‘I tested him once before and he passed the test. He did come and find me, except I didn’t know. It’s my turn now.’
‘Fight for your man,’ said Michaela, nodding with sudden enthusiasm before clapping her hands and saying. ‘This is so romantic.’
Becs looked from one to the other. ‘I’m so confused. You’re happy because he went to another woman and spent the night there?’
Anna nodded, grinning. ‘Yup.’ There wasn’t time to explain. She knew what she needed to do. She had to prove to Leo that she trusted him and knew him well enough to recognise the truth. ‘Can you give me Zdenka’s number?’
ChapterThirty-One
Leo paced. Where the hell was Zdenka? The last thing he felt like doing was going to view another potential property. The plans he’d made were to include Anna. Everything was supposed to be in place yesterday to show her the premises in Vyšehrad and ask her to stay in Prague with him. He would have signed the contract with Tomáš to set up their own bar and brewery.
It was snowing again, much bigger flakes today, whirling and curling down like feathers spilled from a pillow fight. Over the parapet the grey swirling, water below moved sluggishly. He shoved his hands further into his pockets and kept walking, looking for the statues that Zdenka had picked as a meeting point. They were on the north side and there were three of them. He spotted them ahead and slowed his pace. She’d said she’d gone to the office to get keys and insisted that he should meet her here. Standing in front of the three statues, he looked up. Three saints. Sigismund, Wenceslas and Norbert.
He moved to stand in front of Norbert. He closed his eyes. He was such a fool. Why did Anna still persist in this image of him? What more did he have to do to prove himself? Except he’d blown that one out of the water by running off to another woman last night. Hunching into his coat, wishing he had a hat and gloves, he checked his watch. Zdenka was late. With one last glance up at St Norbert’s stern face towering above him, he turned and scanned the bridge back towards the Old Town. Among the crowds of tourists captivated by the snow despite the temperature – maybe they were dressed for it – he spotted a swirl of bright red skirt. It caught his attention because it moved quickly, weaving in and out of the other people, with a determined trajectory. He sucked in a quick breath, the icy cold hitting his lungs while his stomach went into freefall.
Barely able to believe it, he stared as Anna came striding towards him, her face a curious mix of apprehension and fury. She walked straight up to him and punched him in the chest. His feet skidded slightly in the slushy snow but he managed to hold his ground.
‘That’s for running away,’ she snapped, her eyes flaring. ‘You dumb ass.’
‘I’ll take it,’ he said warily.
‘And to Zdenka’s of all places.’ She rolled her eyes. ‘That was a prime dick move.’
‘I know,’ he admitted, his heart turning over a little at the sight of her, all furious and fabulous, her scarf tossing behind her in the breeze.
‘I panicked.’
She studied him, her mouth forming a wry smile, before she said, ‘It’s all right, I forgive you. I thought I was doing the right thing letting you off the hook. I panicked, too. I thought if I made out I wasn’t looking for commitment or anything, I could protect myself from loving you too much. So what I said was a dick move, too. I do want us to be permanent. Always have. Always will. So I forgive you for running away.’
‘You do?’ Despite the light dancing in her eyes and the way they held his, he had to ask.
‘Leo, I trust you.’ The gentle expression on her face, filled with warmth and love, made his heart soar. ‘Zdenka can flirt with you all she likes, but I know there’s nothing between you. You’re not like that. I should have known it when we were married but I was too insecure and I’d been brought up to believe that men cheated. I know you love me, I just—’ She huffed out a sigh and looked up at him, her eyes full of apology. He didn’t need the words, he could see it on her face. ‘I’m sorry, Leo. Forgive me.’
‘What?’
‘Forgive me for not believing that you could love me.’
He stepped forward and put his hands on her waist, holding her at arm’s length. ‘I forgave you a long time ago,’ he said, lifting one hand to swipe the corner of her eye where a tear threatened to spill out. ‘Will you forgive me?’
‘I kind of deserved it,’ she said with her usual brutal honesty. ‘You tell me you love me, and I tell you you don’t.’
‘And do I?’
‘Hell, yes. You must do to put up with me.’ She gave him a watery smile.
‘You’re not that bad,’ he said, smiling down at her exasperated, pissed-off-with-herself face. ‘The big question is, do you love me?’
Her face filled with mischief. ‘I think I probably do.’
He laughed. ‘Well, do let me know when you’re sure.’
She slipped an arm around his waist. ‘Now’s probably a good time.’ Raising her face to him, she studied his, her eyes softening. ‘Mr Sunshine, you light up my life, spreading joy into all the dark corners.’
His heart fluttered, really fluttered in his chest as he stared back at her. ‘Positively flowery.’
‘I know. Go me. Who knew?’ She stood on tiptoes and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him in for a kiss. ‘I love you, Leo.’
He kissed her back.
