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Her head shot around. ‘And this is how you stop it?’ It was an accusatory tone. And he got that. He did. Lucia would much rather they never spoke about this at all.
He moved to the edge of the bed and picked up his discarded shirt from the floor, pulling it over his head. He shook his head. ‘No, Lucia. This is how I start things. This is how we should start things. By talking.’ He stood up. ‘Now get dressed. We’re going to go for breakfast together.’
He moved across the floor, finding his underwear, crumpled trousers and shoes. If he were a young man, concerned about his appearance, he might be cringing right now at the thought of going out in Venice in last night’s clothes.
But he was a grown-up. An adult. And he had so much more to worry about.
Lucia was scowling at him. The beautiful red dress he’d bought her was bunched up in a little ball. He doubted it would ever look the same. ‘I’m not coming.’
‘Yes, you are.’ He opened the door of her wardrobe, his eyes running rapidly over the colours, and pulled out a flowered dress, throwing it on the bed. ‘Would you like me to select your underwear too?’ He didn’t mean to be cruel. But he wasn’t prepared to take no for an answer. Not after all this time.
She pulled the sheet up under her chin. ‘Stop it, Logan. You can’t bully me into doing what you want. I’m not a child.’
He bent down next to her. ‘I have never bullied you, Lucia. I never will. And you’re right, you’re not a child. You’re a mother—just like I’m a father. Just because our child isn’t here any more it doesn’t change that.’
Her eyes widened. She was shocked. It was the last thing she’d obviously expected to hear. And he wasn’t quite sure where it had come from.
After a few seconds her fingers released on the sheet a little. He sensed the moment and opened the drawer next to her bed, pulling out matching white underwear. ‘I’ll give you a few minutes to get dressed,’ he said, walking to the door and standing in the corridor.
Every part of him was on edge. He had no idea right now if he’d handled this right. He’d spent so long tiptoeing around Lucia that now it felt as if he’d just leapt in wearing a pair of clown-size shoes.
He held his breath, listening for any sign of movement. Any tiny noise.
After a few seconds he heard something. The gentle movement of a sheet. He leaned back against the wall. It didn’t matter that she hated him right now. All that mattered was that they talk. That they really talked.
He walked through to the guest bedroom and quickly washed his face and hands, running his fingers through his hair and brushing his teeth. He had another shirt in his bag but it would probably be equally as rumpled. He hadn’t planned on staying in Venice so clothes were definitely scarce.
It was too warm for a jacket so he walked through to the main room and waited for Lucia to appear.
It only took a few moments. She hadn’t bothered with make-up and her hair was pulled back in a clasp. The yellow and pink flowered dress made her look much younger.
His heartbeat turned up a little notch. It was almost like turning back time. She had a white canvas bag in her hand and some flat sandals on her feet. But she’d never looked so beautiful.
He walked over to the main door and held it open. ‘Let’s go.’
There was a sinking feeling in his stomach. Almost as if he knew how this could turn out.
Lucia didn’t even glance at him as she walked past. She had that determined edge to her chin.
But he could be equally determined. It was time to show her how much.
* * *
Talk about an awkward morning after. She couldn’t believe she’d allowed herself to get into this position.
She knew so much better than this.
She was an adult and knew exactly what going for dinner and wine with Logan could lead to. The sexual chemistry between them had always been off the chart, but add into that the dress-buying and dancing and, well...what chance had she really had?
She held her head up proudly as she walked down the street towards her favourite café. This wasn’t like doing a walk of shame the next day after a night-time encounter.
Logan had been the man she’d lived with. He’d been the man who’d cherished and treasured her. He’d been the man she’d loved with her whole heart.
She still did.
Her feet stumbled on the uneven street. Logan caught her elbow and she tugged it away. Where had that thought come from?
She squeezed her eyes closed for a second. This was because of last night. Memories of what had been and how good they had been together. She was being sentimental, nothing more. So why was her stomach permanently in knots?
