Chapter 25

Wade packed on autopilot. Suits in bags, shirts in the case, shoes stuffed in the sides, the rest flung over the top.

He liked the mindless, methodical job. It kept his hands busy. A good distraction, because otherwise he'd be likely to thump something.

Punching a hole in the wall of his penthouse wouldn't be a good idea at this point, as he didn't have time to organise plasterers to fix it. He wanted to leave ASAP. The sooner the better. There was nothing left for him here anymore. He'd done what he'd set out to do. Save Qu Publishing. Preserve his father's legacy. Make some amends for ruining their relationship.

Everything else that had happened? A blip on the radar, soon forgotten when he returned to London.

Until he made the fatal mistake of glancing at the bed and it all came flooding back.

Liza on top of him, pinning his wrists overhead, her hair draping his chest.

Liza beneath him, arching upward, writhing in pleasure.

Liza snuggled in the circle of his arms, her hand splayed on his chest, over his heart, keeping it safe.

Or so he'd thought.

With a groan, he abandoned his packing and sank onto the bed, dropped his head in his hands, and acknowledged the pain.

He'd deliberately closed off after he'd left her house, and had driven to his penthouse in a fog of numbness. It had worked for him before, when he'd made the decision to leave the family business and strike out on his own in London.

He remembered his dad's disappointment, his surprise, and the only way Wade had dealt with it back then was to erect emotional barriers and get on with the job. It served him well, compartmentalising his life and his emotions, forgoing one for the sake of the other.

But look how that had turned out, with his dad having a heart condition he knew nothing about and Wade distancing himself when he could've made the most of every moment.

Maybe his coping mechanism wasn't so great after all?

Maybe he'd be better off confronting his demons than running from them?

Maybe he should lower the emotional barriers he'd raised to protect himself and take a chance on trusting someone again?

Because that's what hurt him the most with his dad: that their breakdown in trust had affected how he interacted with everyone, from his colleagues to his dates. He didn't allow anyone to get close for fear of being let down, the way he'd felt when his dad had put Babs first at the expense of their relationship.

He'd never understood how Quentin could tolerate their strained relationship for that woman.

Until now.

Love did strange things to a guy and if his dad had been half as smitten with Babs as Wade was with Liza, he could justify his behaviour. It didn't make accepting their lost years any easier or the lack of trust he'd instilled in his dad because of his withdrawal, both physical and emotional, but it went some way to easing the guilt.

He wondered how different his life would be if he didn't run this time.

A thousand scenarios flashed through his head, the main one centred on Liza and him, together. He thought he'd made her an offer too good to refuse, a magnanimous gesture including her sister. But the more he thought about it, the more he realised how selfish he'd been.

Had he really expected her to pack up, leave her support network, and move halfway around the world to fit in with his life?

At no stage had he contemplated staying in Melbourne. It had been a given he'd return to London and expected her to make all the sacrifices. He should've known she'd never agree.

Maybe that was why he'd done it?

Issued an offer he knew she could never accept?

The thought rattled him. He'd never been emotionally involved with a woman, had kept his dalliances emotion free. The way he saw it, inviting her to live with him had been a huge step forward.

But what if it wasn't forward enough?

He'd treated his dad the same way, not willing to see two sides of their story, intent on believing what he wanted to believe. It had ruined their relationship and driven an irrevocable wedge between them.

It irked, how he'd never have a second chance with his dad. But it wasn't too late to make amends with Liza…

Wade leapt from the bed and headed to the living room in search of his phone. He needed to put some feelers out, set some plans in motion, before he took the chance of his lifetime.

This time, he wouldn't screw up.