Page 47 of The Billionaire's One-Night Baby

‘That’s such a lovely story,’ Dodi said, conscious of how much she missed Lily. What she wouldn’t do right now for one of her hugs.

Dee crossed her legs. ‘I spent quite a bit of time here, back in the day. I used to make excuses to come here, to be around Lily. I felt a real connection to her, and I loved listening to her stories, hearing about her life.’

Dodi felt tears gathering in her throat. ‘What sort of things did she tell you?’ she asked.

‘Ah, she’d tell me about her childhood, her friends and how much she loved the store. But the stories I loved best were about Tim, her husband.’

The grandfather she had never met. ‘They had a fairy-tale romance. I’ve seen pictures of him, and he was good-looking, as well. I’ve always imagined him to be the perfect groom, an absolute Prince Charming,’ Dodi said.

Dee widened her eyes. ‘Are we talking about the same guy? Because that wasn’t how your grandmother saw him.’

Dodi frowned, puzzled. ‘Lily adored Tim, she told me that often. They were deeply in love.’ She couldn’t bear it if theonelove affair she believed in wasn’t true. She wouldn’t be able to cope with knowing that!

‘Oh, I agree with that, they were in love. But your grandfather wasn’t anything like Prince Charming,’ Dee explained.

‘Really?’

‘He was, as Lily often said, the strong but silent type. He found it very difficult to express his emotions and she said that he wasn’t good at verbalising his feelings. Tim didn’t dropI love yous, but Lily had no doubt she was loved, deeply and completely.’

Dodi was fascinated by this insight into her grandmother’s life. ‘Did she tell you how she knew he loved her?’

Dee smiled. ‘I asked her the same question and I’ll never forget her answer...she told me that love sometimes speaks in different languages. Someone might not say “I love you” but they might check whether you’ve eaten, or whether you had a good sleep, offer to help when they see you are struggling. She said that some people’s love was spoken through actions, not words.’

Dodi stared at her, a bankload of pennies dropping into her brain. Jago didn’t speak of love, had never suggested or hinted that he was in love with her, but his actions spoke a million words. He often checked in to see how she was feeling, allowed her to sleep when she was tired, brought her ginger tea when she was feeling nauseous. He sent his staff to clean her house and do her laundry, trying to lighten her load. He made sure her car was in peak condition, that her tyres were new and that everything was reliable and safe. He’d been insanely worried about her driving in that horrible storm, and he’d rushed out of a crucial, company-defining board meeting to check on her.

His actions spoke of his love...

But he’d tried to rearrange her life and wanted to shove her into a situation without consulting her. She’d been incredibly angry because she’dtoldhim she loathed being placed in situations not of her choosing, where she had no control. He’d forged ahead anyway...

But maybe, just maybe, Jago had been terrified by the events of the previous night and he’d been scared, of losing her, losing what they had. It was in his nature to scan his world for things to go wrong and he’d seen the possible consequences of the storm and he’d asked her to take precautions. She’d ignored him, and when his fears came true he reacted by trying to control the situation, by gathering her closer, fuelled by his need to protect her...

Because he’d been petrified of losing her.

Could that be true? Or was she conning herself, desperate to find an excuse to be with him again?

Dee cleared her throat. ‘One more thing, Dodi. My daughter isn’t a silly bride—’

Dodi winced, excruciatingly embarrassed. ‘God, I’m so sorry—’

Dee placed her hand on hers and squeezed. ‘I’m not trying to make you feel bad, I just want to explain why your assumption was so very wrong. Courtney has been with Drake for eight years and he stood by and supported her while she underwent a mastectomy and a year of chemotherapy. He made her laugh and held her while she cried. He made her feel beautiful when her hair fell out, before she had reconstructive surgery. And Courts, well, she came face to face with her mortality and she wants to grab life by its neck and live it. But she wants to do it with Drake.’

Dodi felt tears burn her eyes and placed her hand on her chest, as if to stop her heart from climbing out through her ribs. Okay, maybe she did judge her brides far too quickly. And, obviously, erroneously. ‘I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have rushed to judgement.’

Dee’s smile was soft and full of sweetness. ‘Your grandmother loved weddings, but she didn’t wear rose-coloured glasses. She knew who would make it and who wouldn’t...what it took to be happy,’ Dee told her, giving her hand a quick squeeze. ‘She was a wise woman, your Lily.’

Dodi nodded, smiled and stood up. ‘Thank you for sharing your memories of her with me. It means a lot. And I do hope you visit again, with or without your lovely daughter.’

Her eyes burning, Dodi walked away from Dee, blinking furiously. She turned down the passageway, marked Staff Only, and leaned back against the wall, able to see her busy shop, her consultants, and her excited brides.

Did she hate the shop and her job because she didn’t believe in love or was it because shedidbelieve in love and she hated the fact that it never stuck around for her? Was she jealous of her brides’ happiness and security? Did she actually, somewhere deep down, want to be married, be part of a couple, be wrapped up in another person, in every way possible?

Would she want to be married to Jago?

Hell yes. A thousand times.

So maybe it was time to stop fudging, to tell herself the truth without embellishments, without trying to protect herself. She loved Jago, with every atom of her being, every cell, every breath she took. And she did trust him because he’d shown her, time and time again, that he was there for her, that she was a priority.

She finally understood his love language...

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