Page 47 of No Going Back

“The car accident that damaged my leg. Just after I returned from Moscow. It was a complete fluke. My face bore the brunt of the damage—just about every bone was smashed. The surgeons did a wonderful job of reconstruction, but it would have taken a miracle for there not to be any permanent effects. The repairs changed the structure of my face just enough for me to look like someone with a passing resemblance to Liz Barton. The therapists taught me how to use make-up to mask the worst of the scarring. As time went on, even though the scars healed pretty well, the make-up became a shield I couldn’t let go. I felt safe behind it.”

She turned her head away, breaking the contact between his fingertips and her face. Guy coaxed her into looking at him again. The pain and fear in her eyes tore at his heart. “I could tell you you don’t need it, but you wouldn’t believe me. What I will tell you is that when you’re with me, you don’t need to hide anymore. I look at you, and all I see is the incredible woman who stole my heart all those years ago. Your beauty was never just skin-deep, Madeleine.”

Her eyes glistened. When the first tear overflowed, he caught it with the pad of his thumb. “Talk to me.”

“Where do we go from here, Guy? We can’t go back.”

His heart nearly stopped, even though her words echoed his earlier thoughts. “No, we can’t. What would you like to happen?”

“I want…”

“Yes?”

“I want to be with you, Guy, but… there’s an elephant in the room. I’m not sure I can describe it, but I don’t know that we can move on while it’s there.”

Ah, now they were getting somewhere. “Do you feel we need to draw a line under the past?”

“I think that would help.”

“All right. What do you need for that to happen?”

Her teeth worried her lower lip. In silent admonition, he passed his thumb over the soft flesh.

She closed her eyes and lowered her head. “A scene. I haven’t… The last time was with you, and with what happened, it feels like… something’s been left unfinished.”

“And you believe a scene’s the solution?”

She nodded. “But only if you don’t hold back.”

That was the last thing he’d expected to hear from her. “When do you want to do this?”

“You’ll need to time to set something up.”

True. The playroom was ready and waiting, but there was more to a scene than location. And for a scene like this… he needed time to make it right for both of them. “Friday night. At Stonehaven.”

“Ros and Simon?”

“They’re heading into town for the weekend. I’ll give the staff the night off—we’ll be alone.”

“Thank you. If I might make one request?”

What was she thinking now? There was a time when he’d have known, or at the very least, had a good idea. “What do you have in mind?”

“No contact, between now and Friday night.”

“Why?”

“So I can prepare. I want to be in the right frame of mind.”

He could understand the reasoning. “One exception. I’ll email you to let you know when to arrive and what I expect from you. Acceptable?”

She nodded. “Yes. Does that work for you?”

He’d make it work, for both of them. With a sigh that was part resignation, part determination, he angled her face so he could place a gentle kiss on her forehead. “I’m going to miss you for the next few days, Maddie mine.”

Her gaze met his, then she averted her eyes. “I’m going to miss you, too.”