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Ruby smiled, her heart melting. According to Maddy, Mia had started nursery a few weeks ago and had got into the habit of calling everyone Miss. It was just one more adorable thing about the toddler. Her live-wire chatter, her cherubic face, the bright green eyes and cap of soft blond curls were a few others. Ruby could see why any mother would forgive her for waking at the crack of dawn that morning.
Leaving Cal sound asleep upstairs over an hour ago, Ruby had pitched in to help when she’d seen how exhausted both Rye and Maddy were after their early-morning wake-up call—and how much they still had to do to be ready for their daughter’s party at noon. Plus she’d needed something to do, to take her mind off the peculiar way her heart had leapt into her throat when she’d woken up to find herself cradled in Cal’s arms.
‘Tell me again how many children you have coming,’ Ruby asked as she swirled the buttercream icing onto the sponge base while her pint-size sous chef plucked strawberries out of the punnet as if she were prospecting for gold.
Maddy sent her a flustered grin. ‘I’m not sure. All Mia’s friends have older or younger siblings and it felt mean not to invite them too. And…’ she threw up her hands in desperation ‘… basically I think we have half of Cornwall’s under-fives on the guest list.’
Ruby shook her head, laughing. ‘It’s official. Both you and Rye are completely insane.’
‘I thought I had everything under control. But somehow things just sneak up on you. I still can’t believe I forgot the cake.’
‘I can,’ Ruby said, marvelling anew at how Maddy could even remember her own name amidst the chaos. Finishing the final swirl of the icing, she placed the cake in front of Mia. ‘Do you want to add the strawberries?’
‘Can I?’ Mia said with a reverential breath.
‘Whose cake is it?’
‘My cake,’ Mia piped.
‘Well, then, I guess that’s okay.’
Mia gave a little hoot and began carefully placing the strawberries on top.
‘You’re marvellous with her,’ Maddy said. ‘And that cake is awesome. When you have kids of your own, their friends are going to be begging for party invitations.’
‘Thanks.’ Ruby brushed off the compliment despite the pang kicking her ribs again. She hadn’t given it a lot of thought. But she couldn’t imagine children being on the horizon any time soon. Why should the thought make her life feel empty all of a sudden?
She heard a loud sniff from behind her, and glanced round to see a tear slip down Maddy’s cheek. ‘Is everything all right?’
‘Ignore me.’ Maddy huffed as she whipped a tissue out of the pocket of her shorts. ‘It’s the pregnancy hormones, they turn me into a basket case.’ She blew her nose loudly, brushed away the trickle of tears. ‘I’m just so happy Cal’s finally found someone like you.’
‘Oh.’ Ruby’s smile faltered. ‘We’re not exactly…’ She paused, not wanting to ruin Maddy’s happy grin. ‘We’ve only known each other a few days. It’s nothing serious.’
‘I know, I know.’ Maddy waved the tissue. ‘I’m letting what Cal likes to call my hopeless romantic gene get ahead of itself and probably scaring the life out of you. And I’m sure Cal would throttle me if he heard me saying this. But you’re so perfect for him. It’s hard not to hope for the best for the two of you.’
Ruby gave a half-smile, her heart galloping into her throat, and had absolutely no idea what to say. Maddy really was a hopeless romantic. The very idea that Ruby was perfect for anyone seemed a little absurd. But perfect for Cal? She doubted that.
The tiny glimpse she’d got last night of the man behind the confident, charismatic charmer had touched her deeply. Her heart had gone out to that vulnerable little boy, forced to keep such a hideous secret for so long. She’d wanted to reach out to him. To somehow make it right. To break through that cast-iron control that she now suspected was a result of a desperately insecure childhood.
Then when he’d made love to her, with a raw passion that had consumed them both, for a few blissful moments of afterglow she’d deluded herself into believing it had been more than just sex.
But as she’d lain awake beside him this morning, watching him sleeping, those long lashes touching chiselled cheeks and making him look young and boyish, she’d realised how ludicrous that was—and had pulled herself back from the brink.
Cal would probably want to throttle her too if he could have heard the soft, fluffy direction of her thoughts. Both of them were perfectly clear this was a one-weekend fling. Nothing more or less. The idea that he had needed her in some elemental way had simply been a figment of her overactive imagination.
‘I don’t understand him at all, you know,’ Maddy said, the wistful note in her voice making Ruby’s heart skitter in her chest. This was not a conversation she needed to be having right now. Trying to figure Cal out was what had made her so delusional last night.
‘Men make it their mission in life to be completely obtuse. Cal’s just like the rest of his breed,’ Ruby replied, trying for flippant. And not quite pulling it off.
‘I don’t understand why he’s always tried to distance himself from me and my family,’ Maddy continued. ‘And why he never gets close to the women he dates. I think it has something to do with Mum and Dad and the constant rows, but he won’t admit it.’
‘How do you mean?’ It was a leading question, which Ruby knew she ought to take back the minute it popped out of her mouth. She shouldn’t be encouraging this. Callum Westmore was a glorified one-night stand. The man and his past and the complex emotions he had stirred in her last night were better left alone.
‘Cal says he doesn’t believe in love. That it doesn’t exist.’ Maddy sighed. ‘But I don’t think that’s true. It’s not that he doesn’t believe in love. It’s that he doesn’t trust it. Or rather he’s scared to trust it. Because if he did he’s convinced he’d end up in the sort of misery our parents called a marriage.’
‘From what Cal’s told me, it doesn’t sound like your parents ever loved each other.’
‘They didn’t.’ Maddy’s eyes rounded. ‘He’s talked to you about them?’
