Chapter 27

Wade had never been a gambler.

He preferred to weigh the pros and cons of any decision carefully, consider all the options, before choosing the most logical answer, the most feasible outcome.

All that sensible bull had gone out of the window when he'd taken the biggest gamble of his life and asked Liza to meet him here.

He had no idea if she'd show.

She hadn't answered his call so he'd left a message about meeting him here. Her terse response an hour later didn't bode well.

Will think about it

He didn't want to bug her so hadn't responded to her text, but he'd turned up at the hotel bar where they'd first met anyway, hoping she'd take a chance.

If there was one thing he was sure of in this mess, it was her love.

She hadn't said the words. He hadn't either, considering she'd been too busy busting his balls and throwing his offer back in his face. But he'd seen it in her eyes: the adoration, the tenderness, the agony at the thought of never being together.

He felt the same way, processing a gamut of emotions ranging from devastation to optimism. No more. He might be trusting gut instinct right now but he'd applied logic to make it happen.

Every contingency plan had been put into place.

Now all he needed was for Liza to say yes.

He nursed his whiskey, swirling it around, instantly transported back to the night they'd met, the night they'd shared a drink here, the night that had set him down this rocky road.

For a guy who never let emotions get in the way of anything, he'd sure botched this, big time.

He took a swig of his drink and glanced at his watch. Nine p.m. and Liza was a no-show. He'd give her ten minutes and then he was out of here.

As pain lanced his heart, he thought, Who are you trying to kid?

He'd probably end up sitting here all night if there was the remotest possibility she'd walk in the door.

As if his wish had been granted, he saw Liza enter, lock eyes with him, and pause. She looked stunning, from the top of her glossy blonde hair piled in a loose up-do to her shimmery turquoise dress to her sparkly silver-sequinned sandals. Guys in the bar gawked and he wanted to flatten them all.

He stood as she made her way toward him, torn between wanting to vault tables to get to her and sit on his hands to stop from grabbing her the moment she got within reach. The nearer she got, the harder his gut twisted until he could barely stand.

‘Hey.' She hesitated when she reached him, then kissed him on the cheek before taking a seat opposite.

‘Thanks for coming.' He sounded like a doofus but he sat, relieved she made it. ‘I didn't think you'd show.'

She held her thumb and forefinger an inch apart. ‘I was this close to not coming.'

‘Why the change of heart?'

She glanced away, gnawing on her bottom lip, before reluctantly meeting his gaze. ‘Because you deserved better than the way I treated you the last time we parted.'

‘Fair enough.'

He liked that about her, her bluntness. She might not have been completely honest with him the last few months, but her ability to call a spade a spade when it counted meant a lot. He hoped she'd continue in that vein for the rest of the evening, because he'd settle for nothing less than the truth.

‘Drink?'

‘Anything but a martini,' she said, managing a wan smile.

‘Sure? Because I like what happens when you drink martinis.'

The sparkle in her eyes gave him hope. ‘Soda and lemon for now.'

‘Spoilsport,' he said, placing the order with a nearby waiter before swivelling back to face her.

‘I was going to call you,' she said, her hands twisting in her lap before she slid them under her handbag. ‘I wanted to apologise for the craziness after you asked me to move to London.'

‘Not necessary—'

‘Yes, it is.'

The waiter deposited her soda on the table and she grabbed it and downed half the glass before continuing.

‘You caught me completely off guard. I mean, I knew you'd be heading back eventually, but I didn't expect it to be so soon, and then you asked me to come along with Cindy in tow and I flipped out.'

‘I noticed.'

She matched his wry smile. ‘I've never had anyone care about me that much to include Cindy in our plans.'

Her fingertips fluttered over her heart. ‘It touched me right here and I didn't know how to articulate half of what I was feeling.'

That made two of them. He'd become an expert at bottling up true feelings, preferring not to rock the boat, seeking other outlets for his frustration rather than attacking the root of the problem.

If only he'd confronted his dad sooner, had a talk man to man, rather than skulking off to London with his bitterness, the last few years would've been completely different.

‘So I want to say thanks, Wade. Your offer means more to me than you'll ever know.'

‘But?'

Her gaze dropped to her fiddling hands. ‘But ultimately my decision stands. I can't move to London to be with you.'

‘Thought so,' he said, stifling a chuckle at her confused frown at his chipper tone. ‘Which is why I'm changing the parameters of the offer.'

Her frown deepened. ‘I don't understand.'

‘I'm staying in Melbourne.'

Speechless, she gaped at him until he placed a fingertip beneath her chin and closed her mouth.

‘I've installed my deputy as the new CEO in my London office. He'll run the place and answer to me.'

He sat back and rested an arm across the back of his chair, bringing his hand within tantalising touching distance of her bare shoulder. ‘I'm taking over the reins of Qu Publishing. Finishing what my father started all those years ago. It's what he would've wanted.'

Another revelation he'd had while instigating steps to remain in Melbourne, making a business choice he should've years earlier. An invisible weight had lifted from his shoulders, the guilt he'd harboured in relation to the gap between him and his dad evaporating once he'd made the decision to run the company.

He knew it was what his dad would've wanted. How many times had they discussed it, before Wade had got sick of Babs and her influence over his father and had moved to London? Many times, and he'd seen his dad's shattered expression the day he'd told him of his plans to relocate and start a new business.

It had haunted him and, while they'd never broached the subject again during their brief catch-ups over the years, he'd sensed his dad's disappointment.

Yeah, the decision to stay in Melbourne was the correct one.

Now he had to convince Liza of that.

‘My offer still stands. Move in with me. Give our relationship a chance.' He touched her shoulder, sliding his hand along the back of her neck and resting it there. ‘I love you, Liza, and from a guy who's never said those three little words before, trust me, it's a big call.'

Tears shimmered in her eyes and he scooted closer, swiping away a few that trickled down her cheeks.

‘A resounding yes would be great right about now,' he said, cuddling her into his side.

Her silence unnerved him but he waited. He'd waited this long to meet the love of his life, what were a few more minutes?

She sniffled and dabbed under her eyes before easing away to look him in the eye.

‘But Cindy—'

‘The parameters of my offer have changed somewhat.' He cupped her chin. ‘I'm asking you to move in with me. Just you.'

Her eyes widened and she started to shake her head but his grip tightened.

‘I'm blown away by your dedication to your sister, truly I am. I've never met such a self-sacrificing person. But I think you're using Cindy as a crutch, hiding behind her, afraid to take chances.'

His thumb brushed her lower lip. ‘Ultimately, sweetheart? That's not going to help either of you.'

Anger flashed in her eyes before she wrenched away. ‘Who the hell do you think you are, telling me what I feel and how I'm running my life?'

‘I'm the guy who loves you, the guy who'll do anything to make you happy.' He laid a hand on her knee, surprised and grateful when she didn't shrug him off. ‘If you'll let me.'

She glared at him a moment longer before she visibly deflated. Her shoulders sagged and her head drooped, and he moved in quickly to support her with an arm around her waist.

‘Cindy wants to go to London.' She spoke so softly Wade had to lean closer to hear. ‘It made me realise that maybe I've cosseted her too much.'

She shook her head and a few tendrils tumbled around her face. ‘I've spent most of my life trying to protect her but now I'm wondering…'

When she didn't speak, Wade said, ‘What?'

She dragged in a breath and blew it out. ‘I'm wondering if I did more harm than good, sheltering her the way I have.'

‘You love her. It's natural you'd want to protect her after your folks ran out.'

‘It's more than that.'

She glanced at him, her forlorn expression slugging him in the guts. It took every ounce of his will power not to bundle her into his arms.

‘I think I used her. I liked having her dependent on me, because that way she couldn't abandon me.'

As her folks did.Liza didn't have to say it, it was written all over her face: her fear of being alone.

‘Is that why you're not doing cartwheels over my offer now? Because you think ultimately I'll abandon you too?'

She appeared shocked at his perceptiveness.

‘I won't, you know.' He grabbed her hand and placed it against his heart, beating madly for her, only her. ‘I don't let people into my heart easily. I've never had a long-term relationship. It took me a while to trust you. I even pushed away my dad through sheer narrow-mindedness. But once I give it, it's all yours.'

He added, ‘Forever.'

Her tremulous smile made him hope. ‘You're incredible, the most amazing guy I've ever met, but I've never depended on anyone before. I'll be no good at it. I'll screw up and you'll get sick of me and then—'

‘Say it.'

‘Then you'll leave me,' she said, so softly his heart turned over beneath her palm.

‘There are no guarantees in life, but how about this? I promise to love you and cherish you and look after you to the best of my ability. How's that?'

‘Pretty damn wonderful.' She beamed and he could've sworn the bar lit up like a bright summer's day.

‘So no more secrets, okay?'

Her face fell. ‘Then in the event of full disclosure, I need to tell you what happened in your office that first day.'

He'd been curious but hadn't wanted to push for answers. With a little luck he'd have plenty of time for that: like the rest of their lives.

‘Why I embraced the WAG lifestyle and put up with being arm candy for Henri when we weren't in a real relationship?' She grimaced. ‘I did it for the money. We had a signed agreement. I was building a sizeable nest egg for Cindy's future in case anything ever happened to me.'

Her abandonment issues ran deep. Considering what she'd been through with her folks, he understood.

‘The night we met, when I said I was embarking on a new life and wanted to celebrate? I was stoked to be putting my old life behind me. It had taken its toll and I was tired of faking it for everyone.'

Her fingers clenched, creasing the cotton of his shirt. ‘My investments were maturing the next day and I had grand plans to tie up some of it in a guaranteed fund for Cindy in case of my death, and use the rest to modernise our place and buy her the best equipment. With that kind of monetary security, it was the beginning of a new life for me. I could finally pursue a career in marketing, my dream, and put the past behind me.'

A few pieces of the puzzle shifted and he had a fair idea what she was going to say. She would've never agreed to the publishing contract after vehemently refusing it unless she needed the money. Which meant someone had taken advantage of her.

‘What happened to your investment?'

Her eyes darkened to indigo, filled with pain. ‘My financial adviser absconded with the lot. Scammed millions in client funds.'

He swore.

‘The police are investigating leads but the likelihood of recovering my cash are slim.'

‘That's why you did an about-face with the publishing deal.'

She nodded. ‘I needed that money as a safeguard for Cindy. It was the only way.'

He hesitated, glad they were talking things through but needing to know all of it, however unpleasant.

‘I've seen how much you love Cindy, so you're not ashamed of her.' He grimaced. ‘Sorry for saying that. So why did you really leave her out of your biography?'

‘I always thought it was fear of her spasticity worsening and resulting in permanent deformities if her emotions careened out of control with the probable media circus.'

She smoothed his shirt and let her hand fall, only to clasp his and squeeze. ‘In reality? I think it's because I'm overprotective to the point of stifling. I've tried so hard to make up for our parents' shortfalls I've gone the other way and become smothering. I didn't want Cindy exposed to any judgemental media, which can still happen to disabled people even in this enlightened day, so I cut her out of the story.'

‘Did you ever stop to think how she'd feel if she knew that? Because she told me she loves reading and that means she'll read your biography and wonder why you omitted her.'

Her brows arched in horror. ‘I was doing it to protect her—'

‘I know, sweetheart, I know.' Maybe he needed to quit while he was ahead. ‘You still haven't answered my original question.'

The corners of her mouth curved up and he had his answer before she spoke.

‘I'll have to chat with Shar and see if she can become a permanent live-in carer. And I'll need a raise to cover it. Plus I still want to spend as much time as possible with Cindy.'

‘Anything else?'

‘Just this.'

She surged against him, grabbed his lapels, dragged him closer, and kissed him.

The teasing wolf whistles of nearby patrons faded as her lips moved against his and he wished he'd had the foresight to book a suite.

When she finally broke the kiss, he grinned. ‘That's a yes, then?'

‘You bet.'

She cupped his face and stared unwaveringly into his eyes. ‘And I love you too. How did I get so lucky?'

‘We got lucky.'

He kissed her again to prove it.