His arm tightened even more around her. Enough to make her shoulder ache harder but there was no way Becca wanted him to loosen that possessive kind of grip. There was an edge of desperation in the hold that squeezed her heart to breaking point and made that odd pain more intense. She didn’t have a chest injury. She just had a heart that needed healing.
She slipped her arms around this man she loved so much.
‘Have you ever stopped to think how much we miss out on by thinking like that? That that is what’s really stupid?’
‘Maybe …’ The admission was cautious. ‘Once or twice. recently.’
‘What if we got told, right now, that we both only had a day to live? How would you want to spend it?’
‘In bed.’ She could hear the smile in his voice. ‘With you.’
‘Mmm.’ Becca tilted her face up and found her lips only an inch or two away from Jet’s. ‘Good answer.’
The kiss was perfect. Soft and slow. So tender it made her melt. It could easily have grown into something much more passionate but Becca pulled back. She needed to finish what she’d started. For both their sakes.
‘What if it was a year, Jet?’
‘I’d still want to spend it with you.’
Becca gave a soft chuckle. ‘In bed?’
‘Not all the time. We could do something else in the daytimes.’
‘Like dodging landmines in Afghanistan?’
‘No way. You’re not going anywhere near anything that dangerous.’
‘Maybe you could be a flying doctor and I could be your pilot.’
‘Hmm.’ Jet was actually giving this serious thought. ‘If we only had a year, wouldn’t you want to have a bit more of a challenge? Use your skills to do something a little bit dangerous but really worthwhile?’
‘Like what? ‘
‘Oh … join Médicins Sans Frontières, perhaps?’
‘Not a bad idea.’ Becca thought about it for a nanosecond. ‘No, it’s a great idea. Let’s do it.’
‘OK.’
‘But what then?’
‘What do you mean? You said we only had a year to live.’
‘What if we don’t? It’s far more likely that we’ll be some of the lucky ones and have thirty or forty or fifty years left.’
She could actually hear Jet swallow. He was holding her with both arms now. As though he never wanted to let her go. As though he couldn’t.
‘I’d still want to spend them with you. I’d want a house for us to live in and … and kids. A little girl who looked just like you.’
‘And a boy? ‘
She could lose herself in those dark eyes that were fixed on hers. She could read exactly what was going on behind them, too. A little boy might look like her, as well. Like Matt. And she could see something else. Something she’d never, ever seen before.
‘You’re … crying.’
‘Am not. I haven’t cried since I was about six years old.’
Becca stroked the moisture away from his cheeks as Jet squeezed his eyes shut.
‘What happened to Matt.it wasn’t your fault,’ she said softly. ‘I know that now. Can you ever forgive me?’
Jet cleared his throat. ‘Don’t need to.’
‘Yes, you do.’
‘No.’ His eyes were open again, locked on hers. ‘I forgave you a long time ago, Becca. About the same time I finally forgave myself.’ He touched her lips with his. ‘I love you. I can’t spend another day away from you because … if you’re not right, it might be the only chance I get to feel like this.’
Becca caught her lip between her teeth. ‘Alive?’
He was watching her mouth but his gaze lifted to catch hers again. ‘Really alive,’ he murmured. ‘Like I’ve just been born or something.’
He kissed her again and this time it spiralled into much more than tenderness. Becca found herself pushed into the tussock but it put pressure on her shoulder and she winced. Jet drew back instantly.
‘You have hurt yourself, haven’t you?’
‘Just a bruise or two. Nothing a soak in a bath and a good sleep won’t fix. Don’t suppose you could give me a ride back to town?’
Jet helped her up to her feet. ‘Not a problem.’ His grin was wicked. ‘You don’t really think you’re going to get a good sleep, though, do you?’
Becca grinned right back. ‘Not a problem. I can sleep when I’m dead.’ She felt his hand tighten around hers and she squeezed back. ‘That’s a very long way off,’ she assured Jet. ‘I know I’m right. We’re going to be amongst the lucky ones. We’ll have the rest of our lives. For ever.’
‘We’re already the luckiest people on earth. We’ve got each other.’ He started leading her up the slope towards where his bike was on the road but then he paused and smiled down at her. ‘For ever is a nice long time, isn’t it?’
Becca nodded happily. She dropped the helmet she was carrying and put both her hands around Jet’s neck.
‘But don’t you go thinking that’s a good excuse not to make the most of every second.’
She didn’t need to exert any pressure to bring his face down to hers.
‘I won’t,’ he murmured, as his lips covered hers. ‘And that’s a promise. I love you.’
Becca wanted to say it back but her lips and breath had been captured. She had to say it with her kiss instead.
And that was not a problem.
EPILOGUE
THE three men stood in close proximity.
Tall. Dark. Silent.
Clad in uniform black leather, motorbike helmets dangled from one hand. They each held an icy, uncapped bottle of lager in the other hand.
Moving as one, they raised the bottles and touched them together, the dull clink of glass a sombre note.
Speaking as one, their voices were equally sombre.
‘To Matt,’ was all they said.
‘Yes,’ a much softer voice chimed in. ‘To Matt.’
The smaller figure making a circle with the three men had to stretch to touch her bottle to the others. She also had a motorbike helmet dangling from her hand and was dressed in black leather from head to toe, albeit with a few more decorative studs.
‘Eleven years,’ Jet said solemnly.
‘And you’ve always managed to be together to make this tribute ride? Every single year?’
‘Every year,’ Max nodded.
‘It’s sacred,’ Rick added. ‘Always will be.’
‘Sure will.’ Max was smiling now. ‘This marks another anniversary now, too. A really happy one.’
‘The day you met Ellie.’ Jet nodded. ‘And Mattie was born.’
‘I wish I’d known,’ Becca said wistfully. ‘About the rides. I used to go and put flowers on Matt’s grave on the anniversary and sit there and talk to him for a while. I’ll bet he was laughing at me coz he knew I was missing out on the fun you guys were having.’
‘He comes with us,’ Max said. ‘Rides pillion.’
The others nodded. Jet’s glance at Becca was a warning. ‘That’s all you’re going to be doing from now on,’ he said quietly enough not to be overheard. ‘If that.’
Becca looked mutinous but Jet’s smile had a smug edge to it.
‘Let’s join the girls,’ Max suggested. ‘The other girls,’ he amended hastily as he caught Becca’s glare.
Sarah and Ellie were in the kitchen as the small group came inside Max’s house from where they’d been out on the terrace. They both exchanged glances with their husbands, understanding their absence but welcoming them back from a space they hadn’t wanted to intrude on.
The ‘bad boy’ space.
Only now it was the ‘bad boy and girl’ space.
One girl, anyway. His girl. He could feel his chest having to expand to accommodate that warm, buzzy sensation. Pride? No. It was more than that. Way more.
Jet draped his arm across Becca’s shoulders, loving the way her hair had grown long enough to tickle his hand. Loving even more the way she pressed in closer. As if it was
exactly where she wanted to be—as close as possible to him.
‘How was the ride?’ Sarah asked.
‘Awesome.’
A small boy with soft black curls was at the far end of the country-style kitchen. He was bent over, his hands firmly grasped by a baby, who was trying very hard to walk but had no balance. A large, shaggy dog was plodding beside them, watching the progress intently. The boy’s face was tilted up, however, his gaze fixed on Rick.
‘I’ll be able to go along with you one day, won’t I, Dad?’
‘Sure.’
‘Over my dead body,’ Sarah said mildly.
Rick grinned and winked at Josh. ‘I’m working on it,’ he told the boy. ‘We’ve still got plenty of time to convince your mum.’
Josh sighed theatrically. ‘Becca got to go this time,’ he grumbled.
‘Of course she did. Matt was her big brother.’ Max dropped to his haunches and held his arms out. With a squeal of glee, the baby let go of Josh’s hands and hurled herself forward in a tottering run that could only end in collapse. Fortunately, Max had judged the distance perfectly and he swept the tiny girl into his arms and stood up.
‘Did Mummy see that, do you think, Mattie?’
‘She did,’ Ellie smiled. She planted a kiss on the back of her daughter’s head. ‘Clever girl.’
‘I’ll have one of those,’ Max said. ‘I’m clever, too.’
Rick snorted. ‘Who told you that?’
‘Hey … I got us all together for the anniversary, didn’t I? You said I’d never persuade Jet and Becca to come back from the wilds of South America.’
‘Actually,’ Jet said apologetically, ‘we had to come back anyway.’
‘Oh?’
They had everyone’s attention all of a sudden.
‘But didn’t you plan on spending a full year with MSF?’
‘They have rules, apparently.’
‘About what?’
‘About where you’re allowed to be if you’re pregnant.’
The silence was absolute for all of two heartbeats and then it erupted into cries of congratulations and everybody trying to be heard at once. Harry, the dog, let out a volley of excited barking and baby Mattie clapped her hands and shrieked joyfully. Rick and Max thumped Jet on the back and then hugged Becca a lot more gently.
Sarah and Ellie were both smiling through happy tears.
‘How far along are you?’
‘Twelve weeks.’
Sarah and Rick looked at each other and they both laughed.
‘What’s so funny?’ Jet demanded.
‘Well, we were kind of waiting for the right moment to tell you lot but—’
‘I’m twelve weeks along, too,’ Sarah told Becca.
‘They’ll be like twins,’ Ellie said happily. ‘Except. where are you going to live?’
‘Haven’t thought that far yet,’ Jet said. ‘We might hang around for a bit, though. We thought maybe it’s about time we got, you know.’
‘Married?’ The squeal from Ellie could easily rival one of Mattie’s.
‘Your garden’s had a bit of practice as a venue,’ Becca said to Max. ‘We were wondering if—’
‘Yes,’ Max interrupted, grinning from ear to ear. ‘Of course. When?’
‘Soon.’ Jet and Becca spoke at the same time.
‘It’ll be the third wedding here,’ Ellie observed. ‘You guys are extra lucky, did you know that?’
Jet looked down at the woman he loved with all his heart and soul. She was looking right back at him and it was exactly the same look of love that was making her eyes glow like stars.
‘Yeah …’ His smile got caught. On that lump in his throat, maybe. ‘I knew that.’
‘I think we all are.’ Max had one arm around Ellie now, with Mattie still tucked under the other arm. Rick was moving towards Sarah.
Josh eyed all the adults in the room. ‘You’re all going to do gross stuff like kissing, aren’t you?’ He sighed, even more heavily than he had last time. ‘Come on, Harry. We’re outta here.’
All the characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author, and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all the incidents are pure invention.
All Rights Reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Enterprises II BV/S.à.r.l. The text of this publication or any part thereof may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, storage in an information retrieval system, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.
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® and TM are trademarks owned and used by the trademark owner and/or its licensee. Trademarks marked with ® are registered with the United Kingdom Patent Office and/or the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market and in other countries.
First published in Great Britain 2011
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of Harlequin (UK) Limited,
Eton House, 18-24 Paradise Road, Richmond, Surrey TW9 1SR
© Alison Roberts 2011
ISBN: 978-1-408-92493-8
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