He's the One (39 page)

‘You still wear the dragonfly necklace,’ he finally said. ‘I thought you would have got rid of it long ago.’

She instinctively reached up to touch it. ‘Why would I do that? It was the only thing I had to remind me of you.’

‘So why didn’t you come with me? I understand why you left me the first time. I realise that I was too young. A boy. I didn’t understand what I needed to do to support you and Brooke. I fucked up. But five years ago?’ Now he didn’t sound distant or disdainful as he had in the gallery. He was back to being the passionate Cory she remembered.

Liberty took a deep breath. ‘I waited for you at the airport. You didn’t come. I tried to call you but there was no reply. I thought you didn’t want me.’

‘So you didn’t send the email? Brooke told me that.’

She shook her head. ‘It must have been Zac. And I never received the letter you sent. He destroyed it. After he’d read it, of course.’

‘All this time, I thought it was because you didn’t want me.’

‘I always wanted you,’ Liberty said softly. She was
laying her heart on the line. If this was her only chance to tell Cory how she felt then she had to seize it. She was through with playing it safe. ‘You’re the only man I’ve ever loved.’

She waited for him to tell her that it was over between them as he had at the party. Instead he said, ‘You really mean that?’

‘I really do. I don’t care what you think.’ Liberty shook back her hair and looked straight at him, ready to take whatever he had to say. But Cory wasn’t saying anything, he was walking straight towards her, putting his arms around her, drawing her close to him and kissing her, and she was kissing him in return. Hungry, passionate kisses took them back to where they had been. They were lost in their embrace until there was a knock at the door and Em’s voice dragged them back to reality.

‘Libs, are you in there? It’s nearly time to cut the cake.’

They pulled apart. ‘We need to talk,’ Cory told her. ‘After the party, will you come to my house?’

‘It may be a while,’ Liberty replied.

‘I’ve waited all this time, I can wait a little longer.’ Then he kissed her lightly on the neck and whispered, ‘Just so you know, you’re the only woman that I’ve loved. Still do.’

Chapter 43

Brooke

‘You’re not going to make me go in the sea again, are you?’ Brooke asked as Flynn led her down the steps to the beach. ‘Because I’m not bloody going in there. Do you know how long it took to make me look this good?’

‘Nope, I just need to talk to you.’ He took off his jacket and arranged it on the pebbles for her to sit down on. She turned to face him, waiting for him to speak, but then she didn’t even know who made the first move but they were kissing and, oh, God, what a kiss it was. A gentle kiss that grew in intensity until it was a full on passionate, heart-stoppingly fantastic kiss. She slipped her hands under his shirt, caressing his skin. He seemed to shiver at her touch, which made her want to be so much bolder and do all the things she had been going to do with Christian but was now very glad that she hadn’t. How could she ever have dismissed Flynn when she first met him? He was without question the most gorgeous, desirable boy she had ever, ever seen …

He was the first to break away. ‘What have you done to me, Brooke?’ he murmured.

‘I could say the same to you,’ she replied.

He ran his hands through his hair. ‘I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since you turned up at the restaurant in those shorts, with that attitude.’

‘I didn’t have an attitude,’ she protested, knowing perfectly well that she’d had one with a capital A.

He just smiled. She waited for him to tell her about Berlin and Eve. She had to know what was going on between them.

‘So I guess I should tell you about Eve.’

‘Is it still complicated?’ she asked, willing him to say that it was
OVER
between them, in flashing neon lights.

He sighed, ‘It’s finished from my perspective. But Eve … You know that it’s been on and off for the last year? At first it was her, and then it was me. And she couldn’t handle that. When I split up with her she threatened to harm herself.’

‘Oh my God!’ Brooke never would have imagined that.

‘She has a history of it apparently, I didn’t know. So the reason I was so vague when I texted you from Berlin was because she was having a meltdown. When I told her it was over again, she seemed to take it really calmly and then she went into the bathroom and cut her wrists, not deep enough to do any serious damage, but you can imagine how the teachers freaked out and we had to take her to hospital. That’s what I meant by complicated.’

‘So what’s happening now?’

‘She knows it’s over and I’ve told her parents. I should have told them before, but I thought I could help her. It turned out that I was the very last person who could.’

Brooke curled her arm round his. ‘I’m so sorry. I thought you were really into her.’

‘I was trying to be, because I was screwed up with worry about what she might do.’ He rested his forehead against hers. ‘You were like this ray of light coming into my life, showing me that it didn’t have to be like that.’

‘I feel the same way about you,’ she whispered back.

The moment was shattered by the appearance of Catwoman on the path above them, yelling, ‘Brooke! Come inside. You need to cut the cake.’

‘Come on then, Birthday Girl,’ Flynn said, leaping up and holding out his hand.

Inside the lights had been dimmed. The white chocolate birthday cake, exquisitely decorated with white chocolate roses, was taking pride of place on the dining-room table, with eighteen flickering candles on top. Immediately the guests broke into ‘Happy Birthday’ – the Stevie Wonder version, with Jez and Harry getting everyone clapping.

‘Come on then, Brooke, time to make a wish,’ Liberty said, smiling at her daughter.

She took a deep breath and exhaled, blowing out the candles in one go.
I want to be with Flynn and for my mom to be happy
.

The room erupted into cheers and clapping and when she turned round to look for her mom, she saw Cory standing next to her. The blue-eyed, blond man had arrived after all … just not for her. Her mouth opened in astonishment as Cory said, ‘Happy birthday, Brooke. I’m sorry I’ve been so, well, obnoxious to you. I hope we can be friends. Again. You liked me when you were little and not just because I always bought you ice cream.’

‘What’s going on?’ she asked in complete bewilderment.

‘Your mom and I have got some talking to do. You were right. Would you mind if I took her away from the party now?’

He glanced over at Liberty, who laughed and said, ‘Cory! I can’t leave a houseful of eighteen-year-olds!’

‘Course you bloody can!’ Nina piped up. ‘I’m staying here and no one messes with me.’

‘And Catwoman’s here and Batman, who else do you need?’ Em added. ‘So go.’

Liberty hugged Brooke. ‘I’ll see you in the morning.’ And then she and Cory were walking out of the door, hand in hand.

Kelly appeared at Brooke’s side. ‘That fortune-teller is pretty shit hot – I’m going to have a session with her and she can tell me if Ray’s the one.’

At midnight the gang were all sprawled on the sofas in the chill-out room, drinking hot chocolate (Nina had banned any more alcohol) and eating cake. ‘Totes amazeballs!’ Harry exclaimed. ‘That might just win the prize for the most drama at the end of an eighteenth birthday party ever. I bet your mom was most worried about people throwing up, but you had a past love turn up and –’ he glanced over at Flynn and Brooke ‘– a new one.’

‘Yeah, so there were some good bits,’ Flynn said, hugging Brooke.

‘Some very good bits,’ she replied.

‘And Mila got a snog from a hot Ghostbuster. And Jez and Rufus said they would take me out clubbing in London. I’ll get to be in the VIP area! Like a sleb!’

‘Did you enjoy your party?’ Flynn asked Brooke.

‘It was the best,’ she replied, and couldn’t resist kissing him. Again.

‘Oi! You two! Leave it out!’ Harry shouted. ‘What
did I say about PDAs! I’m going to start fining you two. I’ll have enough money to get to the Caribbean for New Year at this rate. I can be one of those smug bastards strutting my stuff on the beach while the rest of you freeze your asses off back home. You’ll be well jeal.’

‘It’ll be worth it,’ Flynn replied, still with his arms round Brooke. ‘So are you going to stay here? Or are you going to rush back to LA at the first opportunity?’

Brooke smiled at him. ‘I’m happy here. I never thought I’d say it, but I am. LA will always be there. I want to stay right here.’

‘My Brighton girl,’ Flynn murmured, drawing her to him for another kiss and ignoring Harry, who was muttering that at this rate he’d be in the Caribbean next month …

Chapter 44

Liberty

They had talked non-stop on the journey back to Cory’s, piecing together what must have happened five years ago. Apparently his phone had been stolen from his hotel room, just hours before he was due to meet her. They decided it must have been Ramon. He had dropped Cory and Liberty at the hotel. It wasn’t such a stretch to imagine him telling Zac and then managing to get the phone lifted, so Cory wouldn’t receive any of the messages from Liberty, wondering where he was.

It was after one a.m. by the time they arrived at the house. Liberty didn’t think she had ever felt more wide awake in her life.

‘Come on,’ Cory said, taking her hand as she stepped out of the car. ‘I’ve got something to show you.’

She expected him to take her inside the house; instead he led her round the side to the garden. There was a full moon, light enough for them to be able to see their way to his studio.

When he switched the light on she saw that the entire space was full of paintings of her. Paintings that
she didn’t even know he had done of her. There were pictures of her when they’d first met, sunbathing on the beach, coming out of the water in her bikini, then lying in bed or sitting in Nina’s garden with Brooke on her knee. Pictures of her after they’d met again in LA, when she looked older, more world-weary, standing in the art gallery not knowing her life was about to change.

‘You kept all these?’ she said in wonder.

‘Of course I did. I could never sell them. They were all I had of you. And even though I could hardly ever bring myself to look at them, I had to know that they were there. I’ve been so good at sitting tight, going through the motions of life, being a good dad, working hard. But underneath it all was a constant need to see you again.’

The paintings felt like a declaration. He really did love her still; there could be no other explanation for him keeping them.

‘You’ve no idea how I felt when you came into the gallery. I was so angry and hurt, and I wanted to lash out at you. But even as I did that, I was longing for you so badly.’

She reached out and lightly touched his face. ‘We’ve hurt each other so much. Are we crazy to want to start it all again?’

He took her hand and kissed it. ‘Probably. But I know why it didn’t work between us the first time. I’m older now. Wiser. I’m never going to let you go again.’ He grinned. ‘Anyway, your daughter knows where I live, she’ll hunt me down if I screw up.’

‘She probably would,’ Liberty agreed. ‘Oh, God, do you think she’s okay?’

‘I’m sure she’s fine. Seemed like that boy she was with was looking out for her.’ Cory silenced any more
of her worries with a kiss and murmured, ‘We’ve got a lot of lost time to make up for.’ He steered her towards the battered leather sofa, which she thought might have been in his flat all those years ago.

‘Actually, can we go inside? It’s freezing in here.’

‘I promise it won’t affect me,’ Cory replied.

Of that Liberty was certain. She wound her arms round his neck. ‘I’m sure it wouldn’t, but let’s go inside. We’ve got all night.’

‘We’ve got the rest of our lives,’ he replied, kissing her.

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Copyright © Katie Price 2013; Rebecca Farnworth 2013

Katie Price and Rebecca Farnworth have asserted their right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the authors of this work.

This book is a work of fiction. Names and characters are the product of the author’s imagination and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

First published in Great Britain in 2013 by
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