by Roz Fayrer
A fresh wave of pain engulfed him and in that moment he grieved. He grieved for Laura and all the beautiful things she could have been, and he grieved for himself, for the person he could have been without the guilt and grief that had moulded each of his actions. He grieved for the child that he might have had with Talia and the peace he could have found so much sooner.
And finally he let the tears fall.
He expected Talia to leave, to give him the space to be on his own with his grief, but she didn’t. And Adam was incredibly thankful. Because there was something fitting, something comforting about this moment being shared with someone who understood his pain and his grief.
‘You need to speak to Jessie. If you tell her how you feel, about the truth of that night, I’m sure she won’t hold it against you. It will be brutal and painful. For you both, but Adam, you need to tell her. To find the words.’
Adam nodded. ‘Not now.’
‘No. Not now. But perhaps sometime soon.’
Talia went to the windows and stepped through to the balcony. After a moment, Adam joined her.
Somewhere during the night the moon had given way, and a soft warm glow rose up over the London skyline. The night lights from earlier were gone and the city stirred to life beneath them.
‘It’s a new day. With new beginnings Adam. And it’s time to say goodbye.’
Something settled within Adam and he knew she was right. The people they were, the things that had happened to them, they wouldn’t be able see each other and be polite, to pretend that none of it had happened. A flash of an encounter sometime in the future thundered into his mind but it was all wrong. And he knew then and there that he’d never see her again.
They were both staring out at the sunrise, neither willing to look at the other.
‘Stay. Stay out here Talia. Don’t walk me to the door, don’t call me, and don’t see me again. Have a good life, use it well and wisely. And bring that child up in a world full of love and she’ll never turn out the broken pieces that we once were.’
Adam turned to her then, drinking the sight of her in, imprinting her every feature on his mind forever. He dipped his head to hers, took her mouth with his and poured all the passion and pleasure and happiness he possibly could into one final kiss.
Adam left the balcony, left behind the past, and was just at the door when he heard Talia stir behind him.
‘Why did you say ‘she’?’
‘What?’
‘You said my baby would be a girl.’
Adam smiled, and turned back to see the desperate hope shining in Talia’s eyes.
‘And she’s going to be beautiful,’ he said.
‘Why do you think she’s going to be a girl?’
‘It’s the way the world works, sweetheart, and with even once ounce of her mother’s strength and integrity, she’s going to be a heartbreaker.’
Adam closed the door to Talia’s room and made his way down the hall of the Chatsfield. Heading up to the penthouse suite, he pulled his phone from his jacket and dialled, getting the answering machine he’d hoped for.
‘Hi Jessie. It’s Adam. Let’s talk.’
ISBN: 978-1-474-00640-8
The Real Adam Brightman
© Copyright © 2014 by Harlequin Books S.A.
Special thanks and acknowledgement are given to Roz Fayrer for her contribution to The Chatsfield series.
Published in Great Britain in 2014
Harlequin (UK) Limited
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