He ran his hand through his hair. The light was fading, casting the room into shadows. Sandi’s gaze was fixed on him, her face pale.
“Lizzie told me the meeting was at eight p.m., at our offices. I was waiting around the corner when Stephen picked up Craig and Dad from home, and I followed them in the car to the office. Halfway there, a truck came out of a side road and barreled into Stephen’s car.”
Sandi brought her hand up to cover her mouth. “Oh, Jace.”
“The car skidded across the road and rolled into a ditch. I pulled up behind them and tried to drag them out. Stephen was already dead. I couldn’t get Craig out, and he was dead by the time the ambulance turned up. I managed to get Dad out, but he died on the way to the hospital.”
Sandi’s eyes were glistening. “That’s so awful. What happened to the truck?”
“It vanished,” Jace said. “But not before I got the number on the license plate.”
Her mouth formed an O. “Did you tell the police?”
“Yes. It took them a while to track it down, but they eventually discovered it was registered to a sub-company of the Martins.”
“Oh Jesus.”
“The case came to court, and one of the major pieces of evidence was the fact that I’d witnessed the accident and seen the license plate. The morning of the trial, I had a visit from two of the Martin brothers.” He looked away, going cold at the memory, even though over two years had passed. “They told me that if I gave evidence, they’d take me out too.”
“What did you do?”
“Gave evidence anyway,” he said. “I wasn’t going to be bullied out of it. Martin senior and two of the brothers were put away, but the oldest brother had gone into hiding, and the police haven’t been able to track him down. I had to go into witness protection. He would have killed me, I don’t have any doubt about that. I had to leave, and promise not to contact my mother or Lizzie, or her new baby girl. I haven’t spoken to my mother since I left, but I have spoken to Lizzie, just to make sure she’s all right. I feel I owe Stephen that.”
“Couldn’t she have come up with you?” Sandi whispered.
“The Martins weren’t interested in her, and she didn’t want to leave—she has her friends and her own family around her. She’ll be fine.”
“And your mother?”
He placed the glass on the table with slightly more force than was necessary. “At the funeral, Philip Martin—the oldest brother—sent a wreath in the shape of a car.”
“Jesus, that’s cruel.”
“Mum lost it completely. She told me she blamed me for not stopping them going to the meeting. She said I’d known it was going to end badly, and I should have made more of an effort to intervene. She said I was a coward because I hadn’t been with them, and that I always thought I was better than them because I didn’t want a part in the family business. She told me she never wanted to see me again. So I left, and I haven’t spoken to her since.”
“Oh, Jace.”
“Lizzie tried to get me to talk to her the other day,” he admitted, “but I couldn’t. I know she was burying her husband and her two sons, and she wasn’t in her right mind, but the things she said to me...” Tears pricked his eyes, and he massaged the bridge of his nose. “You can’t ever forget things like that. Those words were branded onto my brain, and I don’t think they’ll ever go.”
Despair swept over him. He’d lost his family, and now he’d lost Sandi, because he’d been stupid enough not to trust her. He didn’t deserve her. It would serve him right if she got up now and just walked out the door.
She put her feet to the floor and stood. He kept his head down, too tired and dispirited to argue with her to stay. He waited for her to collect her purse and walk past him.
But she stopped before him. Climbed on top of him, straddling his thighs. And put her arms around him.
More shocked than he cared to admit, he slid his arms around her waist and rested his cheek on her chest. She smelled heavenly, of the warm evening and jasmine, reminding him of Sam and Ginger’s wedding, and dancing with her under the stars.
She wasn’t leaving. She’d forgiven him.
Tempted to bawl like a toddler, he managed to keep it in, and let her soft kisses on his face take away his pain.
Chapter Twenty-Three
SANDI HELD HIS FACE in her hands and pressed her lips across his cheeks.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered, his voice hoarse with emotion. “I should have told you earlier. I’m sorry for causing you any pain.”
She stopped his words with her lips, taking her time to kiss him. But he wasn’t to be silenced.
“I love you,” he said when she left his lips to kiss up to his ear.
“I love you, too,” she whispered.
“There’s been nobody but you since you came to Blue Penguin Bay,” he said. “I swear.”
“I know.” She kissed back to his mouth.
“I don’t have any right to ask you to stay,” he said in between kisses. “I know that.”
“I’m staying,” she told him. “I’m not going anywhere.”
And there wasn’t anything else to say. She stripped off her tunic and bra, then stood briefly to remove her jeans and panties. When she climbed back on, she whipped off his T-shirt, and then helped him to unzip his jeans and free his erection.
They’d stopped using condoms after the first few times, when she’d told him she was on the pill, and now she guided the tip of his erection between her thighs until it brushed her entrance, then sank slowly down onto him.
“Jesus.” He let his head fall back on the sofa, and she sat still for a moment, enjoying the sensation of being filled and stretched, of him being inside her, so intimate, as if they were almost one person.
She didn’t have to quiz him to know what he’d said was true. This time, she wholly trusted her instincts. This man had suffered, and he’d kept his secrets because he had to. He hadn’t been trying to punish her, and he was truly sorry for upsetting her.
She moved on top of him, rocking her hips, making him slide in and out of her, and kissed him, delving her tongue into his mouth. He slid his hands over her skin, cupped her breasts, stroked up her thighs and over her hips, and held her there as he pushed deeper inside her.
This relationship was new as a shiny coin, and there was so much to discuss she thought they might be able to talk for a fortnight and not say everything they wanted to say. But right now, she wanted to show him how she felt about him, and what he meant to her.
Pleasure was building inside her, and the slick sounds of him sliding through her moist flesh filled the air. She clenched her hands in his hair and kissed his face, her lips touching wet skin as they travelled over his cheeks. Touched beyond words, she lifted her head and looked into his eyes, keeping her gaze fixed on his as he neared his climax.
“Come for me,” she murmured, brushing her lips against his, and his fingers dug into her hips as he thrust up inside her and then stilled and shuddered.
She felt him pulse, and at the thought of his seed inside her, it struck her that one day maybe they’d make a baby, a little piece of him she’d be able to call her own. The thought brought tears to her eyes. She watched him until he’d finished, then slipped her hand between them and circled her fingers over her clit a few times, and then she came too, her orgasm so sweet and relaxed it fit perfectly with the ambience of the early evening.
When she’d done, she rested her forehead against his. “That was lovely.”
“It’s always lovely,” he mumbled. He slid his arms around her and hugged her tightly. “So I haven’t lost you?”
“Of course not.” She kissed his hair. “I thought I might have lost you. I didn’t like Mac ringing the university—I’m sorry about that. We all felt bad as soon as he did it.”
“It’s all right. I’ll have to talk to them all, especially Sam. I’ve lied to you all, and I’m ashamed of that.”
“You had good reason to,” she s
aid. “I’m glad you told me.”
“I couldn’t bear the thought of losing you,” he said, his voice husky with emotion.
In answer, she just kissed him, and hoped it portrayed the strength of her love.
A FEW HOURS LATER, they lay in bed picking at a plate of cheese, crackers, chopped apple, and green and purple grapes.
Sandi had texted Fred and Ginger to tell them everything was fine and she would explain it all tomorrow. Fred had replied with a thumbs-up, and Ginger’s Keep us in suspense, why dontcha! had ended with a smiley face.
They’d fixed themselves a snack and had retired to bed to talk in a way they hadn’t done since they’d gotten together.
Jace related stories about his family that gave her an insight into his upbringing she hadn’t had before. It was as if she’d been given the final piece of the puzzle, and now she could see the whole jigsaw.
“So where do you go from here?” She pushed away the plate, finally sated, in more ways than one. “Do you have to stay in hiding forever?”
“It’s possible the police will eventually track down Philip Martin. I suspect he’s left the country. To be honest, even if they caught him, I don’t know that I’d go back to Dunedin. I’ve made a new life here, I have a great job, lots of friends. I have you.” He smiled. “I like being Jace Hart. I miss Lizzie and little Beth, but apart from that, I don’t miss anything else.”
“What about your mother? Will you ever speak to her again?”
The corner of his mouth curved up. “You think I should.”
Sandi shrugged. “I think it’s likely she regrets the harsh things she said.”
“She was weak.” His voice was harsh. “Blaming everyone else when she did nothing.”
“Not everyone is as strong as you, my darling.” Sandi leaned close and kissed his nose. “You are her only surviving son. I wouldn’t dream of telling you what to do. I can’t imagine what you’ve been through. But you’ll never have another mother. One day, she won’t be around anymore, and it would be a shame if you regret not making up with her.”
“Is that how you feel?” He picked a grape from the bunch and turned it in his fingers. “Do you miss your mother?”
“Of course. She drove me nuts. I think I told you she was bipolar—well, she was high as a kite one day, then down in the dumps the next. She was a drama queen, and always had to be the center of attention. There were times I hated her, and I couldn’t escape home quickly enough when it was time to go to uni. Poor Fred.” Sandi looked down, the usual shame filling her at the thought of what her sister had put up with to enable Ginger and herself to leave home. “Now, I wish I’d done more to help. I should have visited more, and looked after Mum so Fred could have time off. I feel very guilty about that.”
She lifted her chin. “But I can’t do anything about it now, except do my best to put it right. I want to help Fred and Mac when they have the baby—do some babysitting, and make sure I’m around if they need anything. And if I have my own kids, I’ll do my best to be a good mother.”
Jace tipped his head to the side and popped the grape into his mouth. “When.”
“When what?”
“When you have kids, not if.” He chewed, his lips curving up.
“You want children?” She felt breathless as she said it, hope and wonder filling her heart.
He picked up the plate, put it on the bedside table, and shuffled closer to her. He put his hand on her belly. “The thought of putting a baby in here gives me goosebumps,” he murmured. “Can we really do that? Make a real, live person?”
“Apparently.” Her heart thudded against her ribs. “Part me, part you.”
“I think maybe we need to practice a bit more, just to make sure we get it right.” He slid his hand onto her butt and pulled her tightly against him.
“Mmm.” She let him kiss her, rolling onto her back so he could press her into the mattress. She was going to wake up any moment and realize this was all a dream. It was too good to be true, surely?
But she didn’t wake up, and as the moths fluttered around the solar lamps outside and night cast its blanket over the world, they returned to loving each other, long into the night.
THE NEXT DAY, THEY drove over to the vineyard early so Sandi could get breakfast ready for her guests. When she’d done, they met Ginger, Fred, and the guys at Fred and Mac’s house. They all sat around the kitchen table with a coffee, with Scully the German Shepherd dog at their feet, and Jace told them all what he’d told Sandi the night before, leaving nothing out.
“I’m sorry,” he said, looking at Sam. “I feel like I’ve let you down. You asked me to be your best man, and you didn’t even know my real name.”
Sam waved his hand. “Don’t worry about it. You had your reasons, and it’s done now.”
“I’m sorry to all of you,” Jace said. “Everyone at Blue Penguin Bay has been good to me, and the last thing I’d ever want to do is lose your friendship.”
“You won’t,” Ginger said, sniffing as she came up to give him a hug. “I’m sorry we doubted you.”
With a smile, Sandi rose and went over to the sink to wash up her cup, listening to the conversation continue as Sam asked him about his brothers, and Jace began to tell him about Craig and Stephen.
She felt a presence at her side, and turned to see Fred, picking up the cup with a tea towel to wipe it.
“You all right?” Fred asked softly.
Sandi nodded. “I’m fine. We had a long talk last night. He’s been very open with me. I can’t blame him for not telling me everything right at the start. His life was on the line, and besides, he’ll never really understand what I went through. I don’t think you can, unless you’ve been cheated on.”
“I hope I never understand,” Fred said.
Sandi laughed. “Mac would never cheat on you. He worships the ground you walk on.”
“I like to think so.” Fred placed the cup to one side. “But isn’t the point that it’s impossible to tell? None of us wants to be the kind of wife who checks her husband’s pockets for receipts. It’s all about trust, isn’t it? And hope that the person you love wouldn’t do that to you.”
Sandi leaned on the sink and looked out at the vineyard. “My situation was very unusual. Obviously, Brodie was married to someone else from the moment I met him, so I was used to him going away right from the beginning. When you have a partner, and he’s been faithful to you, and then suddenly you notice odd things, like when I saw Jace’s wallet, I think it’s natural to want to ask questions. You do have to trust your gut instinct.” She thought about Jace’s mother. “I think it’s natural for women to bury their heads in the sand when they’re confronted with something that will upset their status quo. That’s what I did. I didn’t want to know. But this time I tackled it head on. I’m glad I did.”
“You never really know a person though, do you?” Fred shivered. “Being with someone is like going into battle wearing only your undies. You really leave yourself open to being wounded, don’t you?”
Sandi put her arm around her sister and gave her a squeeze. “Are you okay? What’s bothering you?”
Fred rested a hand on her belly and smiled. “Don’t mind me. Mum’s been on my mind a lot lately, and obviously with what’s been happening to you... I feel... vulnerable, I guess. A little bit scared.”
“I would think that’s perfectly natural.” Sandi kissed her temple. “But you don’t have anything to worry about. Mac’s not going anywhere. I’ve never seen a prouder pregnant dad. You’ll have me here, and Ginger, and we’re both going to help you through this.”
They exchanged a big hug. “We’ve been through so much,” Fred whispered. “I keep feeling as if I’m going to wake up and it will all have been a dream.”
“That’s exactly what I thought last night,” Sandi admitted as she moved back. “But it’s not. All three of us deserve some happiness. All six of us! We’ve come home, Fred. Blue Penguin Bay is our future, and we’ll be toge
ther, celebrating the good times, and supporting each other when things are difficult. You don’t have to do it all on your own anymore. We’ve all found someone to share our lives with, and we’ve been so lucky. Love like this doesn’t come around often, but when it does, it’s timeless, like the sea—it’ll last forever. You don’t have to worry. We’re all going to be married until we’re old and gray and bickering together in the retirement home.”
Smiling, they turned to look at the others, at Ginger, who was teasing Jace and making him laugh, at Sam, who’d settled in at the new patisserie and was like a cat who’d got the cream, and Mac, who was scratching Scully’s ear, happy and content in his new role as father-to-be.
“Do you think Mum and Dad are watching over us?” Fred murmured.
“If they are, I’m sure they’re smiling at seeing us all so happy.” Sandi took her hand. “Come on. I’ve got rooms to clean and washing to do. The world won’t wait for us!”
And they rejoined the others, as the rays of the early morning sun painted the room with gold.
Epilogue
May—Four months later
JACE AND SAM STOOD under the shade of the wooden archway, waiting for the bride.
“You sure you don’t want to move into the marquee?” Sam asked. “I did book the good weather, but you never know if the email didn’t go through.”
Looking up at the white clouds scudding across the cornflower-blue sky, Jace shook his head. “It won’t rain.”
“I’ll tell you what—I’ll grab a couple of umbrellas, just in case.” Sam went running off.
As Timeless as the Sea Page 17