Indeed, the first thing Tiffany did the next morning was check for flights. A quick surge of excitement raced through her. It had been only three days that she had spent with Mat, but during those three days she’d been her happiest in a long time, if ever. Heat rose to her cheeks, as she became aware of her constant smile and her pounding heart every time she thought of him. Even when she’d been travelling around Australia, which had brought her to the most wonderful places between the east and west coasts, to the rugged terrain of Tasmania, to some beautiful places in the Kimberley, she hadn’t experienced this kind of contentment.
And not even when she’d returned to Melbourne had she felt such an acute loss like the way she did since Mat had left. The few days during which she’d listened to Mat talking about New Zealand, about his job as a helicopter pilot, the people he met, or the loss of his good friend who died in a helicopter accident during a bad storm, she’d experienced some void inside her. Something was missing in her life despite having seen so much already compared to others, and despite having met so many people from all over the world, some of whom she was still in contact with, she’d never been so drawn to a person as she was to Mat. She was sure it wasn’t irrational thinking.
There’d been something between them. Something different and so familiar at the same time. The reason for him being in her thoughts constantly, even in her dreams. The thumping of her heart when she heard his voice. Or, the heat rising to her cheeks when she thought of him.
Yet, worry seeped through her as she thought of Hudson. She’d liked him from the start, too, and would’ve never guessed he had been involved with drugs.
She rolled her eyes at the ridiculous comparison. Mat wasn’t anything like Hudson.
She made herself a cup of tea and placed the laptop on the kitchen table before booting it up. But she was easily distracted and searched for places instead. She didn’t have to read the description of the photos in front of her, knowing them already from what Mat had told her. A display of beautiful pictures of places like Queenstown, Lake Wanaka, and Fox Glacier made her want to visit the place even more.
Biting her lip as she gazed across the lake, she grew restless on the chair as she thought of exploring those places with him. Mat kissing her again, holding her, and touching her skin. With heated cheeks, she admitted she was looking forward to Mat discovering her body, kissing her in places so few men had kissed before. Then again, so few men had made her feel the way Mat had with one simple kiss.
Focussing back on airfares, she startled a little when a man’s hand settled on her shoulder, accompanied by her dad’s deep voice, “Don’t you worry, darling. We will have you covered with any expenses.”
“Dad! I didn’t hear you come in.” She looked up, heart pounding. “I don’t want you to spend so much money on me so you know I’m safe.”
He gave a vehement shake of his head. “No, it’s not about your safety, because, truth be told, my little girl can’t be safer than in my arms or in my house. The reason we’d like to pay this for you is because we know, and we can see it, this is going to make you happy. This is what you want.” He scratched the back of his head as he sat next to her. “Even though you think I’m old and I never understood you…I did. And I always will because we are alike.” His mouth curled upwards in a smile. “I never liked to follow my dad’s advice. I never liked his ideas. I thought I had to do it my way because I was sure my way was the right way.”
“Dad—”
He held up his hand. “See, even at my age you live and learn. I know you compare yourself to your brother, but that had nothing to do with it, and everything to do with the wild spirit within you. A spirit that wants to explore and has to see the world. You don’t like to be pushed onto a path given by others.” He let out a sharp breath. “I hadn’t realised I was building that path for you brick by brick. Until recently. Until I saw you coming back from your trip telling me about Australia and all the different people you met. We want to pay this for you because I want to destroy the brick path I laid out for you. I want you to follow your own path.”
He leaned forward and placed his hand on hers. “I want to help you position the bricks you choose to walk on.”
Tiffany wasn’t able to hold back the tears. Never had she heard anything like that from her dad. His choice of words surprised her.
Wild spirit.
Was it as easy to explain as she’d always thought she was competing with Liam when it was simply not in her nature to be like him?
“Dad—”
“Please, Tiffany. At least think about it.”
Her lips pulled up into a smile. “Which part? Your poetic speech about the path I’m supposed to walk on or the airfare?”
He shook his head as he let out a chuckle. “Both, I suppose.”
“Dad?”
“Yes, darling.”
She met his gaze, hesitated, but finally asked, “While you’re in this contemplating mood…” She blew out a breath as she looked down. “I know Mat is a really nice person, yet still, I’m a bit anxious.”
With a nod, he gave her hand a little squeeze as he replied, “And nobody will be able to take that away for you. You’ve burnt your hands and trust won’t come easy. Healing takes a long time as you have to learn again to trust yourself, your feelings as well as your judgement.”
“I’m scared I won’t be able to.”
He nodded again. “Being scared is not all that bad, it means you’ll be in charge of your faculties,” he added with a wink.
A smile tugged at her lips as she stood to give her father a hug. “Do you sometimes have regrets?”
His bark of laughter startled her. “Oh, darling, where do I start? It’s part of life.” He stood as well and took her into an embrace. “I can’t think of many, but I do regret not listening to you.”
Her father chuckled. “That’s what we call maturity.”
She snorted and moved even closer into her dad’s embrace.
A sense of safety surrounded her for the first time in a long time, and she didn’t want to let go.
****
A couple of days later, and a few days earlier than planned, Mat was back in Fox Glacier with his father. It was a mild evening, and they decided to have a drink outside in front of an open fire. Adam had joined them as well.
“Good to see you, Hemi,” Adam said, as he raised his beer towards Mat’s father. “How are you?”
Mat watched as a smile spread across his father’s face and prepared himself for Hemi’s usual speech about life after All Blacks and how much he enjoyed the simple life nowadays.
He smiled. So often had he heard about rich sports stars losing their wealth by bad management or no incentive to work. His father, however, had never taken the money for granted and at the same token had taught his two boys to manage money well.
A little while later, Adam finished his beer. When Mat offered him another one, he shook his head. “No thanks. I still have to drive back.”
Mat nodded.
“Tell me about your girl, though.”
With a chuckle, Mat leaned forward and placed his bottle next to his chair, resting his elbows on his knees. “Weirdest thing. But I can’t get her out of my head. She’s coming over later this week.”
“Will you bring her here?”
“Got to introduce her to Lucy, haven’t I?”
They laughed.
“Serious?” Adam asked.
Mat looked over to his father then leaned back into his chair. He hardly knew Tiffany, but something inside told him it could be something serious.
But how would he know how to define serious? He’d never felt like this before, had never yearned for a woman like this.
“No idea. You’re thinking way ahead of things. We’ve barely known each other for a few days.” He shook his head with a chuckle. “And you’re talking serious.”
Adam lifted his right shoulder in a shrug. “Never seen you like this before. All this fuss to get things moved. Not to mention that you let Sam take over flights so you have a few days off.”
Mat exhaled a long breath and pinched the top of his nose with his thumb and forefinger when he saw Hemi trying hard to hold back a grin. “Fuck.”
His father made a loud noise of disapproval, and Mat apologised straight away.
He snapped to his feet. “I’m tired. How about we’ll talk about the contract and flight schedule tomorrow. I’ll stop by the office at about ten.”
Adam’s bark of laughter echoed in the clear air, and despite himself, Mat smiled.
The next few days were spent packing. Hemi kept busy following Mat’s instructions, and Mat spent most of his time in the office or flying Lucy.
Trying hard not to count down hours until Tiffany’s arrival. But, in spite of the constant rush, she was always on his mind. Even while flying, which was usually the time he was able to clear his mind of everything to revel in the beauty of the scenery in front of him. When Adam had thrown the word serious into the mix, he’d laughed, but the more he’d thought about, the more he got used to the idea of having Tiffany around for longer. The occasional thought that she might not be the one for him did occur to him, but he wasn’t able to hold on to it. So one night he gave Steve a quick call.
“Mate, how are things? How’s the move getting along?” Steve asked.
“Yeah, things are good here. I’ve got Dad here packing up like crazy.”
Steve chuckled. “Poor bugger. You’d think with the money you’ve made over the years, you could afford a company to do that.”
Mat ignored the last comment. His friend had been on his back for years about how he should be spending more money to make his life easier. Mat saw that as a waste of time. His dad was slaving around, but knew how Mat wanted things packed. They were a team.
“Anyway, the reason I’m calling is Tiffany.”
There was another chuckle. “I’ve heard about the travel plans. My little girl is scared out of her brains.”
Mat’s brows shot up. “How come?”
“Where do I start?” He laughed. “The flight. The water. The fact that she doesn’t know you, as well as the fact that, despite everyone telling her what a great guy you are, she’s worried.”
Concern rushed through Mat. He told himself it had more to do with Hudson than with him and the mere fact of how much she was still healing from the trauma of what had happened the previous year.
“Mate, I’m doing the right thing here, aren’t I?” he asked, though with some reluctance.
“Meaning?”
“Meaning…” Mat searched for the right words, but found none.
“Whether you’re investing in something that might not work out?”
“Yes,” he replied, relieved how much his friend understood him.
“Tiffany’s head over heels for you. Once she’ll have spent a week with you and is able to put the past aside, you two will have a great time.”
Mat raked his fingers through his hair, thankful for his friend’s words. Even though he’d had no doubts about how he felt about Tiffany, or at least only little, Steve’s assurance put him at ease. “Thanks, Steve. I appreciate it.”
“Nah. No worries. You’ll be fine. Look after my girl.”
“Will do,” he replied, a big smile spreading across his face.
Yes, he would, twenty-four hours every day, and he couldn’t wait.