HAYDEN had rostered Annie on call for nights, probably thinking it would make life easier for both of them. In some ways it did as she threw herself into her work, but when she saw him in clinics and ward rounds it was like having a little glimpse of paradise.
‘It’s like wanting a calorie-filled piece of cake, knowing you’re going to get indigestion from it and then living with it on your hips for the rest of your life. And for what?’ she asked Natasha and Katrina.
‘For love!’ both women replied.
It had been a whole week since the scene in Hayden’s office and Katrina, who had called Annie several times on her return to Melbourne, decided she needed ‘cake’ therapy. Annie happened to mention this to Natasha who’d completely agreed, and so her two friends had kidnapped her, forcing her to spend the day with them at Acland Street in Melbourne which was renowned for its amazing cakes.
Annie took a sip of her coffee and pushed the irresistible mud cake away.
‘He’s hardly sleeping.’ Katrina informed her, pushing the plate back in front of her. ‘He’s so torn apart, Annie, it’s killing him.’
Annie looked at one friend, then the other through shimmering tears. ‘I miss him.’
‘Of course you do.’ Natasha squeezed her hand reassuringly.
Annie sniffed and dug around in her bag for a tissue. ‘It hit me when I saw him yesterday. He was talking to Brenton and the two of them were laughing, and I was so happy that he was getting to know the people I consider family and also the fact that they like him and it hurts so much. I just wanted to throw myself into his arms and tell him to accept fate.’
‘He probably would have appreciated it.’ Katrina laughed. ‘He’s being sanctimonious and stubborn. He’s also deluding himself if he thinks his love for you is going to disappear simply because he doesn’t see you.’
‘Absence makes the heart grow fonder,’ Natasha recited.
Annie blew her nose and had more of her cake, savouring the taste. ‘I need to talk to him again.’
‘And say what?’
Annie closed her eyes and shook her head. ‘Good question.’ She sighed dejectedly. ‘It’s just that I don’t think he’s made the right decision. Not for me, not for him.’
‘So?’ Natasha asked. ‘What are you going to do about it?’
Annie straighted in her chair and lifted her chin defiantly. ‘I’m going to fight for him.’
‘Atta girl.’
‘I’m going to ask him out on a date and show him that we belong together. I know he’s worried he’s going to mess up my life, the way he thinks he messed up in the past, but I need to convince him he’s wrong.’
‘He won’t be able to resist you.’ Katrina leaned forward in her chair, a bright grin on her face. ‘Where are you going to take him? Secluded restaurant? Ooh, I know, a walk along the beach at sunset. How romantic.’
‘You could cook dinner for him in your apartment,’ Natasha suggested.
‘Yes, nice and intimate.’ Katrina nodded her approval.
Annie shook her head. ‘I know exactly where I’m going to take him.’
‘Where?’ they both asked.
‘To the pool hall.’
‘What?’ Katrina was appalled. Natasha just laughed.
Annie didn’t care. Her brain was working nine to the dozen, going over everything she’d need to do. ‘I just can’t do it while I’m working nights. How am I going to convince Wesley to swap a shift with me?’
‘Please, Wesley?’ Annie begged the next day. She’d stayed longer at the hospital specifically to catch up with her colleague. ‘It’s just one shift. One little night duty, that’s all.’ Remembering the hospital grapevine already had herself and Hayden paired off as a couple, she continued, ‘It’s been so hard lately, what with me doing nights. Hayden and I have hardly seen each other.’
‘Talk to him. He’s the one who draws up the rosters.’
‘I know, but someone has to do nights and he can’t show favouritism just because we’re going out. He wants to be fair.’
Wesley thought this over for a long minute. ‘I want double the usual payment you give to everyone else.’
‘Payment?’ Annie frowned and then realisation dawned. ‘Chocolate frogs? Sure. You can even have triple if you like.’
‘Deal.’ Wesley held out his hand and they shook on it.
‘Thank you. I’ll go and get the payment right now.’ Just in case he changed his mind, she thought as she rushed to the small shop, determined to buy all the chocolate frogs in stock.
She’d just finished paying for one large box of fifty chocky frogs when she turned and collided with Hayden. His arms came about her and her breath caught in her throat. She gazed up into his eyes, drowning in the beautiful blue depths, unable to break away.
Hayden seemed affected by their natural chemistry as well. Was that her heart beating out such a wild tattooing rhythm or was it his? Annie couldn’t tell. She wanted nothing more than for him to haul her into his arms and place his mouth possessively over her own. She forced herself to look away and it was then she realised they were the centre of attention of most of the staff in the small shop.
Hayden must have realised it, too, because he took a step away and forced a smile. ‘I’m surprised to see you still here. I thought you’d be tucked up in bed by now.’ Why on earth had he said that? It was the thought of Annie in her bed that kept him awake most nights. He searched earnestly for something else to say. It was then he noted the box of chocolate frogs.
‘Stocking up?’
‘Huh?’
He pointed to the box.
‘Oh, no. Payment for…a favour.’
‘Must be a big favour.’
She nodded slowly. ‘It was…is. Listen, Hayden, are you free tomorrow night?’ She knew he wasn’t working because she’d checked the roster. Wednesday night was free all around, especially as Wesley had agreed to do her on-call duty!
‘Uh…’ He hesitated, not sure what to say.
‘Just a game of pool. That’s all.’ She tried not to sigh with longing as she breathed in his scent over and over again. ‘I haven’t seen you there lately.’
‘I’ve been busy.’
‘Oh.’ Probably avoiding her at all costs. She decided to get out of there before he could officially turn her down. ‘So I’ll see you there. Around eight? Good. I have to run.’ She forced her legs to move away from him, smiling brightly as she left. ‘Catch you later.’ With that, she quickly delivered her payment to Wesley who was suitably impressed with the number of frogs.
‘You’re really serious about this guy, aren’t you?’
‘Yes.’ Annie shrugged. ‘I’m in love with him.’
Wesley nodded. ‘I hope it works out.’
Annie was surprised by his sincerity. ‘Thanks. Well, I’d better go get some sleep.’
She left Wesley’s office, which was smaller than hers, and almost ran the entire way home.
On Wednesday she felt renewed with energy and purpose. Tonight she would be with Hayden. First, though, she had to get through a day of clinics and meetings because she’d swapped shifts with Wesley.
In the hour she had between the end of her night-shift and the beginning of her day-shift, Annie raced home to shower and change. She dressed with care in one of her lightweight summer suits, turned her nose up at the curls she could do nothing to tame and brushed her teeth twice, to make sure they would be nice and bright when she smiled at him.
She practised those smiles in the mirror for a few seconds before closing her eyes and shaking her head. She opened them again and stared at her reflection.
‘What are you doing?’ she whispered. The answer was, she had no idea. She wanted to talk to Hayden, to try and show him that things would be different between the two of them than they had been between him and his ex-wife.
She knew this for a fact. She’d had countless relationships and each one had failed. Still, she’d been willing to go another round and this time she’d hit the jackpot. Even though she was sure he didn’t want to hear what she had to say, she needed to say it—for her own piece of mind.
She glanced at her watch and realised with a start that if she didn’t hustle, she was going to be late.
When she walked onto the ward just before the round began, she felt butterflies whizzing around her stomach. When Hayden raised his eyebrows momentarily, acknowledging her presence, the butterflies zoomed into overdrive and for a second Annie actually thought she was going to vomit.
The round proceeded without dramas. Mr Bouchard was out of CCU and would be in traction for the next few weeks. The physiotherapists were happy with his progress and everything looked rosy. Afterwards she headed to her office and caught up on some paperwork before going to Theatre to do the elective list.
Throughout the morning she slowly settled her stomach and ate lunch in the cafeteria with Natasha.
‘You look stressed,’ her friend commented.
‘So much is riding on this evening.’ She looked down at the salad roll she’d ordered and had taken three bites out of. ‘I don’t think I can finish this.’ Annie pushed it away. ‘What if it all backfires, Tash? What if what I have to say means nothing and he doesn’t change his mind?’ Tears started to well in her eyes.
‘What have you got on this afternoon?’
‘Clinic.’
‘Well, at least you have something solid to concentrate on to get you through.’ Natasha reached over and took her friend’s hand in hers. ‘Believe in yourself. Believe in yourself, Annie, and things will turn out right.’
Annie sighed and wiped away her tears.
Hayden was sitting at his desk, looking down at the paperwork in front of him, not registering a thing that was written there. She’d changed shifts with Wesley. She’d asked him out this evening. She looked incredibly beautiful today and he found her even harder to resist.
The knock at the door startled him and for a brief second he wished it was Annie, dreading it at the same time. ‘Come,’ he called, and relaxed visibly when Brenton walked into the room. ‘Problem?’
‘Just one of the interns wanting to switch an A and E placement with an orthopaedic placement. I needed to stretch my legs so I thought I’d bring it up instead of sticking it in the internal mail.’ He handed Hayden the form.
Hayden scanned it. ‘Looks fine.’ He placed it in his in box. ‘Anything else?’
‘Yes. You may think I’m interfering, which is something I usually leave up to my wife.’
Hayden smiled. ‘But…’
‘But I just wanted you to know that Annie has applied for several jobs outside this hospital.’
Hayden nodded. ‘That’s natural. She finishes her training in a few months so it’s only right she looks for a new position. After all, she’ll be a qualified consultant.’
‘She’s mentioned trying to get her six-month rotation here split into two lots of three, which means she’ll be finishing at this hospital in about four weeks’ time, at the end of March.’
Hayden absorbed the information, determined not to let his true emotions show.
‘Just wanted to give you a “heads up”.’
‘Thanks.’ He watched as Brenton headed for the door, knowing there was more to come. He was right. Brenton stopped, his hand on the door.
‘Due to circumstances, completely different from yours, it took Natasha and I seven years before we could get to the point where we were happy. That’s almost ten years ago now, and each day since then has proved to me it was worth the fight, worth the sacrifices and worth the pain, because now I have her love for ever.’
‘Your point?’
‘If things feel right with Annie, if you love her…’ Brenton shook his head. ‘Don’t let true happiness escape you. Your life will never be the same again.’
Hayden nodded. ‘Noted.’
Annie walked into the pool hall just before eight. Being a Wednesday night, it was typically quiet but Trevor welcomed her warmly.
‘Back to shoot your sorrows away?’
‘Better than drowning them.’ She forced a smile and shrugged her shoulders. ‘Table two free?’
‘Kept it just for you.’
Annie glanced behind her at the door, willing Hayden to walk in. He’d paged her after clinic, saying he’d had a meeting rescheduled at the last minute and that he’d meet her at the pool hall when he was done. She wondered if it was just an excuse. Was he about to stand her up?
She headed over to the table and set everything up.
‘Stop glaring at the door,’ Trevor said as he brought over her usual lemonade. ‘He’ll get here when he gets here.’
‘Is it that obvious?’
‘That you’re waiting for him, or that you’re in love?’
Annie tried to laugh but it ended on a sigh. ‘Both.’
‘This is the real deal?’
‘The real deal,’ she repeated despondently, and slammed the tip of her cue into the white ball, scattering the rest of the balls around the table. Two found their homes in the pockets.
‘Nice break. Want some company?’
‘Thanks, but I don’t want to drag you down into my misery.’
Trevor laughed. ‘Surely it’s not that bad.’
Annie sighed again. ‘Ever been in love, Trev? Really in love?’
‘Gee. I think I need to wipe the bar down again.’ He moved in that direction and Annie smiled. ‘At least I got you smiling.’ He winked and turned away.
Annie bent over the table and concentrated on her shots. She potted another one. Geometry had always been one of her better subjects. She was beginning to think she’d completely flunked out in the ‘affairs of the heart’ class. Pity they hadn’t offered that at university.
She slowly sank each ball in turn, playing mind games with herself. She wouldn’t look over to the door until she’d potted another three balls.
Three balls down—she checked.
No Hayden.
She racked them up again and began the slow torture once more. She leaned over the table, determined that her eyes wouldn’t fill with tears while she was trying to concentrate. Where was he? She’d been here almost an hour and deep down inside she was wondering just how long she was going to hang around. She knew the answer—until Trevor closed the place.
The door had opened a few times and each time she’d looked over, her breath catching in her throat, only to hiss out slowly and dejectedly when it hadn’t been Hayden. Angelo had stopped by to say hello and had asked after her friend. She hadn’t been game enough to tell him she was supposed to meet Hayden—just in case he didn’t show up.
‘Focus,’ she whispered to herself. She’d initially suggested the pool hall because the atmosphere relaxed her. Now, though, she realised it wouldn’t have mattered where she’d suggested, she’d still be as nervous as she was now. She had a lot she wanted to say to him, but him showing up would be a huge step in the right direction.
Trevor brought her over another drink and the pitying look was almost too much to bear. Annie could feel anger starting to build. Who was Hayden’s meeting with anyway, and at this time of night? Had it just been an excuse? No. She dismissed that thought. Hayden was man enough to tell her straight out if he wanted to cancel, and she couldn’t really see him being the type to stand her up. He had principles, ethics and morals, and she loved him for that.
Still…She glanced over at the door, her jaw dropping open as she saw him walk in. Was she dreaming? Hallucinating? She didn’t dare take her gaze off him in case he vanished into thin air. He didn’t smile as he walked in her direction but instead he continued to a chair, dumped his briefcase on the ground and picked out a cue.
‘I didn’t think that meeting would ever end.’ His voice was gruff and impatient as he chalked his cue. He looked at her and felt a blow to the solar plexus as he realised her eyes had filled with tears. ‘Sorry I’m so late. I would have paged you but it was impossible and in the end I thought it better just to get the meeting over and done with and get here as soon as I could.’
Annie smiled…really smiled for the first time that day. ‘That’s OK.’ She forgave him for being late. She forgave him for making her cry—in fact, she forgave him everything simply because he was there. She pulled a tissue from her pocket and dabbed at her eyes and sniffed. ‘I’m just glad you came.’
He stayed on the other side of the table, needing distance in case he gave in to the urge to crush her to him. ‘I didn’t mean to…worry you.’
‘You’re here.’ She busied herself with collecting the balls and settling the triangle around them. ‘You break.’
‘Sure.’
He broke and for the next few minutes Annie was happy simply to concentrate on the game. Hayden was here. He hadn’t stood her up, and just being in his presence made her happy. What she wanted to say could wait until they’d both unwound.
Neither of them spoke much during the next two games, each winning one. As Hayden racked the balls up for another round, he looked at Annie.
‘You wanted to talk?’
Annie’s palms started to perspire. ‘Yes.’
He nodded and, after removing the triangle, leaned over to break. The sounds of the balls clacking into each other was the only sound. Now what was she supposed to say? I think you’ve made a mistake? I think we should not only date but get married? I love you so much that if you don’t my heart is going to break, and I don’t think it will ever mend?
While she gathered her thoughts Hayden continued to pot the balls, not looking at her. ‘Brenton mentioned you’re thinking about doing two three-monthly stints to finish off your training.’
Annie closed her eyes. Typical of Monty. He probably thought he was helping, telling Hayden that piece of news. ‘Yes. I was waiting to hear back from another hospital, you know, to see if it was actually possible before I told you.’
He bent over, targeting another ball, still not looking at her. ‘Where?’
‘Uh…Melbourne.’
‘Got some friends there who can pull a few strings?’
‘Yes.’
He didn’t say anything else until he’d cleared the table. Then he stood, resting his cue on the floor. ‘Why?’
‘Why? How can you ask that?’ Annie was astounded. ‘Hayden, I love you and the fact that you don’t return that love interferes with my professional life. I know it shouldn’t and I’ve been working hard to separate the two, but the fact remains that we work together. You’re my boss and you can’t keep me working the evening on-call for ever.’
‘So you’re just going to leave.’ He tossed his cue onto the table and stared at her.
‘I think it’s for the best.’
‘You’re a good doctor, Annie. The hospital needs you.’
‘You’ll be getting an equally competent replacement when I go.’
‘And when will that be?’
‘Well, if I can get everything organised, in about four weeks’ time.’
‘That’s not long.’
‘It’s long enough.’
‘What about your apartment?’
‘I’ll need something closer to the hospital.’
‘And your friends? Are you going to uproot the Worthington family and take them to Melbourne, too?’
She frowned at him, slightly puzzled by his attitude. ‘Anyone would think you care, Hayden.’
‘I do care!’ He slammed his hand down onto the table. Thankfully, the noise in the place had increased so no one noticed.
Annie’s heart was beating wildly at his reaction. He cared…but how much? She closed her eyes momentarily, sending up a silent prayer. Hoping against hope. She opened them slowly, to watch him down his drink and rake a hand through his hair.
‘Fill in the paperwork and give it to my secretary when you’re done.’ He stalked over to the chair and picked up his briefcase. He walked towards her and Annie felt as though she were slap-bang in the middle of her worst nightmare. He stopped and looked at her. ‘If this is what you want.’
‘It isn’t.’ Her tone was imploring, wanting him to know she was only doing this to keep herself from shrivelling up inside. ‘I don’t see I have much of a choice, Hayden. Working alongside you, living next door to you. You’re driving me insane and the fact that you don’t seem to want me—’
‘I do.’ His tone was as fierce as her own. He gripped her arm with his free hand. ‘I do, Annie.’
Her heart lurched with renewed hope. It was there in his eyes. Yes, he wanted her but did he love her?
‘I love you, Annie.’ The words were said softly and his hand relaxed, rubbing up and down her arm. Her eyes glazed over with tears. There was her answer but the next question was—how much? ‘Stay.’ It was a whispered command and one she felt herself crumbling towards.
‘And what?’ she whispered back. ‘Just hang around together? Move in together?’ She shook her head. ‘That’s not my style, Hayden. I’m a traditional girl at heart and I want…I need the real deal. Marriage and children.’
He dropped his hand as though burnt, his eyes turning emotionless once more. ‘Self-preservation. We each do what’s necessary.’ With that, he walked past her and headed towards the door.
Annie couldn’t look. Couldn’t watch him walk away.
Out of her life…for ever.
One week later, Annie had renegotiated her lease to expire at the end of March, even though it meant paying extra. She’d even stayed quite a few nights with the Worthingtons, unable to be so close to Hayden yet so far. Thankfully, neither Brenton nor Natasha had tried to change her mind. Katrina had even offered to speak to her stubborn brother on Annie’s behalf, but Annie had made her new friend promise to keep her mouth shut.
Everything hurt, painfully so, but she kept telling herself it was for the best—self-preservation.
The paperwork to transfer the last three months of her training to Melbourne General was complete—except for Hayden’s signature. Her replacement was all organised and she couldn’t believe it had actually come to this. She dropped the forms off with his secretary at the end of her shift and fled before she burst into tears.
The hospital grapevine had noticed a huge difference in their new orthopaedic professor and his female registrar. Even Wesley was being nice to her in his own way. Amazingly enough, Annie didn’t give a hoot about the gossip. She had better things to worry about, such as how to stop her heart from feeling like a dry piece of rock, heavy and burdensome.
On Saturday night, two days after she’d left the paperwork with his secretary, she ordered herself a pizza and sat in front of the television to devour it and a block of chocolate. Comfort food. At the moment it was her only consolation. Unfortunately, the movie was a love story and she wished she’d stopped by the video store to rent a comedy.
A knock at the door startled her, and as she sniffed and wiped tears from her eyes she walked over to open it.
‘Hayden!’ She stared, open-mouthed, unable to believe he was knocking on her door. The air seemed to rush from her lungs and her head started to feel light. When she started to sway, he leaned forward to support her.
‘You all right?’
She took a wobbly step back from him, his touch scalding her. ‘Fine.’ She forced her instantly mushy heart to harden. ‘What do you want? Cup of sugar?’
He smiled and that did it. She was lost. Her heart pounded its rhythm of love and her eyes glazed over with desire. Disgusted with herself and her body’s traitorous reaction, she turned and shuffled her way back to the sofa.
‘You look…comfortable.’
She glanced down at her old tracksuit, comfortable T-shirt and fluffy red slippers. She shrugged and turned the television off. ‘Pizza?’
‘No.’ He closed her door behind him and walked over.
‘What do you want?’
‘To apologise.’
‘For?’
He raked a hand through his hair. ‘For being…an idiot.’
‘No argument.’
He paced up and down her living room, looking so agitated that she couldn’t help but take pity on him. ‘Do you still love me?’ She couldn’t believe her voice cracked and quickly cleared her throat.
He stopped and crouched down near the sofa. ‘Yes.’
Annie closed her eyes and sighed thankfully. Her eyes opened again when he lifted her legs and sat on the sofa beside her, placing her legs over his. ‘I love you,’ he said sincerely, and cupped her face in his hands. ‘The past week and a half has been the most miserable of my life.’
‘I know. I’ve lived it, too.’
He brushed his thumb over her mouth and looked pleadingly into her eyes. ‘I need to kiss you, Annie. It’s eating me alive. I can’t think, I can’t work, I can’t sleep. I need to kiss you,’ he whispered, and before she could say anything, his mouth was on hers.
Where she thought it might be hard and furious, she was wrong. He was tender, gentle and, above all, passionate. It was a kiss of promise. A kiss of hope. And her own emotions started soaring out of control.
Her heart filled with love and she returned his kiss, emotion for emotion, showing him how completely wonderful it was to have his mouth against hers once more.
He pulled back, gasping for air. ‘The thought of never being able to kiss you again ate away at my heart. Regardless of what I’ve said in the past, regardless of what I’ve done to hurt you, the thought of never being able to hold you, to kiss you, to be with you…makes me feel like an empty shell.’ His hands caressed her face again, his thumb rubbing sensually over her swollen lips as he spoke.
Impatiently, he turned her around and dragged her onto his lap, his arms holding her firmly to him as though he was never going to let her go. ‘I love you, Annie.’
‘So you’ve said.’ She needed to let him know that there had to be more. He’d told her he loved her before and had still broken her heart.
‘You were right when you accused me of merely existing instead of living. I am…was. That’s what I’m here to change.’
‘Hayden, I—’
‘No. You were right, Annie. After Liana’s death, I locked everything up. My heart, my emotions, my passion. Lonnie had destroyed her fair share but Liana’s death…it tipped me over the edge.’
Annie watched him closely, seeing and feeling his pain as he spoke. She gently pushed his hair back from his face, loving the feel of it beneath her fingers.
‘I can’t do this any more.’ Hayden’s voice broke and she gathered him closer, burying her head in his neck. She kissed him, breathed him in and felt herself getting stronger.
‘You don’t have to,’ she said a moment later, pulling back to look down into his eyes. ‘Whatever you need to face, whatever you need to sort out, let’s do it together. Don’t shut me out any more, Hayden.’
‘I won’t. I can’t. I need you, Annie.’ He pressed his lips to hers. ‘I don’t deserve you.’
‘Oh, yes, you do,’ she answered quickly. ‘You’re a good man, Hayden, and you deserve the best, if I do say so myself.’
He smiled at her, relaxing with her firmly in his embrace. ‘And you are, Annie. You are the best…for me.’ He breathed in and slowly exhaled, all the while mesmerised by her. ‘You are one special lady.’ He kissed her again. ‘I didn’t want to hurt you, never intentionally, but in the end I did and was surprised when it hurt me just as much. You can’t go. You can’t leave me. I tore up the paperwork.’
‘You didn’t!’
‘I did. I was furious you’d gone through with it. Furious that you were daring to survive without me. I knew I’d pushed you to do it and it was then I knew it was wrong. Everything I’d thought, fought against for years was wrong. You were the only right thing in my world and I’d done an excellent job of pushing you away.’
She tightened her hold on him. ‘I’m still here, aren’t I?’
‘Where you belong.’
‘Yes.’ Annie took a deep breath and asked, ‘How about if I stay right here in your arms for…hmm…I don’t know, about the next fifty or sixty years?’
‘At our age?’ He chuckled. ‘We’d be one hundred after sixty years of marriage.’
‘I think we can handle it.’ It was then she realised he’d said the ‘M’ word. She sat up straighter. ‘Did you just say…?’
‘Marriage? Yes, I did.’ Hayden took her hands in his. ‘I didn’t want to get married again or have children because I couldn’t bear to fail again. I’d failed as a husband and as a father already, and in taking a chance with you I would be risking failure once more.’
‘You didn’t fail as a father,’ Annie whispered. ‘I’m positive Liana not only knew she was loved but felt it. It wasn’t your fault she died.’
‘She was a good baby, quiet and happy, and she looked so peaceful when I checked on her only a few hours before.’
Annie looked at the man before her, not at all surprised to see tears in his eyes. ‘Then she left you, carried away on the wings of angels to a far, far better place. Hayden, you were a good father and I’m not just saying that because I want to have children with you. I’ve seen the way you are with your nieces and nephews. They adore you. I’ve seen how you care for your patients, how you cared for me when I was sick.’
‘I don’t know if I can bear to have another child.’ Annie kissed him, putting all the reassurance she could into it. ‘I want to and I want you to be the mother, but I still don’t know.’
‘Regardless of what may happen in our future, we’ll be handling it together. You’re my soul mate, Hayden. I need to be with you as much as I need to breathe, and I’m never going to leave.’ She kissed him again. ‘Trust me. Trust me, Hayden.’
‘I do.’ He kissed her back then gazed into her eyes. ‘You humble me, Annie, and you make me want to be a better person. Not only when I’m with you but when I’m at work, with my family—all the time. I have a huge debt to repay.’ He nodded with determination. ‘And I’m going to start right now.’
He cradled her in his arms and stood before gently lowering her to her feet. ‘Come with me.’
‘What?’ Annie was a little confused but followed him nevertheless. ‘Hayden?’
He picked up her keys and walked to the front door. He opened it and, holding her hand firmly, took her out into the corridor. He dug out his own keys from his pocket and unlocked his apartment door.
‘What’s going on?’
‘Close your eyes.’ She frowned at him and he moved closer, putting his arm securely around her shoulders. ‘You’ll be fine. Trust me, Annie.’ He kissed the tip of her nose. ‘And close your eyes.’
‘OK.’ She leaned into him before lowering her eyelids, her ears listening for any clue to what was going on. The last time he’d done this, she’d received a wonderful dress. It had been an overwhelming surprise and now…she had that same feeling churning around with the nervous butterflies in her stomach.
He urged her forward, over the threshold, before closing the door behind them.
‘Hayden?’
‘A little bit further.’ She heard him flick the light switch. ‘Open your eyes.’
Annie gasped in wonderment, her jaw hanging open. His apartment had changed somewhat since she’d last been over. Around the floor, on his desk, on the comfortable chairs were chocolate frogs!
She laughed in amazement, her hands covering her mouth. ‘I can’t believe this.’ There were also six or seven large florist’s boxes of gerberas around the room, brightening it up and contrasting with the shiny chocolate frog wrappers.
She turned to look at him. ‘Oh, Hayden.’ She laughed again. ‘You really are a romantic at heart.’
He bent and kissed her. ‘Only with you.’
Annie leaned into him, utterly content. ‘I can’t eat all of them by myself. You are going to have to help me.’
‘This is just the beginning, Annie.’
‘There are more chocky frogs?’
‘No.’ He led her over to one of his luxurious chairs. ‘Have a seat.’
Annie lifted the frogs off the chair before she sat. ‘More surprises?’
‘Yes.’ He walked carefully through the scattered frogs to his desk, opened a drawer and pulled out a flat, rectangular box. ‘Here.’
‘Are you sure I don’t need to close my eyes for his one?’
Hayden chuckled at her teasing. ‘No. I want them wide open.’
Annie accepted the box and carefully lifted the lid. ‘Hayden…’ She could feel her lower lip begin to tremble as she stared at the present. ‘It’s perfect.’ She trailed her finger around the edge of the gold heart-shaped photo frame which held a picture of herself and Hayden taken at Rowena’s wedding.
‘Turn it over.’
‘What? The frame?’
‘Yes.’
Annie took it out of the box and there, tied to the black stand, was a diamond ring. She glanced up at him, totally flabbergasted.
He moved, lowering himself to one bended knee, and Annie couldn’t resist smiling. She was totally surprised by his romantic streak but loved it all the same.
‘I love you, Annie. Marry me. Build a home with me. Build a life with me.’
She touched the ring, biting her lower lip to stop the quivering. Taking a deep breath, she angled her head and eyed him thoughtfully, pretending to consider his request. ‘Will your mother make her mouthwatering pancakes?’
Hayden smiled. ‘I can guarantee it.’
‘And we can do the whole prewedding family breakfast, even if it’s considered bad luck for the bride and groom to see each other before the wedding?’
‘I have an idea.’ He pulled her up out of the chair, settled himself in her place and then tugged her back down onto his lap. ‘Why don’t we make the wedding a breakfast wedding?’
‘Wouldn’t that be too much work for your mother?’
Hayden laughed. ‘No. She thrives on that kind of thing and I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s already started planning it.’
Hayden unhooked the ring from the frame and took Annie’s left hand in his. ‘This is for life, Annie.’ He gently pushed the ring onto the third finger. ‘For life and for ever.’
With that, he gathered her close and kissed her like there was no tomorrow. Annie melted into his embrace, her mouth moving over his with a renewal of her love. Their passions met and united, taking them both to dizzying heights neither had dreamed of.
Hayden broke his mouth from hers and buried his head in her neck. ‘You will definitely have to marry me soon.’ He nipped her ear lobe.
‘Why?’ She pulled back to look at him.
‘Well, you can’t expect to kiss me like that just for fun and get away with it!’ His blue eyes twinkled with love and Annie’s breath caught in her throat.
She hugged him tight and looked around the room. It was then she froze, her eyes growing as wide as saucers. ‘Eww.’
‘What?’
‘Spider!’
‘Where?’ He started chuckling.
She pointed, looking the other way.
‘It’s only a small one.’ He looked at the eight-legged creature crawling around the ceiling.
‘Eww.’
He laughed again, lifted her from his lap, placed her back in the chair and went to the kitchen. ‘Huntsmen aren’t all that bad,’ he said as he came back with a glass.
‘Yeah? How so?’
‘They travel in twos, remember. They find their mate and stay together for life. Just like the two of us. Together for life.’
‘Well, could they do it somewhere else?’ Annie hunched herself up on the chair, closing her eyes, glad Hayden was around to take care of it. ‘Make sure you find the other one, too.’
She stayed where she was until he returned from taking the spiders outside. Hayden laughed as he gathered her close.
‘All taken care of.’
She kissed him. ‘My knight in shining armour.’
‘You know, you still haven’t answered my question.’
‘What question?’
‘Whether or not you’ll marry me!’
‘Oh. Haven’t I? How remiss of me.’
‘Well?’
‘OK. I will marry you but just don’t ever group the two of us with those eight-legged things again! Eww.’
Hayden laughed. ‘Being married to you, Annie, is going to be…’
‘Stressful?’
He shook his head.
‘Challenging?’
‘That wasn’t what I was going to say.’
‘Well?’
‘Being married to you is going to be…perfect.’