She closed her eyes briefly, reliving the moment when he’d said those words with a thrill of excitement.
And then she remembered David.
David had said those words, too. Just before he’d caught a plane to Singapore with another woman.
Words were, after all, just words. Anyone could say them. Especially when sharing the intimacies that she and Oliver had the night before.
If David hadn’t meant those words after six years, how could she expect Oliver to after only three weeks? No one fell in love in three weeks. It wasn’t possible. Love needed time to grow.
She was still brooding when there was a loud knock on the door.
Assuming it would be Tom, Helen put down her coffee and walked quickly to the door, opening it with a smile on her face.
David stood there.
Helen’s smile faded and emotion rushed through her with the force of a tornado.
Something must have shown on her face because he gave a slight grimace and ran a hand through his hair. ‘If you’re going to hit me, perhaps you’d better do it now and get it over with. But at least let me talk. I’ve been driving all night.’
Noticing that he was wearing a thin suit and footwear totally unsuitable for the weather, Helen stood to one side.
It didn’t occur to her that three weeks previously she wouldn’t have noticed such a thing.
‘You’d better come in before you freeze.’ Her voice was strangely flat. Five weeks ago all she’d wanted had been the opportunity to talk to David. To find out why he’d done what he had. Now she couldn’t remember what it was she’d wanted to say to him.
He walked past her into the cottage and paused in the hallway. ‘Helen…’
‘Let’s go into the kitchen,’ she said quickly, glancing anxiously towards the stairs. For some reason it seemed extremely important that Oliver didn’t come downstairs yet. At some point during the night the fire had gone out and they’d moved to the bedroom.
And Oliver was still asleep…
David frowned slightly but shrugged and followed her through to the kitchen, his expression wary as she turned to face him.
‘I’m going to come straight to the point.’ He gave her that lopsided smile that she’d once found so attractive. ‘I made a mistake, Helen. A huge mistake. And I admit it. We never should have split up.’
Helen stirred. ‘We didn’t split up,’ she said politely. ‘You left me at the altar.’
Bright spots of colour appeared on his cheekbones and he shifted his weight uncomfortably. ‘Well, not exactly. I—’
‘I hadn’t actually arrived at the church,’ Helen agreed helpfully, ‘but it was a close thing.’
David gave a sigh and ran a hand over his face. ‘Look—you have every right to be angry. But we were together for six years. Is that really something that you can throw away lightly?’
‘You did,’ Helen pointed out calmly, and David frowned.
‘What’s wrong with you? You’ve changed,’ he said quietly. ‘You never used to answer back or be confrontational.’
‘Well, maybe you just didn’t know me, David.’
‘Listen, sweetie.’ He spread his hands in a gesture of apology. ‘Everyone makes a mistake at some point in their lives. Well, this was mine. And now I’m going to put it right. I want you back.’
He wanted her back?
Helen stared at him, waiting to feel a rush of relief and pleasure. Waiting for the impulse to throw her arms around him.
Nothing happened.
Her eyes slid over him, noting his perfectly groomed appearance. Despite the fact he claimed to have driven all night, there was no trace of stubble on his freshly shaved jaw. He looked as though he’d just stepped out of the courtroom—his tie neatly adjusted, the flash designer watch gleaming on his wrist.