Bram had told him that it was time for him to let go of the reins and live his own life, and Madelon had said she was tired of living under lockdown. He was tired too, bone-weary of it all. Maybe redemption could be found in just being, in living, loving and rising above the past. No one wanted him to be the gatekeeper any more. Perhaps they never had...
Mia glanced at the clock in the lobby as she hurried towards the exit. Half-past seven! No wonder she felt shredded; she’d been in Eline’s apartment for an hour and a half and it had felt like torture. She’d been desperate to leave, desperate to get to Theo’s house so she could tell him that she was in love with him.
She hitched her bag onto her shoulder, pushed through the lobby doors then toppled to a teetering halt. The car by the kerb wasn’t the black saloon that had brought her here; it was a familiar low-slung classic sports car and leaning against it, in a paint-spattered tee shirt and jeans, was Theo.
Her heart couldn’t beat fast enough. The only person in the world she wanted to see was standing right there in front of her, looking messy, tired and completely perfect.
He smiled, hesitation hovering at the corners of his mouth. ‘Hello, Mia.’
‘Hi.’ She swallowed hard. If he was here, it could only mean one thing—that he didn’t want it to be over either. A little bubble of joy quivered in her chest. She stepped towards him, tears gathering behind her eyes. ‘It’s funny... I was going to ask the driver to drop me at your house...’ She glanced left and right, smiling. ‘Where is he, by the way?’
‘I killed him.’ He dusted his hands together, a playful glint in his eye.
She clutched her chest, pretended to be mortified. ‘But he was such a nice man...chatty and everything... He didn’t deserve to die.’
Theo laughed, rocked forward off the car and stepped towards her. ‘I didn’t really... I just told him he wasn’t needed.’ Closer. ‘I told him that I’m the one you need...’ Closer still, soft light in his eyes. ‘Because I’m the one who loves you, and I shouldn’t have waited so long to tell you that.’
There was no holding her tears in now. They were falling like rain. ‘And I love you too, Theo, but I mean all of you, not just the bits you want me to see. And I was coming to tell you that, because I realised I hadn’t, and maybe you just need to hear it.’
‘Oh, Mia, you’re what I need. I’m sorry I hurt you; I’m sorry I made you cry. I swear I’ll never make you cry again.’ And then he was pulling her into his arms, holding her tightly, and it was sublime, the best feeling in the world. Like coming home. She could feel his heart beating against hers, his warm breath in her hair, and she wanted to stay like that for ever; but then he was shifting on his feet, disengaging. ‘We should go.’ His eyes held hers. ‘We’ve got a lot to talk about and this isn’t the place...’
Something in his eyes. ‘Was this where you and El—?’
‘Yes.’ He’d read her mind. ‘Eline kept the apartment after we split.’ He shrugged. ‘The views were great, but the memories weren’t...’ He opened the passenger door for her, motioned her inside. ‘I prefer my house. And yours.’
She slipped into the seat, breathing in the rich smell of antique leather. In a heartbeat he was beside her and then the engine was roaring. He caught her eye and frowned a little. ‘I forgot something...’
‘What?’
He leaned in. ‘This...’ and then his lips were on hers, warm and firm, and there was that tiny sandpaper rub of his skin against hers, warmth flooding through her, desire pooling in her belly. She slipped her hands to his face, pulling him closer. He made a low noise in his throat, deepened his kiss; and he tasted so good, smelled so good, that if she could have stopped time, stayed for ever in that moment, she’d gladly have done it. But all too soon he was pulling away, eyes cloudy with desire and love. ‘We need to go.’
‘To your place?’
He shook his head. ‘To yours first. You’ll need some stuff for the weekend, and you’ll need to make arrangements for your dependant...’ A ghost of a smile touched his lips.
‘Arrangements...? Stuff for the weekend...? I’m intrigued.’
He grinned. ‘Then we’re going to my place.’ He rubbed at the flecks of paint clinging to the hairs on his forearms. ‘I need to clean up.’
‘I was going to get to that. You’ve actually been painting?’
He nodded. ‘I stuck a toe in the water. Have you eaten?’
She’d hardly eaten for three days. ‘No.’
‘Hungry?’
‘I am.’ She felt a smile coming. ‘In so many different ways.’
He laughed. ‘Okay...so, barge first, then clean-up duty, then dinner and then...’
She slipped her hand to the back of his neck and buried her fingers into his hair. ‘Just drive, Theo.’
She turned the vase on the mantelpiece a quarter of an inch and shuffled the tulips into a pleasing fan shape. They’d lasted well and the colour looked perfect against the green. Theo’s paint job was a
