Road Trip with the Eligible Bachelor

‘Your family consider you a black sheep?’

A question! She schooled her features to hide her triumph. ‘Actually, in all honesty, I’d be very surprised if my parents thought about me at all these days. They’re from Sydney. I became pregnant with Robbie when I was eighteen. They wanted me to go to university and carve out some mythically brilliant career. When I decided to have my baby instead, they cut me off.’

His jaw dropped. He mightn’t be ‘friendly’ in a traditional sense, but he didn’t strike her as the kind of man who’d walk away from his family when they needed him.

And you’re basing that on what—his pretty smiles and earnest eyes in his television interviews?

Hmm, good point.

‘Siblings?’

Another question! ‘None. So, after my parents handed me their ultimatum, I packed my bags and moved to Perth.’

‘Why Perth?’

‘Because it was about as far away from Sydney as I could get while still remaining in the country.’

He stared at her for a long moment. She held her breath and crossed her fingers that he’d ask a fourth question.

‘Did Robbie’s father go with you?’

She wanted to beam at him for asking. ‘Yes, he did.’ But she didn’t want to tell him that story. ‘When I had Robbie my Aunt Mara—’

‘Of black sheep fame?’

He was totally hooked, whether he knew it or not. ‘The very one. Well, she came across to Perth to help me out for a couple of weeks. I was barely nineteen with a new baby. I appreciated every bit of help, advice and support she gave me.’

He plucked a nearby dandelion. ‘That’s nice.’

‘She didn’t have to. We’d had very little to do with each other when I was growing up.’ Her parents had made sure of that. ‘But those two weeks bonded us together in a way I will always cherish. We’ve been close ever since.’

‘You’re moving to be nearer to her?’

A little twist of fear burrowed into her gut. She shifted on the blanket. She was turning all of their lives upside down. What if she was making a mistake? They’d had a perfectly comfortable life in Perth.

You weren’t happy.

Her happiness had nothing to do with it. She scratched her nose and stared across at Robbie and Chase.

‘Quinn?’

She shook herself and pasted on a smile. ‘Mara is only fifty-two but she’s developed severe arthritis. She needs a hip replacement.’ She needed help. ‘My boys don’t have any family in Perth. I think it’d be nice for them to know Mara better.’

Comprehension flashed across his face. ‘You’re moving there to look after her.’

‘I expect we’ll all look after each other. Like I said, she owns an olive farm and her second-in-command recently married and moved to the States.’

‘And you’re going to fill the position?’

He didn’t ask with any judgement in his voice. She shouldn’t feel as if she’d been found so...lacking. ‘Yes.’

She tossed her head. Besides, she was looking forward to that challenge. Her admin job in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Western Australia had palled years ago. Not that it had ever had much shine.

Still, it had provided them with the security of a fortnightly pay packet. It had supported her and the boys for the last five years. It—

She slammed a halt on the doubts that tried to crowd her. If worse came to worse, if things didn’t work out at Aunt Mara’s, she’d be able to pick up an office job in no time at all. Somewhere.

She bit back a sigh and then straightened her spine. There was absolutely no reason why things wouldn’t work out. She loved her aunt. So did the boys. The Hunter Valley was a beautiful place and the boys would thrive in all of that sunshine and the wide open spaces. They’d go to good schools and she’d get them a dog. They’d make friends fast. And so would she.

She crossed her fingers. The change might even help her overcome the ennui that had started to take her over. She’d learn new skills and maybe, eventually, she’d stop feeling so alone.

Win-win for everyone. Perfect!

She turned back to Aidan and pressed her hands together. ‘This is such an exciting time for us.’

‘And a scary one too, I imagine.’

She didn’t want to admit that. Not out loud.

‘I mean you’re turning your whole life on its head.’

She sucked her bottom lip into her mouth and concentrated on keeping her breathing even.

He stared across at the playground. ‘And it’s not just your life that this decision impacts either so—’

‘Are you trying to make me hyperventilate?’ she demanded.

His jaw dropped. ‘Heck, no! I just think it’s amazing and courageous and...’

She gritted her teeth for a moment before pasting on another smile. She suspected it was more a grimace from the way Aidan eased back a fraction and kept his eyes trained on her. ‘Which is why this road trip of ours is so important to me. I’ve promised the boys that we’ll treat it as a holiday. I’m determined that we’ll take our time and that everyone will be as relaxed as possible so I can answer any questions about this new life of ours, help ease any fears and apprehensions that might come to light, and to just...’

She reached out as if to grasp the words she sought from the air. ‘To help us all look forward to this new beginning and be excited about it.’ She turned to him, willing him to understand. ‘It’s the reason I’ve been chirpy-chirpy-cheeping with all of my might.’

Beneath his tan, he paled. ‘And I’m screwing that up for you.’

‘No you’re not. Not exactly. But now that you know, maybe you can ease up a bit.’

‘And part company with you at Adelaide.’

She slapped a hand down on the blanket between them and leaned in closer. He smelled of something spicy and sharp like eucalyptus oil or crushed pine needles. She breathed him in and the constriction about her lungs eased a fraction. ‘By going with the flow and relaxing,’ she corrected. ‘You’re obviously stressed about this plane strike and getting back home to Sydney, but...’

He latched onto that. ‘But?’

‘We’re all stuck with each other for the six days or so, right?’

‘Six days!’ He swallowed. He nodded. ‘Six days. Right.’

‘So can’t you stop chafing at the constraints and just...just look at this time as a bit of a gift? Embrace it as an unexpected holiday or a timeout from a hectic schedule?’

He stared at her. ‘A holiday?’ He said the words as if testing them out. Very slowly he started to nod. ‘Fretting about the delay isn’t going to change anything, is it?’

Precisely.

‘In fact, it would be making things harder on you and the boys.’

‘And on you.’ She shook her head. ‘I hate to think what your raised cortisol levels are doing to your overall heath.’

‘Cortisol?’

‘It’s a hormone that’s released into our bloodstreams during times of stress. It’s not good for us in large constant doses.’ It took an effort of will not to fidget under his stare. She waved a dismissive hand. ‘I read about it in a book.’

This man would benefit from regular meditation too, but she didn’t suggest it. She’d suggested enough for one day. She leant back on her hands and lifted her face to what was left of the sun and made herself laugh. ‘We’re certainly getting holiday weather.’ Summer might be over officially, but nobody had informed the weather of that fact.

He glanced around and nodded.

‘Look at how blue the sky is and the golden haze on the horizon. This is my absolute favourite time of day.’

His shoulders loosened.

‘I love the way the shadows lengthen and how stands of trees almost turn purple in the shade, like those ones over there,’ she murmured.

He pulled in an audible breath and let it out in one long exhalation.

‘I just want to drink it all in.’

They were quiet for a few moments. She hoped he was savouring the afternoon as much as she was.

‘You remind me of someone.’

It was the most relaxed she’d heard him sound. ‘Who?’

He swivelled to face her. ‘My turn.’

She blinked. ‘For?’

‘For sharing something I think you want to know.’

It took all her willpower to not lean forward, mouth agape. She hadn’t expected him to actually take part in her ‘you tell me yours, I’ll tell you mine’ strategy. She’d just wanted to impress upon him the importance of this trip. Not that she had any intention of telling him that now, though.

‘Okay.’ She forced her eyes back to the hazy horizon, careful to not make him feel self-conscious.

‘Daniel’s death has devastated my family.’

His brother had died in a car accident eight months ago now. It had made all the headlines. She gripped a fistful of blanket, her heart burning for Aidan and his family.

‘He was the apple of my parents’ eyes. His death shattered them.’ He stared down at his hands. ‘Hardly surprising as he was a great guy.’

He didn’t have to say how much his brother’s death had devastated him. She could see it in his face. A lump ballooned in her throat.

‘Ever since Danny’s accident my mother has lived in mortal fear of losing me too.’

The poor woman.

And then Quinn saw it, what Aidan wasn’t saying. With an effort, she swallowed and the lump bruised her all the way down until it reached her stomach. ‘So this plane strike and your road trip across the country, it’s going to be a real...worry for her?’

And that was what had really been chafing at him. Not the interruption to his political campaigning or the fact he was missing important meetings.

‘What did you call it? Cortisol?’

She nodded.

He pointed skyward. ‘Hers will be through the roof.’

And Aidan wanted to do whatever he could to ease his mother’s suffering. Her heart tore for him.

‘My parents’ thirtieth wedding anniversary is soon and—’

‘When?’ Good Lord! She had to make sure he got home in time for that.

‘Not until the twenty-fourth of the month.’

She let out a breath. She was hoping to be at Mara’s no later than the twenty-second. He’d get home in time.

‘I should be there helping with all the preparations. There’s a huge party planned. I encouraged them to have it. I thought it might help.’

That was when she started to wonder how much of his life he was putting on hold in an effort to allay his parents’ grief. And what of his own grief?

She surveyed him for a long moment. When he turned to meet her gaze the rich brown of his eyes almost stole her breath. She swallowed, but she didn’t look away. ‘Aidan, I am truly sorry for your loss.’

He looked ragged for a moment. ‘Thank you.’

The silence gathered about them and started to burn. ‘May I say something about your mother?’ she whispered.

He stilled. He turned back. ‘Only if you say it gently.’

Gently? Her heart started to thump. She moistened her lips and stared across to the playground with its riot of happy laughter. ‘I can’t imagine how bad it would be to lose one of my boys.’ Her voice wobbled. ‘I can’t actually imagine anything worse.’

He reached out and squeezed her hand.

‘In fact, I can’t actually comprehend it, and I’m utterly and probably somewhat selfishly grateful for that.’

‘It’s not selfish, Quinn,’ he said quietly.

‘Your poor, poor mother, Aidan.’ She clasped his hand tightly. ‘God forbid if I should ever lose Robbie, but...I can’t help feeling that wrapping Chase up in cotton wool would not be a good thing to do. For him or for me.’

He met her gaze, his face sober. ‘She can’t help her grief.’

‘No.’ But tying Aidan down like this was hardly fair. ‘You will get home safe and sound and in one piece.’ It was probably a foolish thing to say because neither one of them could guarantee that. But she couldn’t think of anything else to say.

‘Of course I will.’

‘And there’s nothing you can do for your mother at the moment except to give her a daily phone call to let her know you’re okay.’

‘No,’ he agreed.

‘Can you live with that?’

‘I guess I’ll have to.’

‘You know,’ she started slowly, ‘this might be a good thing.’

‘How?’

‘Maybe it’ll force her to focus beyond her fear, especially if she has the party to turn her attention to. And once she does that she might realise how irrational her fear is.’

His face lit up. ‘You think so?’

Oh, heavens, she’d raised his hopes. Um... ‘Maybe.’

He stared at her for a long moment and then he smiled. ‘That person you remind me of?’

Her heart started to thump. ‘Uh-huh?’

‘It’s Daniel. Quinn, you remind me of my brother.’

Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.