‘I doubt it. Not with Joshua along.’
‘I’ll come with you.’
‘No. I’ll handle this. You clean up the evidence.’
She waved at the wild array of clothing on the floor. He grinned, the memory of last night’s wild abandonment sparkling in his eyes. Her heart jiggled as though he had it on a yo-yo. Regretfully, it wasn’t last night any more. It was tomorrow.
‘I’ve got to get moving, Nathan.’
She hurried back to the wardrobe, grabbed some fresh clothes, and raced off to the bathroom. By the time she emerged, washed, hair brushed, clothed in jeans and T-shirt, Nathan was gone and the floor was swept clean of any reminder of their intimacy. She found the red satin evening dress hanging up. She didn’t pause to wonder where he’d put the other telltale items.
As she hurried downstairs to meet the man who had shredded the trust she had given him, Sasha had to wonder if she had committed the ultimate foolishness in succumbing to her feelings for Nathan Parnell. Whatever the outcome of their union, it was done now. At least her relationship with Tyler was well and truly resolved. She had no regrets about leaving him and had no desire or intention of ever going back to him.
If he had brought Joshua along to act as his advocate in a reconciliation, she had to make it absolutely clear there would be no future for them, except for Tyler’s rights as Bonnie’s father. Despite this resolution, Sasha opened the front door with some trepidation. Tyler was a man of many moods, most of them volatile. Initially his uninhibited responses had been a source of attraction. Somewhere along the line they had become self-indulgently excessive.
They weren’t on the portico. They were both at the foot of the steps, leaning against a huge king-of-the-road four-wheel-drive Range Rover, complete with bull bars and insect screens. It was not the kind of vehicle Sasha would have readily associated with Tyler, but apparently he or Joshua had the use of it this morning.
Tyler was stern but Joshua had a smile for her, giving his characteristic gesture of peace and goodwill. The tension inside Sasha eased slightly. Joshua’s long, loose-limbed body seemed permanently relaxed. Unruffled by anything, he presented the absolute contrast to Tyler’s air of restless energy.
‘Quite a step up, Sasha,’ Tyler drawled derisively, casting a glance over the impressive façade of the house.
‘How did you find me, Tyler?’
‘Your parents gave me the address so I could write to you.’ He gave a harsh bark of laughter. ‘What’s it like, living in a mansion?’
‘The same as anywhere else. It’s the people who count.’
‘And I don’t count any more.’
‘Not in my life, Tyler. I’m not blaming you. We didn’t fit together in the end.’
Tyler chewed that over in his mind. Then his face lightened and he jerked his head sideways. ‘What do you think of her?’
Puzzled, Sasha looked about, trying to locate the female in question. No one in sight.
Tyler didn’t notice. He slapped his hand down on the bull bar. ‘When you walked out on me, I had to find a replacement. Josh and I pooled our resources and we bought this. We’ve named it Mary Bryant. How does that strike you?’
Replaced by a car, Sasha thought numbly. She couldn’t trust herself to any words. She raised her arms slightly, opened the palms of her hands and heaved her shoulders. Let him make what he could of that expression of his inadequacy.
Tyler didn’t notice that, either. ‘We’re off to the interior,’ he declared with an air of triumph. ‘Take the greatest photos ever taken. Coffee-table stuff. We won’t be back for years. We might never come back.’ He grinned at his partner. ‘Will we ever come back, Josh?’
‘Never,’ Joshua agreed amiably.
Sasha had the strong sensation that this was all meant to be very vengeful and threatening from Tyler, but somehow it struck her as a great idea.
‘I’m glad you’re doing what you really want to do,’ she said in a conciliatory tone. She did not want to part bad friends with Tyler. There might come a time when Bonnie wanted to know her father and Tyler did have an attractive side. It was responsibility that weighed him down.
‘I do care for you and Bonnie,’ he jerked out.
‘I know that, Tyler,’ she replied sadly, thinking of the wasted years. ‘But you need your freedom.’
‘You understand.’
‘Yes, Tyler, I understand.’
She looked at Joshua with knowing eyes. His reflected the same knowledge. They both knew it was easier for Tyler to travel lightly without the burden of a wife and child. She looked back at Tyler and managed a generous smile.
‘I hope this venture leads to all you ever wanted.’