Page 48 of And the Best Man Ran Away With the Groom

“Uncle Trent!” one of my six-year-old nephews, Max, cries excitedly, jumping up from where he’s playing with Lego on the floor and pattering over to me. “Did you bring me a present?”

“Me too!” his twin brother, Jordan, cries, leaping off the couch and rushing to catch up to Max. “I want a present from Thailand too!”

“EXCUSE ME?”Alicia bellows, glaring at both her sons, who visibly shrink under the pressure of her gaze. “What on earth has happened to your manners?”

“Sorry, Mummy,” they recite in unison, ducking their heads in contrition.

I try not to let my amusement show, instead offering am apologetic smile. “Sorry boys, I didn’t really have a chance to do much shopping. I’ve got some great pictures you can look at though.”

They give unenthusiastic mumbles and return to what they’d been doing when I came in—Max on the floor with his Lego, and Jordan sitting on the couch with his iPad.

I turn to Alicia and shrug. “Worth a try. I did mean to get them something, but time just got away from me.”

She waves a dismissive hand. “Please, like they need any more presents—we just had Christmas. Besides…” She picks up the kettle and fills it under the tap, issuing me with a knowing look—“I take it you were otherwiseoccupied.”

“Jesus, can we at least wait until I’ve had brekky before you start the interrogation?” I ask, trying to ignore the heat flaring on my cheeks. I rummage through the pantry, retrieving a box of Weet-Bix; I place two into a bowl and pour milk over the top, then grab a spoon and take my breakfast over to the kitchen table.

Alicia joins me, a steaming mug of tea in hand and an expectant smile on her face. “So…are you going to tell me anything?”

I quirk an eyebrow at her. “What do you want to know?”

“Nothing too specific, obviously,” she assures me. “But I’m definitely curious.”

“About me being with a guy or that the guy was Xav?”

She shrugs. “All of it. Especially about how you told Mum you were falling for him.”

I groan and bring a hand up to rub over my face. “She told youthattoo?”

Alicia just shrugs and takes another sip of her tea. “She wanted me to be forewarned for when you got home in case you weren’t yourself. She used the wordforlorn.”

I let out a little snort of laughter. “I’m not forlorn. I just…” I rake a hand through my hair in agitation. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do now? The past week with Xav was so amazing. Honestly, if I didn’t have to come home, I wouldn’t have—I could have just stayed forever with him. But now we are home and it’s over, and I just need to find a way to get over him…” I let out a heavy sigh, shaking my head. “It’s just going to take a while.”

“Okay, well here’s a completely wild and crazy suggestion—why don’t you actually try dating now that you’re back?”

I push my empty cereal bowl away and sit back in my chair, gazing at my sister with exasperation. “You think I don’t want to do that? Of course, I do. It’s a little hard when I’ve only got a few more days here before I need to get back home for work.”

“You could always move back here,” she suggests. “I’m sure there are plenty of tech support jobs here in Melbourne.”

“Tech support?” I ask, my face screwed up. “Do you even know what I do?”

Alicia just shrugs indifferently. “Not really. And, no, that wasn’t an invitation for you to explain it to me.”

I shake my head wryly. “It doesn’t matter. I can’t just quit my job because of a crazy whim.”

“A whim?” Alicia looks almost offended. “Trent, do you honestly think what you and Xavier have is that fleeting? Because the way you were talking just now it didn’t sound like it.”

“No, of course not. But it just sounds so—” Crazy. Drastic. Sudden. Over the top.

Part of me is thrilled at the idea; I’ve always planned to move back to Melbourne at some point eventually, so why not now? And the thought of being close to Xavier and actually giving a relationship with him a chance is making me almost giddy. But then another part of me is wary; what if this is pushing things too far? What if Xav’s not ready?

Alicia slides her chair out and gets to her feet, giving my shoulder a squeeze as she brushes past me. “At least it’s something to think about, right?”

I sigh. It is definitely something to think about.

I get to my feet and take my bowl over to the sink, rinsing out the dregs of my cereal before placing it in the dishwasher. Then I head back to the spare bedroom, stepping inside just as my phone buzzes on my bedside table.

I stride over and pick it up, grinning like an idiot when I see it’s a text from Xav.

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