“Hi,” she said. “I was told Matt Harris was here.”
The man looked her up and down before turning his head.
“Harris,” he shouted. “There’s someone here to see you.”
Brigitte heard the curse coming from below a car raised up on jacks and looked to see Matt rolling out from under it on a mechanics creeper.
“Who the hell…,” he started as he got up but his words came to an abrupt halt when he registered the unexpected sight of who was looking at him. “Brigitte,” he went on in a surprised voice.
“Hi,” she said simply.
“Give me five minutes, boss,” Matt said after a short hesitation.
The older man nodded his head.
“What are you doing here?” Matt asked when they stepped around to the front of the building.
“Why did you leave?” Brigitte responded.
Matt put his head in his hands and let out a tired breath.
“I thought it was for the best,” he told her. “I put you in too much danger and didn’t want it to happen again.”
“Didn’t I get a choice in the matter?”
“Look, you’re better off without me,” he told her. “I’d be nothing but trouble for you.”
It wasn’t the start to the conversation she wanted and the thought that she wasted her time coming to see him entered Brigitte’s mind. She wasn’t about to simply give up and walk away.
“That’s not true,” she said in a determined voice. “And we need to talk properly.”
Matt pinched his thumb and forefinger on his nose as he stared at her, then inhaled deeply when he released his grip.
“We can’t do it here,” he said and reached in his pocket for a set of keys. “These are for my apartment,” he went on. “Head down to the bottom of this street and turn left at the junction. The building number is 35 and the apartment is 3B.”
“What time do you finish?” she asked when he gave her the keys.
“Usually at five,” he said. “But if I get the car I’m working on finished, I’ll leave earlier today.”
Brigitte nodded as they stared at each other before Matt turned to head around the building to the main workshop entrance. She watched him disappear from sight before following the directions he gave her. His name was on the door of the apartment, so she knew she’d found the right place when she got there and used the keys to let herself in.
She went to the lounge to dump her bag and a quick tour of the place ended in the kitchen. There was a clock on the wall, which showed it was now well after three. That meant she would be waiting a couple of hours and she went to get a drink from the fridge then sat at the kitchen table. The silence surrounding her was ended by a knock on the door at four thirty and she went to let Matt in.
“Let me have a quick shower,” he said when he came inside.
Brigitte returned to the kitchen to carry on waiting and only looked up from the table when she heard the sound of Matt entering the room.
“You shouldn’t have come,” he said straight away.
“If you really mean that, I’ll leave right now,” she replied.
Her comment stopped him in his tracks and they stared at each other. If it was going to end between them, it would happen right at the moment. The silence stretched and she let Matt end it.
“How did you find me?”
“I didn’t,” she said.
She watched him go to the fridge and open the door. He reached in to bring out a bottle of beer and held it up, but she declined the offer.
“If you didn’t, who did?” Matt asked.
“Believe it or not, it was my father,” Brigitte told him. “Well, a combination of my father and my ex-boss.”
“Ex-boss?” he queried.
“I quit my job,” she admitted. “There were too many memories and I couldn’t cope with it.”
Matt came to sit at the table and was silent for a few moments.
“What do you want, Brigitte?” he asked when their eyes met.
“I can’t forget about you,” she admitted and held his gaze. “Life is…, not good without you.”
“Look around,” he said. “Do you think it would be any better with me?”
“I was hoping time might take thoughts of you away,” she let out in a voice that was becoming despairing.
“It’s only been two months,” he said.
“It could be two years and it would still be the same. Is two months enough for you to forget about me?”
Matt bowed his head to look at the table and his voice was barely audible when he spoke.
“No,” he admitted.
“Then why be apart?”
“Who would want me in your life?” Matt said as he lifted his head to look at her. “Your father…”
“My father got me your work address and drove me to the bus station this morning,” she cut in. “And what anyone else thinks isn’t important. All that matters is what we think and want.”
“If only it was that simple.”
“It is,” Brigitte insisted. “I came here because I wanted us to have a life together. You need to tell me you want the same or to go away. It’s up to you.”
Matt got up from the table and ran a hand through his hair when he turned away.
“I want…,” he started then his voice wavered.
“What?” Brigitte encouraged him and got to her feet.
“I want the same thing as you,” Matt said.
She ran across the room to him and threw her arms around his neck. In seconds, his lips were on hers and the familiar flare of passion that she remembered came tumbling back into her life.
“Don’t ever leave me again,” she said when the kiss ended.
“I promise,” he told her. “And this time I mean it.”
They kissed again and Brigitte closed her eyes afterwards as she rested her head against his strong chest. The thought came in her mind and she knew it was time to confess.
“There’s one more thing,” she said, but didn’t look up and kept her head on his chest.
“That sounds ominous,” Matt replied. “Should I be worried?”
“You can’t be a bad boy any more,” Brigitte went on.
“I wasn’t planning to be,” he said. “Those days are behind me now.”
“That’s good to hear…, because our baby needs a father who’s a decent role model.”
She finally looked up and saw the stunned expression on his face. It made her want to let out a laugh.
“You’re pregnant?” he said in a shocked voice.
“You’re going to be a daddy, Matt Harris,” she told him and laughed again.
“Fucking hell,” Matt let out. “I need that beer.”
Epilogue
“In my day, they did it the other way round.”
Sarah let out a cheeky snigger when she caught the gaze of Brigitte’s father after he finished speaking.
“You’re so old fashioned, Mr. Sanderson,” she teased him. “Times have moved on and you need to get with it.”
“When I want your advice, young lady, I’ll ask for it,” he replied. “Anyway, this is all your fault.”
“My fault!” Sarah exclaimed. “How did you work that one out?”
“You’re a bad influence on my daughter,” he replied. “I should have made her pick nicer friends.”
Sarah couldn’t help the laughter bursting out and she saw the man she was talking to roll his eyes.
“You always say the sweetest things to me, Mr. Sanderson,” she teased him. “Have you got a girlfriend because I’m single right now and…”
“Will you two stop flirting,” Brigitte broke in to the conversation. “You’ll wake Sophie.”
“The little princess is awake already,” Sarah said as she looked down at the baby she was holding.
“See what you two have done now,” Brigitte complained.
“What?” Sarah protested. “She wanted to see her mommy and daddy’s big day. What’s wrong wi
th that?”
“Give her to me,” Brigitte’s father said.
He walked over to Sarah and she handed him his granddaughter. The words he muttered as he cradled her were too quiet for Brigitte to hear.
“What did he say to Sophie?” she asked when Sarah came to stand beside her.
“I do believe it was something about her parents being idiots.”
“It runs in the family,” Brigitte joked.
“So…,” Sarah said. “Are you all set?”
“I think so,” Brigitte replied.
“No nerves?”
“I can’t wait,” Brigitte said.
“And what about your husband-to-be?” Sarah went on.
“I can’t wait either.”
They turned to see Matt standing at the door of the room, grinning broadly. He came across and took Brigitte in his arms.
“You should wear a suit more often,” she said with a smile. Looking deep into the eyes of her fiancé, she knew she was making the right choice. Thoughts flashed through her mind of how their relationship had started but she quickly put them aside. It was all in the past now.
“I love you.” She said, pulling him closer for a kiss.
“I love you too,” he told her when it ended. “Are you ready?”
“I’m ready,” she replied.
“Then let’s give Sophie a happily married mum and dad,” he said, and with that, he turned around to lead the wedding party out of the room.
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