving. He must be pleased he’s going to get some treatment that might help him hold onto his hearing.”

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