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‘Uh-huh.’ She shifted her gaze from his and across the grandiose room, filled with cheerful people. ‘It’s been the perfect day, hasn’t it?’
‘It sure has.’
She looked to his piled-high plate. ‘My gosh, are you going to eat all that?’
‘I’m going to give it a good shot.’
‘I’m going to hold you to that.’
‘You do that, Sammie.’ His smile widened. ‘Now let’s go and eat, so I can give this mountain of food time to settle before we have to get up and dance.’
‘Good idea,’ she replied, following him back to their designated bridal table.
And just like that, dinner was done, Shea and Jack had shared their first dance, and she and Connor weaved their way through the tables. Now, finally, she could be in the very place she’d been longing to be, wrapped up in Connor’s arms. His tender, reassuring touch put her at ease as they waltzed around the glittering dance floor. Halfway through Dean Martin’s ‘That’s Amore’, she dared a glance up at him and was giddy in an instant. Heat seeped into her veins, the potency of it pumping her heart harder, faster. Leaning into him a little more, she steadied herself, drawing in a surreptitious breath as she bent her head downwards, her focal point now his broad tanned chest, hinted at from the open button of his shirt.
For goodness sake, was there any part of this man she didn’t find attractive?
‘We feel good together, you and me.’ His voice was dangerously alluring, as too was his breath against her ear.
All she could do in that dreamlike instant was tip her head to him and smile. No words were needed. And in that raw, authentic, eye-opening second, she wanted to throw her arms around him and never let him go. Because when all was said and done, he and Shea were the only two people in this world that knew the real her, the broken messy her, the best her, and all the bits in between, and they still loved her regardless. So she savoured the next few minutes, when it was okay for her to be so dangerously, yet beautifully, close to him. If she could click her fingers right now, and have her life back here, with him, she would.
But life just didn’t work like that.
And when the next song finished, so did their intimate time together, when Shea’s cousin burst in between them and dragged Connor away to dance with her. Samantha didn’t have a second to catch the breath he’d stolen from her before hands grabbed her and swayed her in the opposite direction. The next few hours rushed by, and she found herself in the middle of the dance floor with Shea, having the time of her life with the remaining guests. The dance floor gleamed beneath the glowing fairy lights strung from the ceiling of the grandiose ballroom and the multicoloured party lights sent scatterings of colour over happy faces. In the middle of busting out the moves to ‘Nutbush City Limits’, she caught sight of Connor, watching her. Her stomach somersaulted for what felt like the hundredth time that day. There was something in his intense regard of her, which spoke of everything he was aching to know. And she ached to tell him, to put his mind at ease. She knew he wasn’t much of a read-between-the-lines kind of man. She understood he wanted her to just lay it all out on the table. If only she had the courage to. If only there was a way he could climb inside her head, so she didn’t have to spell it out. So she didn’t have to worry about saying it the wrong way. So she didn’t have to make herself so vulnerable.
The song changed to another old classic, ‘I Was Made for Lovin’ You’ by Kiss. Samantha squealed, as did Shea. The amount of times they’d all danced to this as teenagers, how could she forget the fun they’d had? Placing his beer down, Connor clearly remembered, too, as he took long hurried strides towards her. Then reaching her, he took her into his arms, and spun her in dizzying circles as they both sang the lyrics out loud. Jack joined in, too, and the four of them lost all the years that had come between them and were right back where they used to be as carefree teenagers. They bopped and boogied together, spinning and swaying. And when the song came to an end, and Connor let go of her hands, she couldn’t work out whether the ground spinning beneath her feet was because of the champagne, or him. Then there was a sudden change of tempo and Phil Collins’ voice rang out as ‘A Groovy Kind of Love’ echoed across the dance floor. Samantha didn’t know whether to risk staying there, with the man who now held her heart within his hands, or make a run for it. Either way, the decision was out of her control because her feet wouldn’t move.
As if reading her thoughts, Connor brought his finger to her chin and gently guided her gaze to his. ‘You good?’
‘I think so.’ Her eyes filled with tears that she quickly blinked back.
‘I got you, Sammie,’ he replied, before pulling her nice and close. ‘I’ve always got you,’ he repeated, a lot more softly this time.
And he did get her, in every single way. More than any other man ever had, and much more than any other man ever would. She knew that. Without a doubt. Losing herself to this moment, and to him, she nestled against his chest, his touch making her feel safe, home, loved.
CHAPTER
18
Her bare feet sinking into the ground that she’d walked over many times before, Samantha inhaled the balmy air as she wandered back up the driveway, the mail she’d just collected from the old milk urn in hand. It was weird being here without Shea, Jack and Amaya around, but it was also giving her the precious time that she needed to think. About where she’d been, and which way she was going to go from here. But first, regardless of any decision, she needed to get back to London, to pack up her apartment and tend to her business, and hopefully, then, everything would just fall into place.
Overhead, the blooming jacaranda trees offered the colourful parrots perches, and a dappled canopy for her. She admired how their gnarled branches stretched across the trail, as if reaching for their significant other on the opposite side, almost embracing overhead. Wow. Even in nature, there was a need for union, for touch. Admiring the bright purple flowers adorning the Australian natives and the blanket of purple beneath each, she smiled softly as she considered just how deep their roots would be embedded within this earth that she, too, stood upon. This land, that had once been her home, was the trees’ foundation, and the blazing tropical sun way up high was their life force. Oh how she wished she had such strength and fortitude when standing still. A year ago, she’d believed she knew who she was and where she was going, and that had been far away from here, with Benjamin, but now she was questioning everything she’d laid her roots into. There was no depth, no heart, no room for growth for her back in London. There was nothing significant for her to grab hold of. No close friends to draw comfort from. Not even a cat, or dog, to go home to at the end of each day. But was she just daydreaming, in believing it was all here, waiting for her, if she moved back? Her heart was telling her one thing, and her mind was telling her another. Hopefully, things would reveal themselves, in time.
Shrugging her shoulders in a deliberate attempt to try and shake the contemplations off, she ran her fingers through her sweat-damp hair and pulled it up and into a messy bun before heading back into the homestead. The scent of frying bacon, eggs and mushrooms met her, enticing a growl from her stomach.
With her tastebuds luring her towards the kitchen, when she eyed the chef she got that same sparkly feeling in her stomach she always did when she was in the same room as him. ‘My god, Connor, something smells really good.’
‘Yeah, that’s just my natural scent.’ Plucking a tray of perfectly grilled tomatoes and crispy-looking bacon from the depths of the oven, he placed it onto the sink. ‘I’ve just got to poach the eggs, and Bob’s your mother’s brother.’
‘You’re spoiling me.’ Tossing the mail onto the bench, she edged in beside him. ‘You don’t have to come over here and cook for me, you know, I can fend for myself.’
‘Yeah, I know, but a random day off calls for a good old cook-up and a decent cuppa, all of which to be enjoyed out on the back verandah.’
‘You are so Aussie, Gunn.’ She snatched a piece of bacon and jumped just out of his reach to devour it.
‘Damn straight I am.’ Connor wandered past her and offered a playful glance. ‘That good, huh?’
‘Oh my gosh, yes, what did you do to it?’
