AllFreeNovel
Share Us
‘Nonno, it’s not your fault.’ She fought to hold her composure, feeling a pressing need to be there for him, too, along with Chiara. ‘Can I talk with her or is she already asleep?’
‘Let me check.’ The door creaked as he eased it ajar. ‘She’s fast sleep,’ he whispered. ‘And I don’t want to wake her.’
‘Of course, yes, let her sleep.’ She sniffed back emotions. ‘Can you please tell her I love her, when she wakes, and that I’ll call you when she does.’
‘I will, I promise.’ He sniffed. ‘Let me know if you can change your flight back to us, si?’
‘As soon as I know anything, you will.’
‘Okay, bella, we love you, ciao.’
‘Love you both, Nonno, very much.’
After saying goodbye, she hung up and dropped to the sand, tears welling and streaming down her cheeks. Her heart ached like hell at the news of Salvatore’s selfish ways. Not that she should be surprised. Damn it, she was supposed to be the one to protect her baby girl, to keep her safe. Always. And yet here she was, gallivanting over the other side of the world, spending the night with her ex and dreaming of an unrealistic future with him. Hugging her knees to her chest, she let the tears fall. The illusion of the life she’d been living here hit her hard in the chest. As much as she’d loved her time with Morgan, she also wanted to run back to Italy, to her life there, where she didn’t have to spend each and every day hiding behind her lies.
* * *
Stirring lazily, Morgan rolled over, ready to smile, but instead he was met with an empty side of the bed. Cold dread swept through him. Had he gone and effed everything up? Surely not. He knew, without a shadow of doubt, that he hadn’t imagined the unbridled passion, or the look of love in her eyes. Pain seized his heart as the memories of her leaving him high and dry flooded back. He took a deep breath. He could not, would not, let this, them, become a train wreck once again. He loved her. And he wanted to be able to tell her that. Time and time again. He wanted her to know that he couldn’t stand to lose her a second time around. He needed her to know that this time he would fight, until his last breath, for her. For them. If it came to that. What other choice did he have, when she owned every single bit of his heart? He also wanted her to know that if they could make it work, he would love Chiara as if she was his own.
He quickly sat up and rubbed his eyes, hoping this was all a bad dream, but the emptiness of the bed only confirmed that it wasn’t. After dragging on a pair of board shorts and a T-shirt, he slipped his feet into his thongs. And as he gathered his wits, and his courage, for what he was about to do, his mind wandered back to the past. He remembered the good times they’d shared, the laughter, the intimacy, the love. But he also remembered the utter agony that her leaving had left him with. He was no saint. He’d sometimes messed up throughout their relationship. Forgotten their anniversary and fallen asleep when he was meant to meet with her, gotten too drunk a few times. He and Jess had both made mistakes, but he was willing to forgive and forget, to start anew.
With new-found determination, he grabbed his keys and headed out the door. His instincts told him to go to the beach first – Jess had always gravitated towards the ocean when her heart was in turmoil. Avoiding the paths that led to the dining room, he honed in on the pathway that led down to the beach. And there, just like he’d thought, he found her sitting by the shoreline, a lone figure with her arms wrapped around herself as if she was afraid she was about to shatter into a million little pieces.
He approached her slowly, silently praying she wouldn’t walk away from him. As he drew closer, he noticed that her eyes were red and puffy from crying. His heart sank as he realised just how much pain he’d caused her by following through with his longings, and his love, for her. All he wanted to do was wrap his arms around her and tell her that everything was going to be okay. But he knew it would take more than words to win her back. If anything, he braced himself for losing her a second time.
‘Hey,’ he said softly, breaking the silence.
She turned to his voice, her eyes widening. ‘Morgan, what are you doing here?’
‘Looking for you.’
‘Why?’ Sympathy, or was it pity, wrinkled her brow.
He swallowed past the tight knot in his throat. ‘Come on, Jess, please, stop this.’
Her arms folded defensively. ‘Stop what, exactly?’
‘This.’
Her shoulders lifted. ‘I don’t know what this is.’
He shook his head, sighing. ‘That makes two of us.’ He pulled up a piece of beach beside her, sitting close to her side. ‘Please, Jess, talk to me.’
‘About what?’ Turning to him, she rested her cheek on her knee.
Morgan felt beside himself with frustration and hurt. ‘Can you honestly sit there and tell me you don’t want me?’
‘No, Morgan, I can’t.’ Her words were straight to the point, as was her red-rimmed gaze.
Taken aback by her unhesitating reply, he paused as he caught his breath. ‘Okay, good, then how about you do something about it.’
‘I can’t.’ Her tone was impassive.
‘Why not?’
An exhaled breath dragged the words from her lips. ‘Just in case you’ve forgotten, I have a daughter, Morgan, and she needs me, like I mean, really needs me.’
‘Of course she does, you’re her mum.’ He shook his head, baffled by her response. ‘Every child needs their mother.’
