A Case For Trust (31 page)

‘You tell me, Philippa. You've married dozens of couples. How many of them married risk-free? How many of them do you think went into their marriage with an iron-clad guarantee that they would make it work?' He echoed his mother's words. ‘There are no guarantees. It's a leap of faith. All we have is love, and for my part, I have a lot of that. I think you do, too. We'll work it out together.'

‘Do you think we know each other, really? Do we know each other well enough?'

‘What do you need to know? I'll never keep secrets from you, Philippa. Everything I am, you'll know. And everything
you
are, I promise I'll love.'

‘We've spent a lot of time fighting.'

‘That's true. So from now on, the time we
used
to spend fighting, we'll spend talking,
and
we'll each be legally obliged to listen. We'll get to know each other properly in no time.'

She thought about that for a moment, her heart finally recovering something like its normal pace.

‘And the time we used to spend in bed?'

‘That doesn't change. That's non-negotiable.'

She nodded, and stared out over his shoulder at the street and the world and the life beyond them. It was a risk. It was such a risk.

Since when have you been frightened of risk? You've been facing up to risk your whole life, with a damned sight less to hope for than this love. And this is what you want, what you've always wanted. This man is everything you've ever wanted. Have the guts to love him, Lloyd.

There was more of her mother in her than she'd ever imagined. And she was glad.

She looked up at him, at his loving, beloved face, her own eyes serious and adoring. ‘You drive a hard bargain, Matt Mason.'

‘So I've been told. Do we have a deal?' There was trust in his eyes, and belief, and patience, and acceptance. And still, that Mason certainty. Her heart cracked open. How could she resist him?

How could she resist teasing him, just a little?

‘Can I have time to think about it?'

‘No. No more time for thinking. No more time for arguing. We've wasted enough time already. Say yes.'

In her eyes, in her lips, in her heart, she said, ‘Yes.'

Epilogue

‘So, have you set a wedding date?' Justin propped his long, jeans-clad legs on the wide handrail of the verandah and accepted the coffee mug Pippa handed him.

‘June twenty-first. Here in Eleanor's garden, late afternoon.'

‘Good. I should be back by then.'

Pippa looked up in consternation. ‘Back? Where are you going?'

‘London.'

Pippa and Matt exchanged glances over their own coffee mugs.

‘Work, or pleasure?' his brother asked nonchalantly.

‘Pleasure. I hope. I thought I'd drop in and see how Lucy's faring.'

‘It's a little bit out of the way for a casual visit.'

‘I hope to stay a while.'

Pippa's and Matt's shared glance became a shared, conspiratorial smile. ‘And when do you leave?' Pippa asked.

‘Tomorrow week.'

‘That soon? But we had a date!' Justin looked bewildered, Matt bemused. She elaborated. ‘The Bar Association Ball. You insisted I go with you. When I wouldn't let you take what's-her-name. The judge's sexy clerk.'

‘Oh. I'd forgotten all about her.'

‘And about me, too, apparently. What am I supposed to do for a date now?' She pouted prettily, and her fiancé reached out a casual, tender index finger and brushed her bottom lip. She pressed her pout to his finger and, to Justin's theatrical disgust, made a loud smacking kissing sound. Matt grinned and tugged her onto his lap.

‘Since this cavalier pup has abandoned you, my love, would you consider accompanying me?'

‘To the Bar Association Ball?' Justin scoffed. ‘That'll be a first!'

Matt raised dignified eyebrows at him. ‘You'll discover, Justin—if you're ever smart enough, or lucky enough—that for the right woman, you'll do all sorts of things you've never done before.'

‘Well, for
this
woman, I imagine that's probably true. But you know, Matt, there aren't too many women in the world like Philippa.'

‘I know it. I'm counting on it.' Matt nuzzled Pippa's knuckles and pressed his lips to her wrist. ‘If you're not drinking that coffee, little brother, I'm sure you'll remember you have somewhere else to be about now.'

Justin took the hint, and left them to it.

Thanks for reading
A Case For Trust
. I hope you enjoyed it!

This is the first book in my
A Case For Love
series. The next book tells Justin's story – and he has a lot to learn before he's ready for love!

Reviews can help readers find books, and I'm always very grateful for all honest reviews. Thank you for taking the time to let others know what you've read, and what you thought.

If you'd like to know more about me, my books, or to connect with me online, you can visit my webpage at
graciemacgregor.com
, follow me on twitter at
@graciewrites
, or like my Facebook page,
Gracie Macgregor
.

You can also follow me through my publisher's page here:
www.escapepublishing.com.au

If you liked this book, you might also enjoy my romantic suspense novel,
Hearts on Hold
.

A Case For Trust
and
Hearts on Hold
are published by Escape Publishing. If you'd like to sample some more great books from my fellow Escape Artists, please turn the page.

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