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“I tried to, but you seemed to think I’d come here to black your eye.”
“So he left because he was being thoughtful.” Stupid man. Posy had never felt more out of her depth in her life. She had nothing wise or sensible to say on the subject of relationships. Give her a vertical ice face any day. “And you’re relieved he’s gone.”
“I’m not relieved.” Hannah’s eyes filled. “I spent half the night working out what I was going to say to him, and when I was finally ready to say it, I wake up and he’s not there.”
“You were going to tell him about the baby?”
“All of it. That I love him. That I’m pregnant—” She choked on the words. “Mom and I talked for ages last night. We talked about Luke—”
“Luke?”
“About how he hasn’t let the accident influence the choices he has made. And I realized I’ve let the accident, and my relationship with our father, influence almost every decision I’ve made. Beth is overprotective of her kids, Mom is overprotective of me and I’m overprotective of myself! I use avoidance to protect myself from hurt and it has to stop.”
Posy found it hard to believe she was looking at her strong, secure, sorted sister. “I see that, but you’re assuming he’ll hurt you. Maybe he won’t.” She wished she wasn’t handling this conversation on less than five hours of sleep. “I don’t have anything wise and expert to say. I wish I did. But I do know Adam is a decent guy. A good guy. And I think you already love him, so how is it going to hurt less if you send him away?”
Hannah sniffed. “Since when did you get so good at logic and reasoning?”
“Since I’ve been spending time with my exceptionally smart older sister,” Posy said.
“I don’t think I’m brave enough for love. You throw yourself into it. Look how you are with Luke—we’ll see how it goes—you don’t try and protect yourself. You don’t worry about what happens if it goes wrong. You treat love the same way you treat the mountains—you just get out there and savor every moment.”
“Because I’ve been lucky. I’ve never doubted I was loved, Hannah. I’ve never felt I had to change, or that I wasn’t good enough.”
Posy put her arms round her sister and felt her tense.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m hugging you. I’m reminding you that whatever happens, you’re not on your own. If you’re asking me how to love without being hurt, I don’t know the answer, but if you’re asking me if it’s worth risking hurt to have love in your life, then my answer is yes.” She hoped she wasn’t being too glib about it. If Luke ended up breaking her heart, would she feel it was worth it?
She stood for a moment wondering if she’d said the wrong thing, and then Hannah hugged her back.
“I missed you.”
Posy’s throat thickened. “Missed you, too. You couldn’t handle me being hurt, but look at me now.” She squeezed her sister tightly. “I don’t remember the pain, Hannah. I only remember the love. And that’s because of you. You surrounded me with love. That’s my earliest memory. If I’m confident and secure, it’s because of you.”
Hannah pulled away so sharply Posy almost lost her balance. “I need you to do something for me, before I change my mind.”
“Name it.”
“I need you to tell me which cab company might be able to cope with the weather conditions. I could do it myself, but it will take too long. I want to go to the airport. I’m going after Adam, and I want to do it right now before I change my mind.”
Posy grabbed her jeans from the back of the chair and pulled them on. “I’m your cab. And I don’t charge. You’re going to tell him you’re pregnant? Let’s do this.” She gulped down the remains of her coffee and grabbed her coat. “Call him right now and stop him getting on that plane. We need reinforcements. Where’s my phone?” She found it in her coat pocket and for once had a good signal. She called Beth, who answered in a sleepy voice. “Wake up! We’ll meet you by the car in five minutes... I know you normally need more than five minutes to get ready, but just this once please rise to the occasion. It’s a weather emergency.” She used their childhood code. “Are you listening? You can do your makeup in the car.”
Hannah shook her head. “Why did you wake Beth up?”
“Because this mission may require two of us. One to drive, and one to stop you changing your mind and jumping out of the car. Also, Beth will want to be part of this. You should probably tell her you’re pregnant. She might be able to help you.”
“I told her last night. And I told Mom.”
Posy felt a rush of relief that she no longer had to watch what she said, but also a warmth that Hannah had felt able to tell them. “I’m glad.”
“The only person I haven’t told is Adam. Maybe this is a stupid idea. The airport isn’t the best place to have a conversation like this.”
“Call him.” Posy felt almost as desperate as her sister because she knew this situation was partly her fault. “Please call him.”
Hannah fumbled for her phone. “The signal has gone.”
“Then we’d better hope the planes are iced up and delayed. Move!” Posy grabbed her keys and sprinted down the lane toward the car.
