Page 29 of The Return of Her Billionaire Husband

His mouth flickered with a smile touched by sadness. ‘I could mostly put it out of my mind but now and again something would remind me I wasn’t like the other kids at school. Lots of them were in single parent families but mostly it was from divorce or separation, not the death of a parent. Parent-teacher interviews were difficult, and on Mother’s Day, when the teacher got us to make cards, I made one for my nonna instead.’

‘Were you close to your nonna?’

‘I adored her. She was a widow herself so she understood what my father was going through but she died when I was nine.’ His mouth twisted. ‘I never met my mother’s parents. They refused to have anything to do with my father. They weren’t keen on him as a son-in-law in the first place, so you can imagine how they felt once she died. They blamed him for her death. I’m sure it didn’t help his grieving process.’

Juliette’s heart ached for what he had been through. So much sadness. So much loss. So much grief. Somehow it made what she had been through a little easier to bear. Just a little. ‘I don’t know how you coped with all that sadness. Did things improve at all once your dad remarried?’

‘Yes and no.’ Joe released her hand and picked up his coffee cup, cradling it baseball mitt style in one hand. ‘My father was certainly happier. And my stepmother was nice enough but it was hard for her bringing up someone else’s kid. A kid she had no history with, who she suddenly had to mother when she married my father. When they had two kids together, I felt even more of an outsider.’ He lifted his cup to his lips and drained the contents, placing it back down on the saucer. ‘And when my father died my stepmother no longer had to pretend to play happy blended families any more.’

If only he had told her this in the past. If only she had understood the trauma and sadness that had shaped his personality—the grief that had robbed him of a normal childhood and made him so cautious about relationships.

Juliette pushed her plate to one side and touched his hand where it was resting on the table. ‘I wish I’d known more about your background when we first met.’

His eyes met hers, his fingers wrapping around hers in a gentle hold. ‘I can’t remember the last time I told anyone about any of this. It’s not something I like talking about. Plenty of people have it much worse than I did.’

‘Yes, but we were married and I should’ve understood you better.’ She frowned and looked down at their joined hands. His wedding ring was a reminder that she was the one to leave their marriage, not him. Would he remove it once their divorce was finalised? Her stomach pitched at the thought of him being with someone else. She swallowed a tight lump and continued, ‘I should’ve made more of an effort.’

Joe leaned forward and stroked a lazy finger down the curve of her cheek. ‘None of this is your fault. You had your own stuff going on with your ex.’

Juliette sat back in her chair with a little thump and folded her arms and frowned. ‘I wish you’d stop mentioning my ex. I don’t even think I was truly in love with Harvey. I think I only continued with the relationship as long as I did as it seemed to please my parents.’

He studied her for a long moment. ‘Were they pleased when we broke up?’

Juliette unfolded her arms and slumped her shoulders on a sigh. ‘No. If anything, they thought I was being impulsive and letting my emotions overshadow everything. But I shut them down pretty quickly and they’ve said nothing since.’

‘One could hardly blame you for being emotional, given the circumstances.’ His tone was a disarming blend of gruffness and tenderness.

Juliette lowered her gaze, leaned forward and pushed a piece of croissant around her plate with her finger. ‘I don’t see much of them these days. They’re always so busy with work. I know their careers are important to them but it always makes me feel I’m way down on their list of priorities.’ She sighed and added, ‘I wonder if it will change when they retire. If they retire, that is.’

There was a long silence.

Juliette chanced a glance at him but he was looking into the distance as if his thoughts had been pulled elsewhere. It gave her a moment to study his features—the frown of concentration, the sharply intelligent gaze, the chiselled jaw with its peppered regrowth, the sculptured contours of his mouth. Her belly flip-flopped when she thought about his mouth on hers, the silken thrust of his tongue, the heat and fire of his kiss.

He stirred his coffee even though she knew he didn’t take sugar, his gaze focused on the tiny whirlpool he created in his cup. ‘Some people live to work—others work to live.’

Juliette shifted uncomfortably in her chair. ‘I suppose you think that makes me sound like a spoilt brat, insisting on being the centre of my parents’ world.’

His gaze met hers. ‘I don’t think that at all. It can be difficult when our caregivers don’t meet our expectations. Sometimes it’s down to circumstances, other times to personality.’

Another silence ticked past.

Juliette shifted her gaze to the left of his. ‘I was a change of life baby. An accident. A mistake.’

His expression clouded. ‘Surely they didn’t say they didn’t want you?’

Juliette chewed the side of her lip. ‘No. Never—it’s just a feeling I’ve had over the years. Having a child at their stage of life must have been an inconvenience. My brothers were eighteen and twenty. I spent a lot of time with nannies and babysitters and, of course, boarding school, which I hated. I think that’s why I never did that well at school. I disengaged out of emotional distress.’

He touched her hand where it was resting on the table. ‘Don’t be fooled into thinking a bunch of letters after your name makes you smart. You are an intelligent and hugely talented artist.’

Juliette hoped her creative drive would come back stronger than before but it had taken such a blow with the death of her baby. Her motivation had been totally crushed and was only now flickering into life. ‘Thanks.’

He smiled and waved a hand at her teacup. ‘Would you like a refill?’

‘No. I’m done.’ She pushed back her chair while he gathered the array of shopping bags around his chair.

He paid the bill and within a short time they were on their way back to the hotel. Once they arrived, Joe handed the porter the bags and accompanied Juliette to the private lift to the penthouse.

‘Why don’t you have a bit of a rest before dinner?’ he said as the lift arrived at their suite. ‘I have a couple of things to see to.’

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