Bel’s heart picked up speed at the thought, but then quickly crashed back to reality again. She knew that getting pregnant by mistake would not help her current situation, even as she felt a microsecond of disappointment. She didn’t want kids … did she? No! Of course she didn’t. At least not that she was about to admit out loud to his face. It seemed too embarrassing. She’d never felt the least bit maternal, not even when Em was having hers. She liked being the fun aunty and handing them back.
She shook away that weird train of thought and realised they were going to have to somehow deal with what had just happened.
‘Bel, I—’
‘Dean, I—’
They both stopped and shared a small grin.
‘You first,’ she said.
‘I was going to say, I didn’t plan on jumping you like some horny teenager—clearly not one of my coolest moves—but I can’t say I haven’t thought about it.’
‘Really?’
‘You haven’t thought about us, like that?’ he asked slowly.
‘Well … no. Not really.’
As soon as she said it, she sensed him withdrawing and wished she’d kept her mouth shut. ‘I mean, I know Em’s tried to push us together a few times, but I didn’t think you really liked me like that.’
‘Why would you think that?’
‘I don’t know … I guess because I always saw you as the kid who was mean to me at school. And it’s not like you ever asked me out.’
‘When I came back, I couldn’t believe my luck to find you still here and single. I thought it was a sign that I’d made the right decision. But when you’d barely give me the time of day, I began second guessing all my choices. Then Mr Tall, Blond and Handsome came to town and you left. You know, even then, I didn’t quite give up hope. I figured you’d come back after seeing through him … but you didn’t. I gave up after that. Then, the day I picked you up from the airport, you walked in through those doors, the sun streaming in behind you, and you were dressed in that white blouse and tight jeans, and you did this thing where you slid your sunglasses onto the top of your head as you looked around … it was the hottest thing I’d seen in a long time.’
‘Seriously?’
‘You looked like you’d just stepped out of some high-fashion magazine. And for a minute, I had no idea who itwas until you looked at me and it hit me like ten thousand volts.’
‘You’re crazy,’ she said with a soft laugh.
‘I’m being completely honest. You terrify the hell out of me, Bel. I can’t think straight whenever you’re around. I never have. You used to have me tripping over my words and getting all tongue-tied whenever I tried to talk to you … and that was before.’
‘Before?’
‘Before you went and changed your hair and stuff,’ he elaborated.
‘You barely even said two words to me back then, when you first came home.’
‘Because I was always so nervous.’
‘Of me?’
‘Yeah. I really liked you. You couldn’t tell?’
‘No, I thought you couldn’t stand me.’
‘I thought you couldn’t standme.’
‘Only because I remembered how you used to tease me all the time at school.’
‘I liked you back then, too,’ he said with a shrug.
‘Then why did you tease me so much?’
‘I don’t know. That’s just what kids did, I suppose. I didn’t do anything bad, though.’
