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Poppy’s eyes narrow as her gaze swings back to me. “You did?”

“I—”

“He used it to stalk you.”

“I did not,” I grumble, elbowing him in the side.

“He did, Pop. He used it to make sure you got to and from work safely.”

Poppy gasps, her gaze returning to the car before settling on me again. “That was you?”

I wince, knowing exactly which moment she means. It was the day after she blocked me. I’d parked around the corner from her house and waited until her bus arrived.

In hindsight, it probably wasn’t my brightest idea, but in my defence, I’d never been on a stakeout before. The second she stepped off the bus, I pressed the start button, shifted the Audi into drive, and eased after her at a safe distance. But when she glanced over her shoulder and noticed the SUV creeping along behind her, she took off running.

It was dark, and there was no way she could’ve known it was me behind the wheel. I was tempted to wind down the window and call out her name, but I was already in enough trouble, and I worried it would make things worse. After that, I made sure I stayed well out of sight.

Nolan barks out a laugh when she punches me in the arm. “You scared the crap out of me that night, Bennett. I thought I was going to get kidnapped and sex trafficked.”

“I’m sorry, sweetheart,” I say, pulling her into my side and placing a soft kiss on the side of her head.

More than six months have passed since I inadvertently overheard that phone call in the hospital. I had no idea the woman unravelling in the corridor would one day become my entire world. Somewhere along the way, while pretending to be her boyfriend, I found the person I was always meant to love.

We only have a few more days of work before my company closes for the Christmas break. Poppy and I are jetting off to Europe for an entire month. She’s never left the country or been on a plane before, so her excitement for our impending trip is infectious.

She has no idea that Nolan and my parents are meeting us in Saint-Tropez on the French Riviera for Christmas. She also doesn’t know that I plan to ask her to marry me while we’re overseas.

After opening the door for Poppy and helping her into the car, I remove the red bow from the bonnet and stow it in the trunk. Before getting behind the wheel, I tilt my head back and gaze at the cloudless sky with a smile.

“I’m sorry for all the lies I told you, Nanna,” I say silently. “But it all worked out in the end. You got your wish. I promise you, Poppy will never have to face this world on her own. She’ll always have someone by her side, loving her exactly the way she deserves.”

I swallow the lump in the back of my throat before sliding behind the wheel. I have so much to be thankful for.

All Nanna wanted was for someone to love and protect her granddaughter. What she didn’t know was that, in giving me Poppy, she gave me the greatest gift of all.