Kirra finally smiled and the last bit of tension released from Emma’s shoulders. “Speak for yourself,” a voice said from the bed beside Kirra’s. The curtain opened to reveal a boy about Kirra’s age with a grin and an arm strapped heavily to his chest. “I’m delightful to be around.” Kirra’s eyes popped wide as she looked at the shirtless boy and then she looked down, her cheeks reddening. “I’m Michael,” he said and then winced as he swung his legs over the side of the bed so he faced them. “I’m Emma and this is Kirra,” Emma said. “What did you do to your arm?” “Rugby,” he said and then tried to shrug. His face paled and he swallowed harshly. “Note to self…don’t shrug.” “What happened?” Kirra finally spoke, looking back at the boy but focussing on his shoulder. “Caught in a ruck, dislocated my shoulder. You?” “Bad tackle. Head knocks. Blacked out for a bit and they insisted I come in to check for a concussion.” “Oh yeah? Rough. Who do yo
He wanted to reach out and tuck a stray curl behind her ear, but he clenched his hand at his side instead, keeping it from reaching for her. He swallowed. “Is your sister okay?” he asked. She sighed, her shoulders slumping and her body losing the rigidness that had been holding her up. He couldn’t help but reach for her then, pulling her into his chest and offering her his strength. “Yeah,” she mumbled into his chest. “She’s okay.” “Can I meet her?” he asked, and Emma tilted her head up to meet his eyes. “You want to meet my sister?” He shrugged. “Sure. I mean if you don’t mind. I don’t want to intrude—” She took his hand and pulled him into the room. They rounded the curtain and he got his first look at Emma’s sister. She was almost an exact copy of the woman holding his hand if separated by a few years. Emma’s sister still had that look of a girl about her while Emma was all woman. “Kirra,” Emma said, and the girl turned from the conversation
Seeing the way Emma and Kirra interacted made him happy but also pulled at something inside him. He’d never had a brother or sister. It had been just him, his dad, and his grandparents. He didn’t even remember his mother, not really. The only memories he had relating to her were when he would sit at the window waiting for her to arrive. After she left, she visited a few times and then the visits just stopped. He never knew why. He hadn’t seen her in twenty-six years and he had long ago thought he was over both her absence and her betrayal. She hadn’t even contacted him when his dad got sick. She hadn’t once tried to check on him to see how he was doing. Most of the time he wiped her from his brain. Pretended she was dead so that he wouldn’t spend time wondering where she was or why she had left. His father had been distraught at the time. He may have been young, but he could remember the sadness that lived in their house like an unwelcome visitor. They had moved in with his
is Kirra?” Jake asked as he sailed through the door on Monday morning. Emma looked up from her desk in surprise. She hadn’t expected to see him today. “She’s good. She was in a foul mood for most of the weekend because I wouldn’t let her go out, but there were no signs of concussion.” He grinned and flopped into his chair. “That’s great,” he said. Emma turned back to her work, unsettled by Jake’s chipper mood. She didn’t know what she had expected after what happened on Friday night. Something had definitely changed between them—he saw her at probably her lowest point and that had to have an impact on their professional relationship—she just wasn’t sure how to navigate this new shift. Emma was so confused. Jonathon hadn’t called her to see how she and Kirra were. She supposed she hadn’t actually expected him to, but it would have been nice. Their date had been cut short because she had to go to the hospital, the polite thing to do would be to at least text to make sure every
“That is such bullshit, Emma,” Jake growled. “He dropped you off at the hospital and left you there. No car, no way of getting home. And then he didn’t even call to check on you? Do you really want a guy like that in your life? Do you really want a guy like that around your sister?” “Stop it, Jake. This is none of your business.” “None of my business? Shit, Emma. I was there. I saw how worried and upset you were and that fucker just dropped you off and drove away. He is an arsehole to pull such a dick move like that. Is the money really that important to you? Are you really willing to put up with his shit just because he’s rich?” Emma opened her mouth to reply, not really sure what she was going to say when the phone on her desk rang. She held her finger up to Jake to tell him that she would have words for him momentarily and picked up the phone. “Jake Campbell’s office, Emma speaking. How may I help you?” “Do you have a passport?” Natalie asked. Could the woman ever say a
He didn’t know what it was about her, but he couldn’t help wanting…fuck. He couldn’t even articulate exactly what he wanted in his own head. He worried about her and her sister all weekend but hadn’t dared try to contact her. It wasn’t just her sister’s injury that had him concerned. He couldn’t believe the state of disrepair the block of apartments that she lived in was in. How was it legal to allow people to live in a building that looked like it was one stiff breeze away from crumbling to the ground? How safe were the two sisters living in such a dive? He had wanted to go up to the apartment with them to make sure they got there safely, but Emma hadn’t given him a chance. Instead, he sat in his rented car and watched until he saw a light go on in an apartment on the upper levels. Hoping it was her and that she arrived safely, he reluctantly drove away and then worried about her for the next two days. No one had inspired that kind of protectiveness in him since his grandparents
She spent a few hours cleaning the house—it had gotten past untidy and verged on a garbage dump—and then did a quick trip to the supermarket to stock up on the essentials of toilet paper, coffee, milk, bread, and body wash. She then left a note for Devi telling her where Emma was going and how to contact her if she needed to. Emma didn’t think Devi would even read the note or notice that anyone had been in the house. Emma didn’t even know how long Devi had been gone or when she would be back. Lately, her mother had taken to disappearing on benders that sometimes lasted days. She was glad Kirra was now living with her and kicked herself for not taking her sister with her before this. When she got home, she packed, then packed again, and repacked a third time before she was happy with her luggage. She had no idea what the weather would be like. It was autumn here which meant spring there but she doubted spring in Europe was quite the same as spring in Australia. And she kind of hop
Emma tried to stay awake, at least for a little while. It was her first time on a private plane—her first time on any plane. So many firsts and she didn’t want to miss a thing but she was so tired and she was losing the battle to keep her eyes open. The plane was amazing and just like she’d seen in movies. Big, leather seats that were as comfortable as they looked, a flight attendant who greeted them with drinks as soon as they boarded, and a selection of magazines or headphones or movies to watch while they flew halfway across the world. It spoiled her for any other air travel. She didn’t think she would ever be able to fly economy, not after this experience. Jake had explained that the plane belonged to Ashby Chocolates and the fact that they had a factory on Merveille necessitated having a way to get there with as little preparation as possible. There was even a house in Merveille owned by the company. It had once belonged to a lord or some such who had gone broke and nee
Six Months Later…Everyone he loved was in the room. They were celebrating. Barry and Becky had finally set a date. Lisa and Mason wouldn’t be far behind. Brian and Cassie kept sneaking glances at one another that they thought nobody else noticed. He thought he knew what was going on but he didn’t want to ruin the surprise. It was their news to share and he was happy to wait for them to be ready to share it. Liam and Loretta were here too. He’d been slowly getting to know them. There was a lot of hurt to work through, but they were getting there. Jonathon quite enjoyed having a younger brother even if it was only in small doses at the moment. Devi and Kirra were also there. Kirra was graduating in a couple of weeks and then she would be hopefully attending one of the universities close to home. She wouldn’t know if she got accepted until the new year, but Jonathan was quietly confident that she would get into her top pick. And then there was Emma. Every day with her was
“I know it’s too soon,” he said, cupping her cheek. “But I want you to know that I am in this for good. I want to spend my life with you Emma. I want us to be a family. You, me, Kirra, Devi, Liam, and Loretta—” “Loretta?” “My mum. I want one big, messy family with you and me at the heart of it. Tell me you want that too.” She pressed against him and brushed a kiss on his lips. “I do,” she said before putting the remaining half of the chocolate in her mouth and grinning. The wheel came to a stop and he drew Emma to her feet, moving them both over to the window. The entire city of Melbourne was spread out below them, but it dimmed in comparison to the woman in his arms. “I love you, Emma,” he whispered before kissing her while they stood on top of the world.He took her home. He couldn’t not. They had stuff to work out and a relationship to manage. He had a family to get to know and she had her mother’s illness to navigate and her sister’s final year of sch
He stepped into the pod and waited for the door to close before holding the final box out to her, his mouth dry. She reached for it but he snatched it away, lifting it beyond her reach. “Before I give this to you, I need to explain.” She looked from the box to his face and nodded. “Okay.” The wheel started to move and Jonathon moved them over to sit on a bench. He exhaled roughly. “Okay, so I don’t know how much of this you already know, but how about I just start at the beginning?” She nodded again. “My mother left when I was two. I always believed she left us for a man with money. I’ve recently found out that wasn’t true.” He took a deep breath and her hand rested gently on his chest as she moved closer to him. He took strength from her closeness. “Someone was impersonating me—” “Liam?” He nodded. “Right. Liam. It turns out Liam is my brother. He was trying to draw me out and get me to notice him. He ultimately wanted to meet his father. He didn’t
“Are you looking for this?” the security guy asked, holding out an old-fashioned paper ticket. Emma laughed as she snatched it from him, waving it over her shoulder as she jogged toward the front doors of the building. She slid into the car and Brian looked at her expectantly. “Um…” Emma looked between Brian and Cassie. “I want to say Luna Park, but I don’t think that’s right.” “Why Luna Park?” Cassie asked. Emma held up the ticket in her hand. “We went to a fête in Merveille and rode the Ferris wheel.” “The Melbourne Star,” Brian said, his voice gruff. “Of course!” Cassie cried excitedly, leaning over to give Brian a smacking kiss. “You’re brilliant.” Emma could barely keep still as Brian drove them across town toward the Docklands and the giant observation wheel. As much as she was enjoying herself, she wanted to see him. She had already forgiven him for his lie and now she desperately wanted to ask his forgiveness for her stupid, fearful, erratic
She walked around the corner expecting to see Jonathon outside the patisserie, but there was no one there. She stepped inside breathed in the sweet scent of pastries and chocolate and looked around, hoping to spot him, but he wasn’t there. “Are you Emma?” a lady asked. “Yeah,” Emma said, turning to the woman who sat at a small table with a familiar little box in front of her. “This is for you,” the woman said, standing and walking away. Emma sat and took the box, pulling at the bow and opening it to see another chocolate truffle, this time it had an ’S’ written on top of it in dark chocolate. She didn’t need the little ‘Eat Me’ note to know what to do. She put the truffle on her tongue and closed her eyes. The chocolate coating melted away to leave behind a cake center with the sweet tang of apricot jam. “Sachertorte,” she mumbled to herself as she sighed and opened her eyes. Emma picked up the note that had nestled beside the truffle in the box.The first time we made lov
Dear Emma,The first time we met I wanted to kiss you. I knew I couldn’t. I knew it was stepping across a line both personally and professionally, but still, I couldn’t deny the attraction I felt.Our relationship has had an unconventional start, a bit of a rocky middle, and an absolutely appalling ending, but there were some real high points along the way. Let me remind you of how good it was between us and how good it could be again.Do you remember our first kiss? I don’t think I will ever forget it. I thought I knew what I was getting myself in for when I leaned down to brush my lips across yours, but I was a fool. You were so much more than I ever thought I would ever experience. You took my breath away and I lost a little bit of my heart to you at that moment.If it meant as much to you as it did to me, meet me there at the place where we first kissed.Jonathon.Emma could feel the wetness on her cheeks and she sniffed as she wiped at the tears. “Well?” Cassie asked, rocking o
It was the first Saturday morning Emma could ever remember that had the three of them sitting around the kitchen table eating pancakes and laughing. What would have been a simple, family Saturday morning ritual for some was something out of a fairy tale for Emma. She knew they were a long way from being a happy family, there was still a lot of hurt to navigate and broken trust to overcome, but it was a start and for once in her life, she was willing to just go with it. On this day, Devi was back to the woman she vaguely remembered from before Tom died and Emma wanted to soak it up and memorize it. From pancakes, they’d gone to gardening. Emma shared her plans with Devi and Kirra. She would let the lease go on her flat and move back in here permanently. It meant she would be on hand if Devi needed her and hopefully give some stability for Kirra’s final year of school. After she graduated and went off to uni, Emma could look at what would happen next. They all agreed that if they were
Emma wanted to believe her, but it was tempting to turn away and close her heart off so she couldn’t be hurt again. Except it would hurt anyway. If there was one thing she learned through this whole saga with Jonathon it was that closing your heart off to others was a mistake. You ended up hurting everyone that way, not least of all yourself. She put her arm around Devi and hugged her. “Good for you mum,” she said.Jonathon worked all night and most of the day. He tried calling Emma but when she didn’t pick up or reply to his texts after the first twenty or so, he gave up. What he had to say needed to be said in person anyway. Inspired by the woman he had fallen irrevocably in love with, he had spent the night holed up in his test kitchen creating the perfect set of truffles. Anybody could buy a box of chocolates or a bunch of flowers but only he could create an entire set of truffles that spelled out just how much he loved her and how much she had impacted his life. He had words
Kirra said when Emma finally made it home. Emma had been wandering around the city trying to come to terms with what all this meant for her life going forward. She had made some hard decisions, but she felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. It hadn’t helped with the pain in her chest where her heart was currently crumbling away to dust, but at least she knew that she wasn’t going to end up like her mother just because she had fallen in love. Life was always going to throw her curve balls and she just learned something about herself. Despite her previous belief, she was actually strong enough to withstand them, even swing the bat at them, and make the best out of a bad situation. “Hey, yourself,” she said, sitting at the table opposite Kirra. “Where’s Zoë?” “She had to go and run some errands.” “Where’s mum?” Kirra bit her lip and her eyes teared up. “I don’t know.” “She’s not here?” Emma asked, sitting up straighter and leaning forward. “When I got home, Z