Sleep was all consuming when it came, but it didn’t last long. Keira jolted awake with the bedroom light still on at one o’clock in the morning. The events of the evening came back in a jumbled rush until her mind settled on Noah. Panic seized her and she stumbled out of bed. He’d come to surprise her and she’d shut him out without even speaking to him.
Light spilled from the living room when she stepped into the hall. She felt a rush of relief at the sight of him sprawled out on the couch.
Kneeling on the floor, she ran a hand through his hair and took in the familiar lines of his face. She’d just curled her fingers around his when he stirred.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered as his eyes flickered open.
He stretched his neck. “Are you okay?”
“I don’t know.” She blinked back tears. “I was really horrible to my dad. And you. And Mel.”
He shook his head and put a hand on her cheek. “I was only worried you’d still be annoyed at me in the morning. I didn’t know whether to stay here or not.”
“I’m really glad you didn’t leave.” She kissed him lightly. “Do you want to come to bed?”
“The couch is pretty comfy,” he said with a hint of a smirk.
“Don’t tease me. I feel bad enough as it is.”
He kicked the blanket off and followed her to the bedroom.
“I really am sorry,” she said, snuggling down with him. “I don’t know what’s going on with me. Work’s been stressful and I haven’t been sleeping well.”
“I was just worried about you.” He pulled her close. “And I’m sorry about your dad. I know you think you can’t talk to me or Mel about it, but we’re only concerned about you.”
“I know, and I know it’s wrong of my dad to take money from me, but they’re my parents …” Trailing off, she sat up as a thought dawned on her.
“What’s wrong?”
“I think you might have been right.” She scratched the side of her head. “When I had a go at you about working in a pub, you were right that it was because of my dad. I grew up watching my parents struggle for money and I hate the thought of living like that.” Pausing, she flashed Noah a sad smile. “I’m always trying to save and get annoyed at myself for not managing it. I look at Mel … or you … and you have money for extra things like meals out or flights. I guess I could afford that stuff too if I didn’t give money to my parents.”
Noah took her hand but didn’t say anything.
Sighing, she lay back beside him, inhaling the comforting scent of him as she nestled her face into his neck. “I’m not going to give them money any more,” she said decisively. “But I feel terrible for the way I left things with Dad. You’ll probably think I’d be better off if he never speaks to me again, but I hate to think of there being any bad feeling between us. He’s not perfect but he’s my dad and I love him.”
“I don’t think you’d be better off without him,” he murmured into her hair. “I might not fully understand the situation, but I get that families are complicated. Do you think you’ll be able to sort things out with him?”
“I really don’t know. He couldn’t even look at me when I left.”
“He probably just needs a bit of time. Surely he won’t disown you because you wouldn’t lend him money.”
“No, I don’t think he would.”
She only wished she could be certain of it.
Chapter Thirty
Trying to imagine a scenario where his parents asked him for money was a struggle for Noah. It wasn’t the way his family worked, so it was difficult for him not to judge Keira’s dad for it. He was determined not to though, for Keira’s sake. No matter how painful it was to watch her eat herself up over a situation that wasn’t her fault, he needed to be supportive and not judgmental.
As the first streaks of daylight lit the room, he lay awake waiting for Keira to stir and pondering how best to approach the situation with her dad. That was marginally preferable than reflecting on the other stuff she had said the previous evening … the stuff about how he’d moved back to Scilly because he didn’t care enough about her to stay.
It would probably be a good idea to address it with her, but he wasn’t sure how to convince her of his feelings. At least not without admitting that he’d made a mistake in leaving … and then move back to Bristol to be with her. He wasn’t quite ready to do that yet.
“You’re looking very serious,” Keira said, her voice croaky with sleep.
He stroked her hair as he gazed down at her, enjoying the sight of her naked body curled into his chest. “I was thinking maybe we should go out for a meal with your parents while I’m here.”
She broke eye contact as a shadow passed over her features. “It’s probably not a great idea. Dad thinks you’re the reason I had a go at him.”