Page 19 of Secrets of the Eternal Flame

‘But I totally won, didn’t I?’ I persisted.

His eyes sparkled. ‘Some time soon, Beatrix Stonehaven, you and I are both going to win.’ He closed the distance between us and kissed me with heat and fire. I melted into him and my mind went deliciously blank.

‘Sleep well,mo chridhe,’ he murmured huskily.

‘And you.’

I watched him drive away and wondered what the hell was wrong with me that I had let him go home.

Chapter Twelve

I closed the front door and joined my bestie in our living room. ‘Please explain to me why you arenotbumping uglies with that man,’ Maddie demanded the second I walked back in. ‘He’s perfect for you.’

She’d been less than thrilled about Fraser when he had come into our lives, but obviously, the last six weeks had turned the tables. Spending so much time together could either make or break friendships; our time together had cemented the five of us into what I hoped would be a truly long-lasting group of friends.

I picked up another slice of pizza and took a bite before putting it down on my plate. ‘I like him a lot, and things are definitely heating up between us, but I’m still holding back. We can’t rush things – this is aneternalbond we have together. What if I start things with him and six months down the line decide that he’s not for me? That wouldn’t be fair on him. I have to be one hundred percent sure.’

‘But you’re already getting there,’ Maddie said astutely. ‘I can see it in your eyes. There’s no point lying to me – or yourself. You’ve never been like this with anyone, ever. I reckon you’re at least ninety-eight percent sure that you love him.’ As usual, she was a little too close to the truth. My skin felt hot and I busied my mouth with more pizza, so I didn’t have to lie to her.

From the floor, Eva barked loudly and pointed her nose at the pizza crusts perched on the edge of my plate. ‘Fine, go on,’ I said. ‘But only one, okay?’

She inspected my plate. After several sniffs, she pushed the crusts to the side and found the slice I’d taken a single bite from. Unsurprisingly, that was the one she chose. Cheeky minx.

The next morning, Maddie was up late like me. ‘Do you think people know?’ she said as she stood in the kitchen buttering a slice of toast.

I blinked. ‘Give me a clue? I haven’t had caffeine yet.’

‘About Yanni and Ernie!’ she said impatiently. ‘Do you think Dove knows?’

‘I don’t think anyone knows,’ I replied truthfully. ‘That’s why they were here.’

‘Acting like bloody teenagers.’ She shook her head in disbelief.

I’d hoped that after a good night’s sleep, Maddie would have considered that she might have overreacted, but clearly that wasn’t the case. ‘I really don’t understand why you’re so upset,’ I said, unsure how I could help her when I couldn’t understand her annoyance. Apart from when it came to the sofa usage, I definitely got the sofa thing, and Yanni and Ernie were totally paying for it to be cleaned.

Maddie pressed her lips together in a way that told me she wanted to say more but wasn’t sure if I’d want to hear it. ‘This is going to sound silly.’ She started wringing her hands.

‘Go on.’

She picked up the piece of toast then put it down again. ‘Do you know how hard I tried to help Nana meet a man? All through our teenage years, I was desperate for her to find someone.’

I remembered. The number of teachers Maddie had tried to set her grandmother up with had been embarrassing for both Yanni and the teachers. After that she’d extended her search to sports coaches and friends’ grandparents – anyone single, around Yanni’s age and with a pulse,although sometimes even that didn’t matter. If I remembered correctly, she’d actually sent Yanni on a blind date with a vampire who turned out to be an ex-con that Yanni had arrested more than once. Needless to say, it wasn’t a success.

‘She always insisted that she was absolutely fine, she didn’t need anybody, and eventually I bought it. I accepted it because I believed – Ibelieve– that that’s how I will end up too. I needed to believe it was okay to be on your own forever.’ Blinking away tears, she looked up at the ceiling,

‘Oh, love.’ I gathered her into my arms. ‘If you want to find someone, you will. If you want to stay single, you’ll have a beautiful and fulfilled life without a partner. We don’t all need the same things. Plenty of people are happy alone – but you don’t have to be alone if you don’t want to be.’

She sniffled.

‘Mads, where has this come from?’ I demanded. ‘You’re the biggest believer in romance I know – think of all those terrible films you make me watch!’

‘There’s a difference between believing in something and thinking it’s going to happen for you,’ Maddie replied. ‘I believe people can go to the moon but I know that I’m not going to be an astronaut.’

‘Do you seriously think you’re not going to find love? You’re only twenty-eight.’

She rolled her eyes. ‘Look at my family’s track record. My mum married such a loser that he didn't even stick around to look after me when she died. Nana – well, I don’t know what happened with my grandad because she won’t talk about it. My grandmother on my father’s side was on her seventh husband when she died.Seventh! And did you know that my uncle is getting divorced? It’s like our family is cursed when it comes to love.’

She cleared her throat. ‘You know that comment that Nana made about the whole kitchen-table thing with Jonah Crest? We only lasted six months and that’s still the longest relationship I’ve ever had. I’ve not been on a single date for the last eighteen months, but I’ve always thought it didn’t matter. Nana proves it’s possible to be perfectly happy on your own. But now ... I don’t know. It makes me feel like ... like maybe Ican’tbe alright on my own.’

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