by Amber Nox
“Oh, absolutely,” she says with a smile. “But I don’t think you really need the work, Scarlett.”
I don’t, but I don’t admit this.
“What will you do about Mr Hansen now?” she asks.
“I don’t know. Nothing, I suppose.”
Disappointment floods her face. “Darling, life is short, very short. You have to seize opportunities as they arise. Don’t let something good go because you’re afraid.”
“I’m not afraid.”
She smiles. “Of course not. Go home and call the man.”
I agree, but when I get home I don’t call Jake. Instead, I lie on my bed and think about all the things I could have done differently. I come to the conclusion there’s nothing I would have changed other than not leaving after the argument. I should have stayed and fought my corner. Now, that opportunity is lost, and with it Jake is lost to me too.
20
Jake
“I just don’t understand why you’d resort to that,” my father says over coffee two days later.
Waking up without Evelyn—or Scarlett—was strange. I didn’t like it at all. I wanted her in my bed, in my life. The cold side sheets were a stark reminder that’s not on the cards.
I threw myself into work, thinking that would help, but it hasn’t. I can’t concentrate. I can’t think of anything but her. I want her back, but I don’t know if she feels the same.
I find myself wondering how she’s dealing with the fallout, if she’s okay, and I want to be with her desperately.
“I’ve told you a hundred times why,” I mutter, my leash short this morning. I don’t want to talk about this, not with him.
“But to tell such a bizarre lie. Really, Jake, I’m starting to wonder about your sanity. Who hires an escort?”
“You miss her,” my mother interjects, her hand going to my father’s forearm, silencing him. I’m grateful she does, because I’m about two steps from saying something I shouldn’t.
“Yeah, I miss her.”
“Then why are you sitting here, moping.”
“Juliet!” Dad exclaims, nearly sloshing his coffee over the edge of the mug. “Please tell me you’re not suggesting he goes after the girl.”
“He loves her. It’s clear to me he does, and love doesn’t come into our lives often, Robert. We have to seize moments when they arise.”
I cock a brow. “I didn’t think you’d be on my side.”
“Do I wish you’d met under different circumstance, of course, but darling, all I want is for you to be happy, and when she was here you were. Now, you’re not.”
I’m really not. My gut feels like there’s a knife buried in it.
“I turned her life upside down. She’s probably unemployed because of me.”
My father eyes me. “You love her?”
“When I’m with her my world feels right. She makes me calm, and yet she fires me up, too.” I’m not sure I’m making any sense, but Dad nods, seemingly understanding.
“I don’t pretend to like what you pulled, but I can see this woman means something to you.”
“She does,” I agree. “She means a lot. I’ve never felt this way about another woman.”
“So, why are you still sitting here?”
It’s a good point. Why am I still sitting here when I want her?
“I don’t know her address—all I know is she lives in London.”
Dad laces his fingers together on the top of the counter. “It sounds like you’re making excuses rather than going and getting your woman back,” Dad mutters.
He’s right. I am making excuses. I might not know her address, but I do know the address of the agency I hired her from. It’s not much, but it’s a start.
I push up from the breakfast bar and slide my coffee mug on the table.
“What if she doesn’t want me back?”
“There’s only one way to find out, son.” Dad eyes me.
I head out to my car and climb in. My heart should be in my throat, but I feel nothing but calm. As I drive towards London, all I can think about is seeing her again and how it’ll feel to have her in my arms.
The drive takes too long, my impatience dogging my heels. As the countryside gives way to the urban sprawl of the capital, my stomach starts to churn and doubts plague me. What if she wants nothing to do with me? Maybe leaving opened her eyes to how this was nothing more than a brief fling.
Fear clamps around my spine as I head towards the Clerkenwell area of London and by the time I pull up outside Francesca’s business, my belly is in knots.
Climbing out, I glance up at the fancy looking building and take a deep breath before entering. My heart is now racing and I wipe my moist palms on my trousers as I step inside.
Francesca spots me through the window into her office and comes to her feet quickly.
“Mr Hansen. I’m sorry about what happened. I was just readying to call you and offer my apologies.”
“There’s no need to apologise. I need to speak to Evelyn—Scarlett.”
She frowns at me. “That’s not going to be possible.”
“I need to speak to her, Francesca. I’m losing my mind thinking about how we left things. Please.”
Her tongue dips out and wets her bottom lip. “This is highly irregular.”
“I know, and I know I caused you nothing but trouble, but I can’t let Scarlett go. Not now. I need her to hear that.”
A sigh follows. “I’ll call her and ask her to come here.”
Relief floods me. “Thank you.”
“I can’t guarantee she’ll come, but I’ll try.”
I nod. “That’s all I ask.”
She gestures to two plush looking chairs outside her office. “Take a seat.”
I sink down into the nearest one and clasp my hands between my spread knees, my mind in overdrive. What if she doesn’t come? What if she doesn’t want to meet with you again?
But what if she does?
What if she wants to take a chance?
This is all I can hope for.
I wait, watching Francesca through the glass. I can’t make out what she’s saying, but she’s doing a lot of nodding. That must be good, right?
I jiggle my knee as she hangs up, lets out a breath and pushes to her feet. I come upright myself. I wait, holding my breath as she steps back into the room.
“She’s on her way.”
Relief fills me that she hasn’t given up on us and that I’m going to see her again.
21
Scarlett
Jake is here, in London. My heart flutters in my chest as I make my way across the city towards Clerkenwell. I barely notice the bustle on the Tube as I navigate the underground rail service to my destination. All I can think about is Jake and him being here.
By the time I reach Francesca’s office my hands are trembling. I don’t know what I’m going to do or say when I see him again. All I know is the past few days have been hell. I missed him in a way I didn’t think was possible and the urge to see him again is overwhelming.
When I step inside the building, my heart is no longer fluttering, but racing. My eyes search the reception area for him and when they lock on him, I feel the butterflies take flight in my belly. I watch as his gaze crawls over my face for a second before he’s moving.
Then I’m in his arms and his mouth is on mine. He takes, claiming and capturing my lips as he devours me. My hands skim up his back, needing to feel him, needing to take him as much as he needs me. It’s a desperate kiss, one born of relief and want, of loss and rekindling.
His fingers tangle in the short hair at my nape, pulling me deeper into his kiss and I go willingly. I want everything he’s offering and more.
We break apart, gasping for air and I can’t help the relieved laughter that bubbles out of my throat.
“You came.”
“I missed you,” he tells me.
Francesca, I notice, is no longer in her office and we’re alone. I tug him over to the chai
rs in the waiting area and urge him to sit, which he does, but he doesn’t release my hand for a second. The running of his thumb over the back of my hand is more soothing than I care to admit.
“Scarlett,” he says my name, as if he’s testing it on his tongue. “Come home with me, please.”
I swallow hard. “But your family… friends… they think I’m selling my body, Jake.”
“They don’t, and I don’t care what they think anyway. I want you. I need you. These past few days have been hell.”
For me too, so his words warm me.
“It’s not as simple as just running away together.” I have no idea why I’m making excuses for something I want with all my heart.
He squeezes my hand gently. “It’s as simple as you want me and I want you. I want to explore this thing between us and see where we end up. Scarlett, I’ve never felt this way about another woman and I think that bears repeating. You’re the only woman I’ve ever been with that has consumed me like this. If you tell me you don’t feel the same, I’ll get in my car and leave, but if there’s a chance for us, I want to take it.”
I meet his gaze, falling into those deep pools, and I nod. “I feel the same. I don’t know what it is about you, but when I’m with you my world quietens.”
His forehead comes to mine, his hand cupping my cheek.
“I don’t know if this is love, but all I know is being without you was horrid.”
“The bed felt so empty,” I agree.
“Come home with me.”
“To the vineyard?”
“Yes.”
“What about my flat here?”
“Keep it, don’t keep it. I don’t mind what you do, but come back with me and let’s start the week again as Scarlett and Jake, with no barriers between us.”
There are a thousand reasons to say no, and only one to say yes—the fact that I do think I love him. My feelings are so strong I can’t ignore them. I’ve never had this instant connection before, but we feel like we fit together perfectly, like we’re meant to be.
I close my eyes even as I nod my head.
“I’d like that very much.”
He captures my mouth again, this time giving me a more chaste, sedate kiss, one that is filled with gratitude.
“Thank you.”
I laugh slightly. “You’ve tipped my world on its head.”
“That works both ways.”
I text Francesca telling her we’re leaving and she sends me a message back telling me to follow my heart. Then, Jake and I walk out to the car and climb into it. We head back to my flat to pick up some things, then get on the road.
During the drive back to Cornwall, we talk about our likes and dislikes, our favourite movies, what we do for fun. I love learning all these details about him first-hand, rather than from a document, although a lot of these things I already knew.
When we pull into the vineyard, my stomach starts to churn. I wonder what reception I’ll get from his parents. Are they going to make things difficult?
As if sensing my anxiety, Jake reaches out and squeezes my knee. “It’ll be fine, darling. I promise.”
I believe him, so I let my apprehension drain away as much as I can. When he stops the car outside the double garage, I see his parents are standing in the doorway of the house, watching.
I take a deep breath and climb out. Jake following suit. And I wait for the tirade I’m expecting. It doesn’t come. As we approach, his mother comes to meet us and takes my hands in hers.
I don’t know what she’s going to do, so I brace for impact.
“You make him happy,” she surprises me by saying.
“I try to.”
“Keep doing that.”
I nod. Robert isn’t as welcoming, but he gives me a lift of his chin in acknowledgment. It’ll do.
“Mum, Dad, this is Scarlett. My girl.”
Joy fills me at his words. His girl. “Pleased to meet you both.”
“Well, let’s go and grab a coffee and do this properly. I want to really know the woman who has captured my son’s heart.”
Juliet turns and walks back into the house, Robert on her heels. I glance up at Jake and he smiles at me.
“Come on, Scarlett. Let’s get the interrogation over with.”
“Of course.”
We head inside and he’s not wrong. Juliet interrogates me about every aspect of my life, and I give her the information willingly. With no barriers between me and Jake, I’m no longer his fake girlfriend, but his real one.
Epilogue
Scarlett
Two years later…
“Jake, have you seen my keys?”
I skim my hands over the stack of magazines on the coffee table, expecting to find them hiding under there, but there’s no sign of them.
“You’d lose your head if it wasn’t screwed on.”
When I glance up at my husband, he’s leaning against the door jamb, my keys dangling from his finger.
It’s been nearly two years since we first met, six weeks since we married. My life has changed significantly since then. For a month we tried the long-distance thing, but it was too hard. I missed him. I wanted to be with him all the time. I moved to the vineyard, giving up my London flat, and restarting my life in the Cornish countryside. It should have been a terrifying thing, but it was so easy, because of Jake. I wanted to be with him and distance was getting in the way. It was hard leaving Francesca and Nate behind, but I still visit London.
We’ve settled into a good routine, with Jake spending his days in the office across the courtyard overseeing the business, and I got myself a little part time job in Bodmin. I didn’t need to. I have more than enough money, and Jake is comfortable enough to take care of us both, but I wanted something to keep me busy. Sitting at home all day would have driven me crazy.
“This is why I have you,” I step up to him and press my lips to his.
He scans my face. “Is everything okay with you. You’ve been a little quiet lately.”
I have, and for good reason. I’m holding onto a secret, one I want to share, but I’m not sure what he’ll make of it.
“I’m… I think I’m pregnant.”
I can see it takes him a moment to catch on to my words, but when he does his eyes flare. “You think?”
“I need to buy a test. I was going to get one today, while I’m out, but I’m fairly certain I am.”
I’m on birth control, but I was ill a few months ago and couldn’t keep it down. We used condoms for a while, but we weren’t always careful. It’s no surprise we got caught out.
I’ve suspected I’m pregnant for a few weeks now, but I thought it was in my head. As soon as I threw up yesterday afternoon, I knew I needed a test. I’m not worried Jake will be angry, but I do worry how having a baby will affect our lifestyle. He works hard. A child is a big commitment.
He scrubs a hand over his face and sinks onto the nearest armchair. “Pregnant?”
His reaction has me worrying slightly. “Are you upset?”
Jake’s gaze snaps in my direction. “Absolutely not. I’m just… shocked, I suppose.” He pushes back up. “Come on. We’re going into town and buying a test right now.”
“Jake, you have work. So do I.”
“I don’t care about work right now. I care about whether my wife is pregnant with my child or not.”
He pulls me into his arms and I go willingly. It’s my favourite place to be
“A baby…”
“I know, but let’s do the test first, before we count our blessings.”
He brushes his lips over mine.
We head into town and grab a test. Jake is so keen to find out we don’t even drive home. We go to a small cafe off the high street and I take the test in the bathroom.
I find him pacing outside, his hair sticking up as if he’s been raking his fingers through his hair. “Well?”
I nod. “It’s positive.”
The smile that spreads across his face is co
ntagious, and I find myself matching it. He kisses me hard, needy and wet and when he pulls back he says, “You’ve made me the happiest man on the planet. I didn’t think I could get happier, but you proved me wrong again.”
“That works both ways, darling. You completely changed my life.”
“I love you.”
“I love you too.”
Seven months later we welcome our beautiful daughter Francesca into our lives.
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About the Author
Amber Nox is a Brit, who loves writing swoon-worthy romance stories with a happily ever after. The happier the better.