It was too much to bear. Rowan fumed silently. Quickly, she texted back.
Inside a minute she had another message. Rowan stared at the screen in horror. “He’s got a motorbike and our new address. That means he could be here within hours.”
Again she texted back. The reply came just as quick. “She says ‘last message cos Rory will kill me if he finds out I told you. Sean knows you’ve moved to Prestatyn, but that’s all he knows.’” Rowan glazed over. “It bloody well better be all he knows!”
“I’ll phone Gladys,” Nan said, her eyes bright with interest. “Tell her to pick up more groceries. He’ll be starving after being in jail all this time.”
Rowan felt as if steam was going to start coming out of her ears. “They do feed them, mores the pity. If it was me I’d starve him for being so bloody stupid. Hacking…I mean, for fuck’s sake.”
“Language, Rowan.”
“Sorry, Nan… but you’d think they’d have grown out of it at some point.”
“Indeed.” Nan nodded approvingly.
Rowan stared at her grandmother in horror. It was always a red flag warning when Nan agreed with her. “Oh God, I’m beginning to sound like you and Gladys.”
Slapping her forehead with the palm of her hand, she tried to decide whether to start boarding the doors and windows, or get in the shower first. Nan was treating the news as if it was some lovely family reunion, and all she could think was he better not turn up here having disappeared without saying goodbye nearly three years ago.
Nan was on her feet, plumping the cushions on the sofa.
“Don’t make a fuss,” Rowan declared. “I’m not going to. He won’t come here. Why would he? Even if he does, I couldn’t care less.”
Nan laughed.
Rowan tied the belt on her dressing gown even tighter. She stared down at Pixie, who was happily playing. Her child. Her secret. Emotions tumbled through her.
Her phone buzzed again. She pulled it from her pocket.
Nan paused her tidying and looked over expectantly.
“Oh, bloody hell…”
“Language, Rowan!”
“Sorry, Nan. This one is from Rory. He says Sean is on his way.”
It was true. Sean really was on his way. “I can’t let him see me like this!”
She didn’t even catch Nan’s reply before she dropped the phone and headed for the shower.
Chapter Three
Sean burned rubber until he hit the Welsh border, then he slowed down and let the bike hug the roads, driving through blots of afternoon sun and the occasional misty rain. The bike handled beautifully, and he was grateful for it. Savoring every breath of freedom as he travelled, he closed the distance between him and Rowan.
Rowan. His stepsister was like a magnet. Always had been.
He used to be able to fight it, used to be able to stop thinking about her by filling his brain with other stuff. Computer code, alcohol, bikes, fighting, and other stupid shit. But then he was locked up. Four walls and enough time to regret the things he’d done—and those he hadn’t. It got to the point where all he could think about was being with Rowan again. His stepsister. Out of bounds. But they were both rebel souls and soon became secret lovers. Litt
le could keep them apart. Their hidden relationship raged for months before their parents found out, then all hell broke loose. Things got nasty.
Ever since, he was haunted by images and memories of her, from the feeling of her lush lips on his skin, to the intimate details of their secret lives together, including those intense moments when they lost their virginity together.
He deeply regretted not dealing with it at the time. They had so quickly evolved into a deep relationship, stuff he’d have had to match up to, stuff that happened long before he was sure he could deal with any of it. He’d never been able to escape it though, and now he wanted to reverse everything in between. He was willing to do anything to get her back. Anything.
They’d been too young to feel so much, that’s why. But he’d had time to reflect on it, and he was sure they would have hacked through it—together—both the obstacles and hardships, the denial from parents, family and friends. They could’ve handled it all, if he hadn’t taken the opportunity to hightail it out of town with Draco and Rory.
It was time to right the wrongs.