She squinted at him and said, “‘Summit’ sounds decidedly ominous. Are you going to be running up this thing while I puff along humiliatingly, kilometers back?”
He laughed. “A bit of a puff, maybe, but not too bad. Five kilometers, that’s all, and you’re pretty fit. A couple of hours, and it’ll give us something to look at while we have some timeto ourselves. I’m not interested in setting any land speed records today, but Iaminterested in working the soreness out of the legs and decompressing a bit. With you, for preference. We could go for a late lunch and a glass of wine afterward.” His eyes were so warm, not at all as if he were regretting anything about last night.
“Scarlett won’t be happy,” she said. Stalling, of course. “None of your kids will be all that happy, as I’m sure you’re meant to be spending time with them. Also, didn’t yourunabout fifteen kilometers just last night, and make about twenty tackles?”
“More like five kilometers and twelve tackles. And I’ll have a couple of hours with the kids once we get home, before I head back to the training center for a massage and dinner with the boys. I’ll be here all day Tuesday, too, ready to take them to … wherever.”
“Zealandia,” she said. “That’s the plan, if you want to join in.”
“Birds, eh. Well, I’ve looked at worse things. I selfishly hope you’re coming, too.”
“Yes, I am. As I’m not going to saddle you with all my kids as well as your own.”
“Oh?” The dark brows rose. “Even though you’ve been saddled with mine all week? And don’t say the thing about money again. The money isn’t the point.”
“Possibly easy to say,” she said, “when you have plenty of it.”
“True,” he said. “We’ll put it this way. If you’d like to see Zealandia, I’d like to take you. Relaxing, you could call it. Or boring, of course, but we’ll say ‘relaxing.’”
“Oh.” She knew she was turning red. “Well, yes, I would. I was planning to anyway, as … ah, as Granddad and Maureen weren’t as interested.”
“We went ourselves last week,” Maureen said, with utter composure.
“You did, eh.” Zane had that harder expression again.
“Yes,” she said. “Lovely spot, as always, and Geoffrey wanted to go.”
“Yeh,” Zane said. “About that. Let’s have that chat.”
She didn’t know what Zane said to his grandmother, or what she said in return. She didn’t ask. None of her business—but that wasn’t true, was it? Itwasher business that she’d mostly had the kids all this time, when that hadn’t been the plan. No business she was comfortable asking him to rehash, was more like it.
But the bushwalkwasspectacular. They walked through dense green areas of mossy trees and ferns, through grass-covered hills, up so many steep steps, where he walked behind her “so we can go at your pace. Also possibly so I can look at your lovely bum.” Said with a grin, which made her laugh and just …likehim.
He didn’t light up the day with his wit and charm, the way … well, the way she’d thought was exciting and romantic in her past life. He didn’t exclaim over the 360-degree views from the summit over rugged hills, city, and harbor, spectacular as they were. He was justtherewith her, solid and strong and steady, taking it all in—the melodious songs of tui and bellbird; the fluttering wings of the curious, fearless little fantail that darted around them, eager for the insects their feet stirred up; the wind at the summit that tried to tug her curls out of their knot; the kiss of the sun on their faces; the endless variegated blues of the sea. It was peaceful, it was lovely, and they were sharing it. And whenever the track allowed it, he held her hand. That may have been the loveliest thing of all.
So, yes, that had been a good day. Zealandia, too, watching him let his kids point out the birds and tell him about them,and even more surprisingly, watching him letherkids do it. That would mostly be Olive, who’d read every sign. But the most touching thing of all was watching him with her little George.
George, who’d never had a dad, or even a stepdad. Who looked at Zane with eyes both shy and worshipful, hung close to him, and asked for no attention at all. But near the end of the day, after Zane had carried Georgia on his shoulders for a fair while, he swung her down and asked George, “Want a turn up here, bro? You can see more from up high, eh.”
“Yes, please,” George said, shyer than ever.
“Then here we go,” Zane said, and lifted him overhead like he weighed nothing.
George didn’t know what to do with his hands. You could see it. His face was aglow with delight, but his hands hovered just above Zane’s head until Zane said, “Grab hold up there, bro. Can’t have you falling off the bucking bronco.” And when George did it, and Zane pointed to a bird, asked George a question, gave him all that focus?
Well, she was a mum, that was all. And how could a mum resist?
She was teetering on the edge, was what it was. She knew she should take a step back. But oh, how she wanted to fall.
Oh, wait. Where was she? That’s right. Talking about going to Te Papa. Before they went and watched the All Blacks.
And Zane.
“We’re a bit grumpy, maybe, because it’s so windy right now,” Duncan was explaining, “so we can’t really swim. We could swim anyway, I guess, and then we’d be more cheerful.”
“The wind’s going to die down by tonight,” Scarlett said. “For the match.”
“Iknow,”Duncan said. “I was talking about swimming.”
