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I turn slowly.
She swallows hard. “It’s done. I’ve told him it’s over. I don’t want to be with him anymore. He doesn’t make me happy. You’re the only one who makes me happy. But… I know I’ve put you through it. I’m not expecting you to bring up another man’s child. I’m not expecting anything. But maybe we can go get a coffee or something, and then… we can…”
Her eyes widen as I stride across the room, and then she laughs as I sweep her up into my arms.
“Baby,” I say, “ah my God, I don’t believe it, e te tau, ka nui taku aroha ki a koe…” It means ‘my darling, I love you so much.’
She puts her arms around my neck and hugs me tightly. “Main tumse pyar karthee hoon… I love you, I love you, I love you.”
I wrap my arms around her waist, turning in a circle. Delight pours through me like sunshine, beaming from the end of my fingers and the tips of my hair.
“Aw,” Tyson says from behind us. “Are you trying to make us cry?”
I put her down and glance over at them. Alex has sat down, and he stretches his legs out and gives me a look that says, I told you so.
“Permission to have the day off with my girl, boss,” I say to him.
He laughs. “Granted.”
“Alex,” she says, “I know it’s my first day back, and I’ve got loads to do…”
“It’ll wait,” he says. “Some things are more important. Go on. Get a room, the two of you.”
Grinning, I grab Juliette’s hand and lead her out of the boardroom. All around us, members of staff are smiling, and they cheer as we walk out, making us laugh.
“Jesus, look at the state of you,” Juliette says, looking at my shirt.
“I know. I need to go home and change.”
We go out through the front doors and stand outside in the sun. She looks around, then blows out a relieved breath. “He’s gone. For a minute I thought he might still be here.”
She lifts her gaze to mine, and we study each other for a moment, then both smile.
“I’m free,” she says. “Oh my God, I feel light as a feather.”
My heart lifts. She doesn’t belong to someone else anymore. I mean, I know she doesn’t belong to anyone—women aren’t possessions. But she’s free, and I never thought that word would make me feel so ecstatic.
We study each other. Suddenly there’s so much to say that I don’t know where to start. I want to kiss her, but for some reason I’m as tongue-tied as a schoolboy about to ask a girl out for the first time.
“You want to come to my place?” I ask. “We need to talk.”
She nods, face flushing. “Okay. I might drive over, if that’s all right, so I have my car.”
“Of course.” I take out my phone and text her. “You can follow me, but there’s the address in case you need it.”
She checks she’s got it, then nods. We walk out to the cars and pause by her Toyota.
“I’ll see you in a bit,” she says, somewhat shyly.
I nod. “Okay.”
We part, get in our respective cars, and soon we’re on the state highway, heading over to Sumner Beach.
As we drive, I glance frequently in my rearview mirror to make sure she’s still following. I half expect her to change her mind, turn the car around, and head back the way she came, but she doesn’t. All the way home, she’s there behind me, and when I finally arrive and enter the gates to the drive up to the house, she follows me slowly.
I park behind the house, she slides the Toyota in beside my BMW, and together we get out.
“Oh…” she says. “Henry, the view.”
