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“I’m sure she wasn’t.”

“She was, they both were. And because I didn’t, I felt I had to work extra hard to make up for it. Their marriage seemed so happy. They were each other’s first loves, did you know that?”

“No…” I say softly. “That’s very romantic.”

“Yeah. Childhood sweethearts. It didn’t mean they didn’t have their ups and downs, but she always used to say that if you loved someone, you stuck by them and worked through the problems. And I sort of felt that if I gave up on my marriage, I’d let her down.”

I give a long sigh, indicating as we reach the town. “I’m sure she’d be horrified if she knew that.”

“Maybe.” She gestures to her right. “You just passed the bookshop.”

I turn right onto Founders Terrace. “I’m taking you up to the cottage. Jayden wants to talk to you about something.”

She looks back at me. “What?”

“I don’t know. He didn’t tell me.”

“Is it about Millie?”

“I don’t know.” As we go up the hill, I can see Jayden sitting on the wall out the front, his cane by his side, so I’m guessing Emma hasn’t arrived yet with Millie. He gets to his feet as I pull the car up in front of the cottage. I leave the car idling. “Would you like me to go?”

“No,” she says. “Please stay.”

“Okay.” I turn off the engine, and we get out.

I’m nervous about this. I don’t want Jayden to hurt her any more than he already has. But as I said to her in the car, she’s already grown since he left, and maybe this will be the final step she needs to break out of the tiny pot he kept her in.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Vix

“You okay?” Jayden asks as I walk towards him.

I refrain from making a sarcastic comment like, What do you care? Instead, I say, “Come in,” and lead the way around to the back door.

We go inside, and as I go into the kitchen, I call, “Dad?” I put the kettle on, more for something to do than anything else, and start taking mugs out of the cupboard.

Dad comes into the kitchen. His hands are covered in earth, so he was obviously in the garden. He stops in the doorway as he sees Jayden and Mitch, then goes over to rinse his hands under the tap. He frowns at me. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” I put teabags in all the mugs. “Jayden wants to talk to me about something. Maybe you and Mitch can make the tea while we talk?”

“Of course.”

I give Mitch a last look. He hasn’t brushed his hair this morning, and his jaw is still covered in stubble. He looks scruffy and worried and gorgeous. I feel a brief tingle as I think about what we got up to last night, but I push the thought away. I have more important things to think about right now.

Turning, I go out of the kitchen and into the living room, Jayden close behind. I perch on the sofa, and he sits in one of the armchairs, giving a small groan as he leans back.

Ordinarily, I’d have asked how he was feeling. Suggested a cushion might make him more comfortable. Offered to get him some painkillers. But he’s not my husband anymore. Not my responsibility. It’s an oddly liberating thought.

I meet his gaze evenly. “Mitch said you wanted to talk to me about something.”

“Yeah.” He shifts in the chair and looks suddenly nervous.

“Is it about Millie?” I ask.

“No. Not directly.” He studies his jeans. Then he says, “I want to talk about what happens next.”

“Okay.”