Page 59 of Worth Every Risk

“And then Daddy jumped into the river and grabbed you,” Aries says. “He pulled you out and held you in his arms.”

“And you took me to the car.”

“Yes.”

“And Daddy didn’t speak all the way home.”

This bit surprises me. I wasn’t sure Lucie had noticed; she’d been so drowsy.

Aries pauses. “He was quiet because he was worried about you.”

Lucie’s lips pucker, eyebrows drawing together.Her thinking face.“Does he hate you?”

Aries stiffens. “Why do you ask?”

“I heard him shouting at you.” There’s a pause. Long enough that Aries should speak, but she doesn’t. “He used to shout at Mummy. He hates her.”

“Oh. Honey. I’m sorry. I don’t think he hates me. I think he was upset. Sometimes grown ups get upset and they don’t know what else to do but shout. Mostly, they do it when they can’t handle how they’re feeling inside.”

Ouch.

“I don’t like it when Daddy shouts.”

Aries strokes Lucie’s forehead with the tips of her fingers. Lucie’s eyelids grow heavier. “Does it scare you?”

Lucie pulls the covers right up to her chin, and the movement of the sheets tells me she’s nodding, her eyes wide over the brightly coloured cotton print.

“No one’s going to shout now, honey,” Aries says. “Everything’s all right.”

Lucie mumbles something, then turns over. A few moments pass before Aries gets to her feet and switches off the light.

I should move from the doorway, but I don’t. I’m standing in the shadows, frozen to the spot. Aries hasn’t seen me. She turns back to look at Lucie, then opens the door.

She’s still looking the other way when she takes the final step and slams against me. It takes her a fraction of a second torealise what’s going on. Her hands push against my chest. She feels small and fragile, and her hair smells like coconut.

She squeals and steps back, but not before I’ve caught her, my hands on her upper arms. Her body is warm, and I desperately want to close the gap between us, but I don’t dare move in case I scare her away.

She raises wide eyes to me. A little frightened, perhaps, and it pains me to see it.God, I’m a terrible human being.

“Shhh,” I whisper.

She stills in my grip, her palms resting on my body. My heartbeat surges under her hands, striking so hard against my ribcage that she must be able to feel it.

Electricity fills the air, like it’s seeping out of our pores.

Her face is so beautiful, it takes my breath away, even in the dim light of the darkened hall. I pull her away from Lucie’s bedroom, leading her further down the corridor.

“Don’t leave,” I beg, my voice a raspy whisper. “I don’t want you to leave.”

My hands are still cupping her upper arms, and her muscles tense beneath my fingers. I let go, but she doesn’t move.

This fragile proximity is a gift, and I want to savour it. And so, it seems, does she, because the seconds pass like hours as we stare at one another without moving. I’m so desperate not to lose her that I can hardly breathe.

“I wasn’t going to leave,” she whispers finally.

I can’t process this. I was so certain she was on her way out that her words provide no relief. “You left the phone on my desk. I thought that was you handing in your notice.”

My words must give her clarity because she chuckles at my confusion as though she understands something I don’t. It’s a quiet, seductive sound that slips through her full, pink lips. “That’s not what I meant. The phone’s broken. It was in mypocket when I jumped in the river. I’m so sorry. I’ve barely had it for a month and I’ve already broken it.”

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