Charlie sat down on the steps. ‘I was a bit zonked. Must’ve been the excitement of you turning up.’
‘I’m losing my touch if you want to go to sleep when I’m around.’ His smile turned into a grin, and set her heart racing wildly.
Her cheeks burned crimson as his gaze intensified, firing up memories of what they used to do in the evenings after work. She’d certainly never fallen asleep until the wee hours of the morning. ‘Guess I’m out of practice,’ she murmured.
‘Really?’ His grin stretched. ‘I like that.’
‘You’re a bit cocky this morning.’ She grinned back. Obviously he’d slept well. Sadly, not even Marshall’s presence in her home had kept her awake for more than a few minutes last night. Sleep came far too easily these days. As for long, hot nights with Marshall, she doubted she’d last more than half an hour before nodding off.
A shiver ran up her back. A familiar pang of fear snatched at her previously happy mood. The uncertainty of her future seemed far worse now that Marshall was back in her life. He might be going away again but now that he’d met Aimee he’d keep in touch. He had to. Selfishly, that made her wish for more. She’d wanted to make contact for Aimee’s sake, but now she knew she’d been lying to herself. She’d never got over him, had compared every man she’d dated since—all two of them—to him and had found them lacking in just about everything. Those two weeks had a lot to answer for, and not just her precious little girl.
‘Charlie?’ Marshall stood over her, Aimee in his arms. ‘You okay? You’ve gone pale.’
I was pale before. ‘Something stepped on my grave.’ Ouch. She sucked a breath through clamped teeth. Wrong thing to say. There wouldn’t be a grave for many years to come. Funny how she’d started to accept she just might make it, yet now with Marshall here on her patch the doubts and fears were creeping back in. Even more to lose than before? Did she want a future that had Marshall in it? Apart from as Aimee’s dad?
Pushing up off the step, she reached to kiss Aimee on the cheek. ‘Good morning, sweetheart.’ And when Marshall leaned closer she rose onto her toes and kissed his cheek too. Except he moved and her lips found his. Good morning, sweetheart.
‘Good morning, beautiful,’ Marshall murmured against her mouth. ‘You are a sight for sore eyes.’
‘Mummy, hungry.’
Reluctantly pulling her lips away from that sensational mouth, she looked at her daughter. ‘Hungry, eh?’ Flicking Marshall a look, she asked, ‘Have you been teaching her new words?’
He grinned. ‘I tried for “Can I have lots of kisses?” but so far “hungry” is it.’ Aimee wriggled to get down. Marshall obliged, carefully placing her on her feet, before straightening and draping an arm over Charlie’s shoulders. ‘Want me to cook breakfast? I do a mean piece of toast.’
Slapping her forehead with the palm of her hand, she groaned, ‘How can I resist?’
‘Morning, everyone.’ Dad strolled out onto the veranda dressed in his lucky fishing trousers. Bending down, he plonked a noisy kiss on Aimee’s forehead. ‘Hello, poppet.’
‘Hungry.’
‘Well, that’s a good thing because I’m about to cook up a storm. A bloke needs a hearty meal before he heads out on the lake to catch the family dinner.’ Dad looked from her to Marshall. ‘Ever been trout fishing, lad?’
‘No. Tried salmon fishing in Canada once. Had a great time but didn’t catch a thing.’
‘I’ll take you out some time. If you come back this way.’ Talk about a loaded statement.
Charlie held her breath but Marshall shrugged it away with absolute ease. ‘Sure. Want a hand with that breakfast?’
A totally noncommittal reply. She swallowed her disappointment. It was better this way than having him make promises he wouldn’t keep once he’d had time to really think everything through.
‘Can always use another pair of hands.’ Dad seemed to accept Marshall’s non-answer, and if anyone would be pushing him that would be Dad. This whole situation was unsettling for him too, worrying if she might pack up and head for the States so she and Aimee could be near Marshall. But Dad needn’t worry. She wouldn’t be doing that.
She smiled as she watched the men walk down the hall to the kitchen, Aimee tottering along behind. Amazing that Dad and Marshall appeared totally at ease with each other. Was Dad trying too hard to make Marshall feel welcome? She hoped not. She wanted Marshall to make up his own mind about what he was going to do. Anyway, he had an army career to get back to. A career that was unlikely to bring him anywhere near New Zealand.
Her heart sank. So much for being excited about having him around. This really was silly. She’d needed Marshall to know about Aimee, and now he did. The last thing even she expected was for him to give up his career. He might be a doctor but first and foremost he was a soldier. That had been abundantly clear in Honolulu when the call had come for him to report back to base earlier than originally expected. He’d immediately gone to the head of the ED and told the guy he was leaving. No asking if that suited, or could the department cope with being left in the lurch. The army and his men came first. And, she suspected, second and third.
‘You’re missing out on your run,’ she muttered as she headed for the cupboards to get plates down.
‘I’ll go later. Maybe tomorrow you can come with me?’
Ouch. Once upon a time there had hardly been a morning she hadn’t gone for a run or cycle first thing. ‘I don’t run any more.’ The plates hit the bench with a bang.
‘You don’t?’ Astonishment cracked through the air. ‘Why not?’
‘I had to stop in the last months of pregnancy and I’ve never got back to it.’ Please don’t ask any more.
‘Charlie.’ She felt his hand on her shoulder, turning her to face him. ‘Am I missing something here?’
‘I…’ Swallow. ‘You know what? I will go with you tomorrow but you’ll have to go easy on me. Not try and race me home, as you always used to.’ Hadn’t she decided to start getting fit yesterday? No time like now to start. Hefting the plates, she headed for the door.
Marshall’s eyes narrowed as she tried to pass him. He opened his mouth and she waited for the questions. But they never came. Slowly he
leaned forward and kissed her lips lightly. ‘It’s a date.’
*
Marshall didn’t know what Charlie was hiding from him but, sensing her unease, he’d let it drop. For now. He didn’t have the right to interrogate her. Not until he’d spent more time with her. But tomorrow they’d go for a run and see if that didn’t open up a line of conversation that might shed some light on the matter. Judging by Charlie’s lack of strength, it would be a very short run. Had something gone horribly wrong during her pregnancy?
In the meantime, he’d concentrate on her father. He found it hard to make Brendon out. The guy made every effort to be friendly yet surely he had plenty of questions ready to fire at him. Taking the bacon and eggs the older man handed him, he said, ‘I’ll do my best to do what’s right for Charlie and Aimee. I can promise you that.’
What I can’t promise is not to hurt them. I know little about being a parent. Also, I will never ask Charlie to tie herself to me for the rest of her life. That would be a half-life. I’d hardly ever be around.
‘I’m sure you will.’
That’s it? The guy was playing with him. Had to be. ‘You know nothing about me.’ Neither did Charlie, come to that.
Brendon banged a pan on an element. ‘You’re right. I don’t, but I trust Charlie’s judgement.’
‘That’s it?’ he repeated out loud. ‘Come on. I can see you’ve got questions begging for answers. Fire away.’ He pulled his back ramrod-straight, tightened his shoulders and faced the man down. At least he tried to but Brendon wasn’t intimidated at all.
Shaking his head, Brendon asked, ‘How do you like your eggs?’
Anger sped through his veins. What was this man about? Trying to scare him off in a weird, roundabout way? ‘Charlie mentioned you’d suggested she give up looking for me. Would you prefer it if I hadn’t got in touch at all?’ Except not once, even when Brendon had seen them kissing, had this man indicated he had problems with his sudden appearance.