And letting her walk away was what every other fiancé had done, wasn’t it? They’d let Zoey walk out of their lives, and lived with the loss.
But he wasn’t like all the others; she’d said so herself.
And now, faced with the prospect of a future without Zoey in it, he realised something else.
This wasn’t about the baby. It wasn’t about recreating the future he’d lost.
That wasn’t why he’d asked Zoey to marry him. Or if it was at the start, it wasn’t now.
Now, he wanted to marry her because of the way she brightened up his life—literally and figuratively. For the way his apartment was suddenly somewhere he wanted to be, now it was filled with her scent and her laugh and her everything in it. For the way she melted against him in bed at night, and he felt as if he’d come home at last. For the way her kiss made the world feel right. For how she made him laugh, or listened to him talk—and how he could listen to her for hours and never be bored.
Because she was his best friend.
And because he was in love with her too. Even if he’d been too much of an blind fool to realise it until now.
Grace would be rolling her eyes so hard right now, calling us both idiots.
And she’d be happy for them too, he was sure.
Because he knew now for certain what his happily-ever-after was—and what he hoped Zoey’s was too.
He just had to find a way to make it happen.
Ash stopped suddenly in the doorway to the registry office. ‘Dad? I’m going to need more than the week’s leave I’d planned for the honeymoon. And there’s something else I need that you can help me with too...’
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
SHE HAD NOWHERE to go. Again.
Zoey hailed a cab easily on the street, then sat in the back, uncertain of where to direct it.
‘I do need an address, miss,’ the cabbie said gently. Clearly he’d clocked the wedding dress and got an idea of how badly her day was going.
‘Right. Yes. Um...’ She gave Ash’s address. All her stuff was still there, apart from anything else. Even if it did feel a bit like returning to the scene of the crime.
The door banged into the wall, the sound echoing around the flat as she walked in, alone. Her cheeks were wet, she realised as she brushed the tears away. She’d probably been crying ever since she’d left the registry office, and just not noticed.
She had a feeling there were a lot more tears to come.
Would Ash come back to the flat too? She thought not. He’d probably be whisked off by his parents for some TLC. And to give her a chance to get out of the flat. One of them would probably be here with an eviction notice before tomorrow.
Two suitcases leant against the wall by the door, packed and ready for the honeymoon they’d never take now. Ignoring them, Zoey moved through the flat like a ghost, drifting aimlessly down the hallway to the bedroom she’d not used since the night Ash had cooked her dinner and taken her to bed.
Her heart clenched as she passed the nursery, its sunny yellow too happy for her mood.
Her child would never sleep there now, probably. She had no idea where they would sleep, but she’d figure it out.
Because this wasn’t like every other time she’d walked out on a wedding. This time, there were more consequences than moving out of a flat or giving back a ring.
She was still pregnant with Ash’s baby, even if she hadn’t married him. She couldn’t just cut him out of her life the way she had all the others.
They had to find a way to move forward together, but apart. And that was a hell of a lot harder, she suspected.
But tomorrow. She’d figure it all out tomorrow.
Today, she just wanted to cry and sleep.
Reaching her bedroom, she flopped onto the bed face first and let the tears fall in earnest.
Tomorrow she’d be an adult again.
Today, her heart was too broken.
* * *
The sound of the door buzzer woke her, hours later, and she stumbled to it blearily.
‘Hello?’
‘Hello, Miss Hepburn. I’m here to take you to the airport. If you could just buzz me in, I’ll come collect the bags.’ It was the same driver from earlier, she realised, the one who’d taken her to the wedding. Ash must not have cancelled the transfer for their honeymoon, afterwards.