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He smiles at my bewilderment. “You truly are the most modest, humble, unpretentious guy I’ve ever met.”
I stare at him dumbly.
“Son,” he continues gently, “your work is groundbreaking. You’re going to change the future of fertility treatment. You’re going to make a difference to millions of lives. Think of all those babies who will be born because of you. Why do you think everyone’s been so excited to meet you today? Everyone wanted to shake hands with the guy who’s going to change the future of IVF.”
“It’s not just me,” I say, my voice husky. “It’s all of us—Elizabeth, and Mack, and Saxon…”
“I know, and the fertility drug that Elizabeth has formulated is revolutionary, and it’s going to play a huge part in this. But it’s the AI part of it—the selection of the embryos—that will change the face of everything. Imagine telling people who’d struggled to have a child a hundred years ago that we would be able to ensure they could carry a healthy baby to full term?”
“We’re not there yet.”
“No, but you’re damn close. I still don’t think you truly understand what an impact this is going to have. So I hope you can see why I’m so keen to work with you.”
His brow furrows—he really means it.
Slowly, I sit up and put the beer bottle on the table. My heart’s racing.
I can’t hide the truth any longer. Alan is too nice, too decent. He values honesty and loyalty, and I can only imagine how he’s going to feel when he knows that I’ve deceived him.
“I’ve got something I need to tell you,” I say. “I know it’s going to disappoint you, and I’m so sorry.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Titus
“It’s all right,” Alan says. “I know.”
I’m conscious that my jaw is sagging, and I snap it shut. “What?”
“That you plan to go back to New Zealand.” His eyes are gentle. “And I also know that you and Heidi weren’t an item when you came here.”
I stare at him. “What?”
He scratches the back of his neck. “This is… ah… a bit embarrassing to admit. But you have to understand how much I want you to stay.” He gives an embarrassed grin.
“I don’t understand.”
“Well, you know I’ve been talking to Elizabeth. When she said she was pregnant and wouldn’t be coming, I asked her, half-jokingly, how I could convince you to stay when you came over. She said that she thought you and Heidi might be… you know… attracted to one another, and it might be fun to put you together and see what happened.”
“So that day we arrived at Hawkerland Manor, you put us in the cottage on purpose?”
“Yep. Vicky thought it was great fun. We half expected you to protest and explain you weren’t a couple, and when you didn’t…” He grins.
I’m so taken aback, I can only stare at him. Eventually his smile fades, and he says, “I’m sorry. It was part practical joke, part hopeful matchmaking. You seem so good together, and the last thing I’d ever want to do is upset you, so—”
“Relax,” I say softly, “I’m not upset. Taken aback, yes. Heidi bollocked me for not putting you straight that first day, and by then it was too late, so we thought we’d better pretend to be a couple. And then…” It’s my turn to look embarrassed. “Well, I guess it was inevitable.”
His lips curve up. “She’s a catch, to be sure.”
I sigh and run my hand through my hair. “I guess you know, then, that she lives here, in Briarton. She’s a primary school teacher there.”
“Yes, Elizabeth told me.”
“She’s happy here. And Alan, I’m happy in New Zealand. My business is there. I’d already decided when I came here that I wouldn’t be moving. The plan was hopefully to convince you to invest even though I was going back.”
“I know. And we will. There’s no question of that.”
It still hasn’t sunk in. Acheron is going to invest. Holy shit.
