Another Chance (25 page)

“But you didn’t come to the party, I waited for hours and drank so much I went to sleep and left the others to party. When I came looking for you the next day you didn’t want to have anything to do with me. I had hoped that when you came up to Auckland to go to University that I’d have a chance to sort things out but then you never came.”

“I saw you,” she screamed down the phone, “I was so hurt there was no way I was going to track you down to tell you I was pregnant.” At that, she stopped, and there was silence. She had confirmed what he had suspected.

"Cassie," he said before she hung up the phone.

She threw the phone across the room, curling herself into a fetal position and rocked. She hadn’t meant for it to slip out, but there was no going back now, and Patrick knew the secret she’d only ever shared with Mark. The tears were in free fall now as Cassie thought of what Patrick could do. He was a successful surgeon. What if he tried to get custody of Sophie?

“Mark would have known what to do,” she thought, and her heart pounded in her chest as she thought of him not being here to guide her. The loneliness was overwhelming She jumped when the thumping on the front door started, and all she could think about was stopping whatever it was, so Sophie wasn’t woken.

Patrick stood on the doorstep, drenched by the torrential rain that now pounded the roof. “Let me in, Cassie, this weather has turned to crap, and I don’t want to stand out here all night,”

“What do you want?”

“To sort this out with you, I’ll stay here if I have to, but I’d rather come in where it’s warm.”

She moved aside to let him through and plucked a dry towel from the basket of dry washing yet to be folded. As she handed it to him he took her hand in his, and she could feel his eyes on her. “Look at me, Cassie.”

When she looked up all she could see was the pain he felt. “Get out of those clothes before you catch pneumonia,” she said, forcing the words out. She left the room, before returning with a bathrobe and handed it to him. “I can put your clothes in the dryer, won’t take too long to dry.”

“We need to talk, that’s why I’m here.”

She looked at him, her green eyes brimming with tears. “Let’s get you dry, you can go home in the morning.” Frustrated, he pulled off his shirt, and she lowered her eyes at the sight of his sculpted chest. She turned her back while he removed his pants and he put the robe on.

“It’s safe for you to look now,” he said. She disappeared with his clothes, and he could hear the rumble of the dryer starting and the sound of boiling water coming from the kitchen. She emerged with a coffee in each hand and placed them on the coffee table, sitting on the couch beside.

“Is this your way of saying you’re ready to talk?” he asked.

“I’m making sure you’re warm enough before you go to bed in the spare room,” she replied.

He sat beside her. “Cassie, there’s a lot we need to talk about. A lot you need to tell me.”

“You’re talking about me not telling you I was pregnant.”

“To tell you the truth, Cass, I’d already worked that out. Well I suspected, you confirmed it. The timing was too close, and you did try to lie to me about how old Sophie was.”

“I didn’t want to complicate things further, and I don’t want to end up fighting for my daughter. You didn’t have a choice to be involved because I kept you out of it, but she’s my life, Patrick, I couldn’t bear to lose her.”

He took her hand in his. She tried to pull away, but he wouldn’t let go. “Cassie, I would never try to take Sophie from you. I want to be a part of both your lives, and if you really don’t want me around then I will go, but I want to fight for us, Cassie.”

“I’m so confused. I told you that I would give you a chance when I was ready, and now you’re pushing. You send me confusing text messages, and it’s messing with my head, and now I have to confront the fact that I’ve told you the biggest secret I’ve ever had, and it involves you.”

Patrick let go of her hand, reaching for the lock of her hair that had fallen over her face while she talked. He played with it in his fingers before pushing it off her face. “Then I’m telling you straight up that I want you. I want to be with you, Cassie, have the life with you that we should have had and be the man you need. I’m not telling you to let go of Mark, I’m asking you to hold on to me.”

Before she could protest he kissed her, his tongue finding hers as he pulled her closer and she sighed at the sensation of being held, of being loved. “Let’s go to bed, Cass. I want to show you how much I love you.”

He stood and held out his hand to her. At first she hesitated, scared this was moving too fast, but it felt more right than anything had for so long so she took it and he led her to the bedroom.

When they got there, he grinned and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her into a bear hug. “We can go as slow as you like, Cassie, I just want to be near you. Even if you let me hold you.”

She held onto him tightly. “I do want this,” she whispered, “I’m terrified of getting in over my head and it being too soon and too much.”

“Then let’s get into bed, and I will hold you in my arms, and we’ll go to sleep. I’ll do whatever it takes to prove myself to you.”

She nodded and he tugged at the ties on her bathrobe, revealing her nightshirt. “It’s not my best look.”

The nightshirt was ragged, she’d clearly worn it to death, but it was comfortable. “You’d look beautiful dressed in a sack,” he said, “I thought you slept naked anyway.”

For the first time in what felt like forever, Cassie smiled, and that twist of fear in her stomach faded. She shook her head. “Not lately, it didn’t seem right, besides you just never know when a doctor might want to check out your scars. This is old, but it’s comfortable. You are gorgeous, Patrick Cross, you always have been. Why on earth would you be interested in a dumpy, pathetic woman like me?”

He frowned. “You are neither dumpy nor pathetic, Cassandra Warren. I have been in love with you since primary school. Now are you getting in this bed with me or not?” Pulling back the covers, she climbed into bed and watched him as he went to the other side and followed suit. He’d removed his bathrobe and she had an urge to touch his beautiful tanned skin, aching to stroke his chest. He opened his arms to her, and her heart was pounding as she was enveloped by him, his gentle touch lighting a fire in her that hadn’t burned for so long.

“Cassie,” he murmured, “we don’t need to do anything more, this will do fine for now. Thank you for letting me get so close to you.”

“Thank you for being here, maybe I don’t sound appreciative, but the fact you came here shows me how much you do care.”

“I told you, Cass, I love you. And I will wait for as long as I have to for you to love me in return.”

“That’s the problem,” she said, “I already do.”

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

That eerie feeling that someone was looking at her hung over Cassie as she woke the next morning. Patrick lay beside her, still sleeping peacefully, his arm still draped over her as it had been all night.

Realising the feeling had not gone away she looked to the other side and found Sophie, standing by the bed with her arms crossed watching over her mother. Her daughter had a smirk on her face, and Cassie blushed at the intense look the young woman was giving her.

As she pried herself free of Patrick’s arms, she slid out of bed, following her daughter out to the kitchen.

“Sorry for interrupting you mum, I didn’t realise you had company,” Sophie said.

“It’s all right love, Patrick came over late last night. I’m just glad he didn’t wake you up when he arrived.”

“I didn’t think you would be in bed with him though. What’s wrong with the spare bed?”

Cassie laughed. “Nothing is wrong with the spare bed, Miss Nosey, he just slept in my bed.”

“So are you two together now?”

She shrugged. “I guess. I’m really sorry about last night, Sophie.”

Sophie grinned. “Mum, if he makes you happy then I’m happy. He is a nice guy and don’t worry about last night.” She leaned over the kissed her mother on the cheek. “I love you, Mum, it is nice to see you smile again.”

“I hope I’m the cause of that smile,” came a voice behind them. Patrick stood in the doorway. Cassie’s heart skipped a beat.

“Apparently you are. I do believe Sophie just gave us her blessing too.”

He grinned. “Fantastic, I think that is all we were waiting for. Come back to bed.”

Sophie giggled, and Cassie’s eyes widened. “You cannot talk like that in front of Sophie.”

“Mum, it’s OK. I do know all about the birds and the bees.”

Cassie rolled her eyes. “I’m not going back to bed now, I’m starving.”

“Just as well I made breakfast,” Sophie said with a laugh.

“Fine.” Patrick pouted. He sat at the table, reaching for Cassie and pulling her down onto his lap.

“You’re trouble, you are.”

“And you love it,” he replied. He stroked her face with his hand, bringing her in for a kiss.

“Eww gross you two,” said Sophie, bringing the plates to the table.

“Get used to it.”

Cassie hugged him and moved off his lap onto a chair, awaiting her breakfast. She winked at Sophie as she brought the food to the table. “So what are we going to do today?” Patrick asked.

“Won’t you be going home?” asked Cassie.

“I don’t have to, my calendar is free tomorrow so I can stay tonight too.” The way he looked at Cassie sent a shiver up her spine. He would want more than to hold her tonight, and she was ready for that now.

“Sounds great,” said Sophie, “can we all hang out together today?”

“I’d like that.” Patrick said.

When the evening came, Cassie snuggled into Patrick’s arms on the couch while they all watched a movie together. Eventually, Sophie had enough of the kissing going on and went to her room to play games on the computer.

“Do we tell her?” Patrick asked Cassie. He had wanted to talk about it all day but didn’t want to upset her by bringing it up in front of Sophie.

“We need the right moment. It is a lot to handle and she is already dealing with us being together now.”

“Cass, she has taken it in her stride. I think she will be fine, but we’ll do what you want to do. You have known her longer.”

“I’m so sorry about that, Patrick. I should have told you, years ago.”

“We’re all together Cassie, that’s the important part. We’ll work out the logistics of that as we go.”

“I like the sound of that.”

“Now come here,” he murmured, “I haven’t had nearly enough kisses from you.”

He was so tender and loving with her, but she still became more nervous as the evening rolled on knowing they would make love. Despite her self confidence growing with Mark loving her, she felt like that eighteen year old again.

When they went to bed, he stripped off and jumped into bed, opening his arms to her. “Come on, Cassie.”

“Patrick, I…”

“We don’t have to make love if you don’t want to. I’m not going to rush you if that’s what you are worried about.” She chewed her bottom lip, and he raised an eyebrow at her nervousness. “Come on sweetheart, you spent last night in my arms, and if I have my way you will spend every night there.”

Cassie pulled off her shirt and reached behind to unclip her bra. A grin crept across Patrick’s face as she stood before him, half naked. Without a word, she unzipped her jeans, pulling them down her underwear inside and discarding them on the floor beside the bed. Her chest felt as if it was going to explode as she slipped between the sheets and into Patrick’s arms. “Does this mean you want to make love? Or are you going to torture me.”

She laughed. “It would be torture for me too being so close to you like this and not being able to touch you. I want to make love, Patrick, but I am so insanely nervous.”

“Do you want to know a secret?” he asked, rolling her onto her back so he could prop himself up on one elbow.

“What?”

“I’m nervous too. Remember the last time we were together? Neither of us having any clue what we were doing. When I think about how I could make you feel now it excites me, but then I want to impress you. I hope that I do a good job of it.”

Cassie laughed harder, and Patrick pouted.

“Oh you poor baby. It has been a long time since any man touched me; you won’t have to do much.”

“Well I must say that is good for the old ego. ‘Don’t worry about technique, Patrick, I’m horny because it’s been a while.’”

“That’s not what I said.” Cassie laughed.

“It’s making you smile. The sound of your laughter is better than anything I’ve heard lately. I want to make you happy this time, Cassie. When we were together last time things got screwed up. I still don’t know how as I never had sex with Vicki that I remember. Now is my chance to put things right between us, make a family with you and our daughter.”

Cassie stroked his face. “I like the idea of that.”

Patrick kissed her, his tongue finding hers and his hands gently stroked her body as he finally got to be with the woman he had loved for all the years they were apart. “No one ever replaced you, Cassie,” he whispered, “I always loved you so much.” Tears formed in her eyes, and he nuzzled her nose with his.