Shaken, Abe dropped his eyes, unnerved by his visceral response to her.
‘Why have you come here, Georgie?’ he asked softly. ‘I realise now that I inadvertently hurt you when I left Ibiza without discussing it with you; in hindsight, I probably should have told you I was leaving. But you do understand that, ultimately, I would still have had to go. Is it that you think we may be able to reignite what we once had? I cannot change the past or the present...or indeed the future, as it is not mine to command. I have a country to lead and you have a child to care for now, do you not?’
He clenched his fists, suddenly frustrated beyond all bearing because, despite every word leaving his mouth, hestillwanted her. She was already beginning to make him long for things that were completely impossible and she’d only been back in his life for an hour!
‘Are you mad? You think I don’t know that if you couldn’t contemplate a relationship with me when I was young, free and single, you certainly would never contemplate one with me now that I have a child?’
Of course he couldn’t, but he genuinely didn’t understand what was going on and so was clutching at anything that might make a bit of sense. Naturally, in his hunt to find answers, he was looking in all the wrong places.
‘I’ve already told you, I looked for you, you know. Everywhere. After you’d gone. That’s when I worked out just how much I’d invested in you emotionally, and just how little you’d invested back. You’d never had the slightest interest in us having any sort of relationship...’
‘Wehada relationship!’
‘No, we had sex, Abe, great sex, and lots of it. Ask most women, and they wouldn’t call that a relationship. And then you left and made sure I had no way of contacting you.’
‘For reasons I thought were sensible,’ Abe reiterated, spreading his hands.
‘I get it. We came from different worlds. You, a prince...’ She laughed shortly. ‘It must have been a novel experience slumming it with me.’
‘I don’t like to hear you putting yourself down,’ he said sharply. ‘Nor do I enjoy the implication that that’s the sort of man I am.’
‘But itisthe sort of man you are!’ Georgie cried helplessly. ‘That’sexactlywhat you did! You wouldneverhave considered anything serious with me because my background wasn’t elevated enough. That’s why walking away without bothering to tell me you were going was okay with you.’ She sighed with angry impatience. ‘It doesn’t matter. I wanted to tell you and I couldn’t find youanywhere.Heaven only knows why I’m here at all, but I suppose I still feel the same way now. That it’s important to do the decent thing.’
‘Do the decent thing?’ he echoed.
‘Despite what you seem to think, I haven’t actually come here to have a go at you because you dumped me four years ago. People get dumped all the time. I’m just a statistic. I’ve grown up a lot since we were last together. And I certainly haven’t come to beg you for one final fling! I’m here to tell you that you’re a father.’
The silence stretched to breaking point. He was frowning, then he shook his head.
‘Sorry but I think I may have misheard you.’
‘No, Abe. You didn’t mishear anything! I’m here to tell you that four years ago you fathered a child. Tilly isyourdaughter.’
‘No! It’s not possible...’
The instant the words were out of his mouth, he knew for certain he was wrong, that Georgie would never, ever lie about this. His stomach rolled and his eyes shot to the photo that still sat on the table next to him. Now that he looked closer, he could see that Tilly was so very like him. Same dark hair and dark eyes and smooth olive skin. She was utterly beautiful, and his heart clenched. He swallowed uncomfortably. Georgie must think him an utter fool for assuming she’d taken up with another man the minute he’d left and he’d been too distracted by his own jealousy to put two and two together.
‘The contraceptive pill I was taking failed when I had that stomach bug,’ she said flatly when it was clear he was unable to convert his thoughts into speech. ‘Apparently that’s not unusual. After you left and I took a test, I stayed on at the hotel restaurant for a while but there was no point hanging around, knowing that I was pregnant. I had to get back to England and start sorting my life out.’
‘I can’t believe it’s the first I’m hearing about this...’ Abe said unsteadily.
‘I couldn’t find you.’
‘I...Four years...It’s been four years...’ He was dismally aware he was rambling incoherently, but couldn’t seem to pull a sensible sentence together.
‘You don’t believe me that she’s yours? Well, I said what I came to say and to heck with whether you believe me or not!’
She flew towards the door, grabbing her jacket en route, seemingly unaware that he was behind her, his long strides eating up the space between them.
‘You can’t just tell me...this...and then try to run away!’
Georgie spun around, her eyes filled with tumultuous emotion and resentment. ‘Tilly is three years and three months old,’ she said in a rush. ‘You left a month shy of four years ago. Do the Maths, Abe. And if you still doubt what I’m saying then that’s just fine with me! I’m not asking you for anything and I don’t expect anything of you either. Believe me, I’m notthatstupid. I just thought you should know and now you do, you can go back to your royal life...’
CHAPTER THREE
‘WHEREDOYOUthink you’re going?’
He positioned himself directly in front of her and folded his arms. Six feet plus of immovable muscle.
