Page 30 of Finding Forgiveness
“Thanks, Daddy,” she says, stepping forward to wrap her arms around his waist again.
“I love you, Cassandra, don’t ever forget that. I’ll always be here for you if you need anything.”
“I love you too,” she says, and that damn lump returns.
It’s late by the time we get called to board the plane. Blake is already asleep in his father’s arms. I couldn’t get the five of us on the same flight until 9 pm. Cass and I could’ve got an earlier one—which is what the selfish part of me wanted to do—but in the end, I decided it was best if we stuck together.
Standing, I extend the handle of my carry-on luggage and then reach for Cassie’s. “I can—”
“I’ve got it,” I say, cutting her off. I asked her to pack all her valuables in the smallest case. I wasn’t comfortable leaving all that jewellery in her check-in luggage.
A shy smile tugs at the corners of her lips before she bows her head. It reminds me of the innocent teenage girl who captured my heart all those years ago. She’s done that exact movement numerous times over the past few days … whenever I’ve done something nice for her.
I lead her to our seats, which are two rows behind Mason, Jacinta, and Blake’s. Did I do this purposely? Maybe. Is it wrong I want her all to myself? I know I’m just setting myself up for more heartache, but I can’t seem to stop. This vulnerable side of her is my addiction.
Once I’ve placed our luggage in the overhead compartment, I take a seat beside her. “How are you feeling?” I ask.
She lifts one shoulder. “A little numb.”
My hand automatically moves to her knee, giving her a light, comforting squeeze. “It’s going to be okay, Cass. Sometimes when you’re in a dark place it may feel like you’ve been buried, but actually, you’ve been planted. It may not happen overnight, Princess, but it’s your time to shine.”
She doesn’t reply, but when her hand covers mine and she laces our fingers together, I know she understands the meaning behind my words.
Chapter9
Cassie
It’s close to midnight by the time we arrive back at the apartment in Sydney. Between the four of us, we managed to get all of my bags up here in one go. Despite Connor’s protests, I help him wheel them inside and down the hallway towards the room I usually stay in when I’m here.
I always hated leaving this place whenever my mother would summon me home, so it’s kind of thrilling that this time I get to stay on. I’m uneasy about the road that lies ahead, but there’s nothing like a brush with death to give you a new perspective on life.
“Do you want a hand unpacking?” Connor asks as he opens the door to my bedroom.
“I’m too tired to unpack right now. I’m going to shower and fall into bed … I’ll tackle all this in the morning.”
“Sounds like a plan,” he says over a yawn.
My eyes take him in, and even the dark circles under his eyes do nothing to distract from his handsome face. He has that unique rugged kind of beauty, and if he ever decides he no longer wants to practice law, I have no doubt he’d make a killing on the runway.
His exquisite milk chocolate, come-to-bed eyes—that I swear look straight into my soul at times—are surrounded by long ink-coloured lashes. Even his scent is intoxicating, something I’d happily drown in. Pouty lips and a bright, panty-melting smile that has countless women shamelessly dropping their underwear and throwing their vaginas his way. His thick, dark hair, cut short on the sides and left a little longer on top, is slightly tussled like he uses his fingers to comb it, but on him, it’s perfect. Don’t even get me started on his chiselled jawline, which is presently covered in a day’s worth of dark stubble. Stubble my fingers are itching to reach out and touch.
I clear my throat, snapping myself out of my haze. “You look like you could do with some sleep too.”
“Yeah, I’m fucked.”
For some reason those words have my eyes flicking towards the bed. The last time we were in this room together that’s exactly what we did.
The bed is still unmade … just the way we left it. I can see the indent of his head on the pillow where he lay as I unashamedly rode him like an A-grade Pornstar. I wonder if it still smells like him. I’m unsure of the brand of shampoo he uses, but there’s some kind of pheromone sorcery going on there.
Jacinta went to stay at Mason’s after she found mebouncing on her brother’s dick—her words not mine—and I left in a hurry, so I never got a chance to tidy up in here before flying back to Melbourne.
I reach for the neckline of my shirt, tugging at it, as memories of us together in that bed flash through my mind. I’m suddenly feeling quite warm. I can’t regret what we did, because, for me, it was my final goodbye. I honestly thought I’d never see him again.
My mother had already informed me by that stage that my visits to Sydney were to cease. Technically, she couldn’t stop me from coming here, but when she threatened to go after Connor once again, she knew I’d comply. It’s her go-to move and how she’s managed to control me over the past six years.
I’d like to think that I’m now free of that woman, but I know better. This transition has gone far too smoothly; I feel like it’s the calm before the storm.
“I should let you get some sleep,” I say, feeling my cheeks heat.
