Outback Secrets by Rachael Johns

Chapter Twenty-seven

Mid Sunday afternoon, Henri was lying in Liam’s bed trying to read, but she kept having to re-read whole pages. It wasn’t the book’s fault; she wouldn’t have been able to concentrate on anything. She couldn’t wipe the crazed smile off her face. It had been there ever since she’d woken up for the second morning in a row to find Liam sleeping naked beside her, the sun sneaking in through the gap in the curtains and casting light across his beautiful face. His lovely square jaw. His sexy stubble. Not to mention his glorious body, barely covered by the sheet. His torso had been completely exposed. His powerful shoulders, broad chest and lean stomach were an utter work of art and her fingers itched to reach out and trail all over him.

She knew she couldn’t stay here forever and would have to go back to the farm eventually, but right now she simply wanted to enjoy this bubble of bliss.

He’d woken to find her staring and she hadn’t been even the slightest bit embarrassed to have been caught perving. They had less than another week left together, and she didn’t want to waste one second of that time.

They’d stayed in bed until he’d had to head downstairs to open the pub for Sunday lunch.

Since then, she’d napped, flicked the channels on the TV, which Liam had moved into the bedroom for her yesterday, and sent him naughty text messages. He’d brought her sustenance—a massive plate of Macca’s renowned roast beef with all the trimmings—and chatted to her while she ate, before reluctantly heading back downstairs.

Not even an unannounced visit from her mother just after lunch had been able to dim her high, although she had to admit that interruption had been slightly awkward.

‘Hey, lover! Missing me already?’ she’d called when she heard the apartment door open about five minutes after he’d reluctantly trekked downstairs.

Seconds later he appeared in the doorway, but he wasn’t alone.

Heat rushed to Henri’s cheeks. Standing next to him was her mother, clearly having come from church as she was wearing her Sunday best and the pearls she kept for special occasions.

After Liam had made his excuses, her mum sat down on the edge of the bed where an hour earlier he’d been giving it to Henri good. If her wearing one of his T-shirts and the ruffled sheets weren’t a dead giveaway of what they’d been up to, the bird’s nest that was her hair would have sealed the deal.

But if her mum did suspect anything, she didn’t say a word. She was on her best behaviour in fact, talking excitedly about the annual Christmas Tree event due to take place on the beach later that afternoon, and also the menu for Christmas Day.

‘Does Liam have any allergies?’

That was probably something you should know about the person you were intimately involved with, but she had no effing clue. Henri thought back over the past week and the things they’d eaten together—Milo (so he couldn’t be allergic to dairy), Tim Tams (so not sugar—could you be allergic to sugar?), burgers, chips, a roast, scrambled eggs—and there were lots of food groups covered. The only things they hadn’t eaten were nuts and seafood. Both of which could be hugely dangerous.

‘Pretty sure Liam eats everything,’ she’d told her mother, while making a mental note to check with him later.

Henri was thinking about this conversation when she heard the apartment door open again. This time she didn’t call out for fear Liam might be bringing her another visitor—possibly Tilley. As she’d been in too much pain to go downstairs on Friday night, their dinner had to be postponed, so her sister was probably still chomping at the bit for gossip about her whirlwind romance.

‘Well, hello there,’ she said as Liam appeared alone. Actually, she purred—seriously, what was this man doing to her? ‘To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?’

Like a man on a mission, he crossed over to the bed and whipped off the sheet. She felt her grin explode on her face in anticipation.

‘It’s time to get dressed. We’re going out.’

‘Out?’ Disappointment warred with confusion, but then something else got in on the action. ‘You mean like a date?’ Although Henri’s tone was light and almost mocking, her heart did a tiny jig at the thought that perhaps he was whisking her off to Geraldton for a romantic dinner at one of the restaurants there.

Liam cocked his head and raised an eyebrow. ‘I’m not sure going down to the beach with the whole town is my idea of a great date, but …’ He shrugged. ‘Each to their own.’

She tried to ignore the stupid disappointment that flooded her—since when did she want romantic dinners anyway? Eating burgers naked in bed was more than enough for her. ‘We’re going to the Christmas Tree? But what about the pub?’

‘It’ll be dead until later tonight anyway because everyone will be on the beach. Macca, Lara and Dylan said they’ll take care of things so that I can take you. They practically ordered me to. Fiona mentioned it when she was leaving, and the others thought you might want to see all your nieces and nephews getting gifts?’

Henri nodded. Although she’d told her mum she wasn’t going because the thought of having to hobble about on her crutches didn’t appeal, the annual Christmas Tree was always fun and a good opportunity to catch up with old friends.

‘Besides,’ Liam added, ‘being seen together at an event will perfectly consolidate our mission.’

That was true. Even though the Christmas Tree was for the kids, it wasn’t only young families who migrated to the beach for the late afternoon excitement; it was a whole community celebration. But Henri felt a weird discomfort inside her at the mention of their relationship being fake.

She swallowed. ‘Maybe, but I’m not sure I’m really up for it. I’m still struggling to walk, and I don’t think sand and crutches mix well.’

‘That’s where I come in,’ he said, taking her hand and not only assisting her to stand, but also taking her weight as he helped her get dressed.

Then, before she could object, he’d scooped her into his arms and carried her down the stairs. Like Liam said, the pub was deserted, except for Dylan and Lara who were talking to Sexy Rexy at the bar and a couple of old guys playing cards at one of the tables.

‘Have a fun time,’ Lara called as Liam strode past them towards the door. ‘Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.’

Henri waved at them then hissed into his ear, ‘This is ridiculous. I could have used my crutches down here at least. You can’t carry me around all night.’

‘Just watch me. And try to enjoy yourself in the process.’

And honestly, it was hard not to while her arms were looped around his neck and his face so damn close that all she could think about was kissing him.

Somehow she resisted, as he bundled her into the Hilux. Less than two minutes later, they turned into the car park down by the beach.

‘Geez,’ he breathed, his eyes scanning for a parking spot. ‘I’ve never seen it so packed down here. People weren’t kidding when they said this was the Bay’s biggest event of the year. I didn’t even know this many people lived in here.’

Henri laughed. ‘There’ll be some tourists as well, but haven’t you ever been to the Christmas Tree before?’

He shook his head. ‘Haven’t had any reason to until now.’

They found a spot not too far from the main event and Henri waited for Liam to come around to her side to help her out. He paused to grab a backpack from the tray and slip it over his shoulders, then he lifted Henri out, so they could join the hordes of people flocking over the dunes towards the sound of Christmas carols already being played by the only band in town.

‘How’s the ankle?’ asked Frankie as she and Logan came up beside them.

‘Getting a lot better,’ Henri replied.

Frankie winked. ‘At least you’ve got your knight in shining armour to take care of you.’

‘Yeah, I’m pretty lucky,’ Henri agreed as she met Liam’s gaze.

‘I reckon I’m the lucky one,’ he said, and she didn’t know whether he was just saying that for the benefit of their audience or whether he meant it. It was getting harder and harder to tell what was real and what was fake.

‘Are you taking photos for the paper?’ she asked Logan, nodding towards the camera hanging around his neck.

‘Yep.’

‘That’s great.’ Henri was surprised he was able to with his deteriorating eyesight. Then again, Frankie said he wanted to do as much as he could while it was still possible.

He lowered his voice slightly. ‘It got me out of playing Santa Claus at least.’

‘Who’s SC this year?’ When she was little, the role had always been played by Bob Emerald, a local farmer, but when he died about four years ago, others had started taking turns.

‘Ryan,’ Logan replied.

Henri raised an eyebrow—not only was he about five decades too young for the role, he didn’t have an ounce of padding anywhere on his body.

Frankie smirked. ‘I think the last few years Santa has sent his hot grandsons to Bunyip Bay rather than come himself, but I’m not complaining.’

‘Who would?’ Henri said as they crested the dunes and looked down on the already crowded beach.

‘Where do you wanna sit?’ Liam asked as Frankie and Logan headed over to the small marquee to find Ruby, who was in charge of organising the evening’s proceedings.

Henri scanned the sea of people, picnic blankets, fold-up chairs and hundreds of blue eskies for a familiar face.

Before she could reply, her mother’s voice pierced the air. ‘Yoohoo, over here!’

‘Sorry, but Mum will kill us if we don’t sit with them,’ Henri said, nodding towards where she stood about ten metres away, waving her hands in the air like a lunatic. The rest of her family were either sitting on the sand surrounding their matriarch or playing not too far away.

Liam started towards them. ‘It’s fine. I like your family.’

‘They’re okay in small doses.’

He chuckled as he lowered her into a fold-up chair that Tilley vacated as they arrived. Greetings were exchanged—all Henri’s nieces and nephews came up to say hello before scattering again to join their friends—and then Liam tugged the bag off his back. She watched as he pulled out a picnic rug, spread it across the sand, and then proceeded to conjure even more, as if he’d borrowed Mary Poppins’s magic bag for the occasion. In addition to the rug there was an array of delicious-looking snacks.

‘Wow,’ Henri exclaimed as he held up a bottle of beer and popped the top. ‘You’ve really thought of everything.’

‘Actually, Macca did,’ he confessed as he passed it to her. ‘I asked him to put together a few things and, as usual, he excelled himself.’

‘I think I’m falling in love with Macca,’ Henri said with a sigh.

‘I might be jealous if I wasn’t already in love with him myself.’

Everyone laughed and then settled into conversation. Well, half the adults were able to chat; the others had to have one eye on the water at all times, making sure the kids didn’t get wet before the arrival of the guy in red. As Henri relaxed and sipped her beer, she realised that the Christmas Tree was probably much more enjoyable for those without kids than those with them. She lost track of how many times one of her nieces and nephews wanted to know, ‘How long till Santa gets here now?’

She almost snapped that he wouldn’t arrive at all if they asked again, but to their credit, her sister, brothers and in-laws had much more patience. At the sound of a baby screaming, Henri looked over to where poor Faith and Monty were sitting with Mabel—how her tiny lungs could make that much noise was a mystery!—and a little boy struggling in his dad’s arms as he pointed towards the water.

‘Soon, Clance,’ she heard Monty say as he glanced towards the dunes, clearly as eager as the kids for the gift-giving to kick off. Clancy was likely too young to know or care about Santa, but the unwritten rules were no swimming until after the official proceedings.

Stella’s daughter Heidi, with her thick-rimmed glasses, blonde pigtails and a smile that looked far too big for her face, tried to help Monty placate his son, but Clancy was having none of it.

‘Thanks for trying, Heidi,’ Faith said, reaching across to squeeze the little girl’s hand. ‘He’ll be okay.’

Defeated, Heidi climbed into Adam’s lap. He was sitting next to Stella, who was waving a paper fan against her face and gulping a bottle of water as if it was vodka.

Henri felt a weird pang in her chest—was she jealous of them? Of Faith and Stella? No, she didn’t want what they had. She didn’t want kids and a husband, but she had to admit that sometimes she did get lonely, especially late at night or on weekends when she was far from home and working with practical strangers. The companionship and always having someone to talk to, to come home to, must be nice. Cecil was a fabulous listener, but sometimes it’d be sweet to have someone who actually talked back.

At the sound of laughter, Henri’s attention returned to her own family.

‘That’s hilarious,’ James said, thumping Liam on the back. ‘Tell us another one.’

Henri looked from her fake boyfriend to her brother-in-law—what on earth had she missed?

‘Well,’ Liam began, ‘an Aussie walked into an American bar, ordered two beers—one for himself and one for his four-legged friend …’

He went on to explain that the bartender poured the drinks, said it was the ugliest dog he’d ever seen and then asked the breed. The Aussie replied, ‘It’s a long-nosed, short-eared, long-bodied, short-legged water hound. Best bloody fighter I’ve ever had.’

‘The barman laughed his ass off, then challenged the Aussie’s hound to fight his prized bulldog that had apparently never lost a fight. A thousand dollars my dog can beat yours. Of course, the funny-looking hound tore the bulldog apart, and as the bartender parted with his cash, he shook his head. What breed did you say it was again?’

When Liam delivered the punchline—‘a long-nosed, short-eared, long-bodied, short-legged water hound, but in Darwin we just called them crocodiles’—Henri snorted and joined in as the rest of her family laughed once again.

‘Where do you find all these?’ Tilley asked.

Liam shrugged. ‘Ever since I bought the pub, I’ve been collecting them.’

‘I don’t remember the last time I laughed so hard,’ her mum said, grinning broadly at him before offering one of her homemade yo-yos.

‘Thanks, Mrs Forward.’

‘I told you, it’s Fiona,’ she reprimanded, still smiling and slightly blushing as she shook her head.

‘Sorry.’ He grinned as he lifted the biscuit to his mouth. ‘Thanks, Fiona.’

Oh God. Mum really liked him. For her, feeding people was a sign of affection. And Henri couldn’t blame her mother, or the rest of her family—Liam was very likeable indeed.

Guilt crept into her heart, but before it could really take hold, an emergency siren sounded and chaos erupted. Shrieking kids dashed towards the sound and parents scrambled up off the sand after them. Henri couldn’t see from where she was sitting but knew from past experience that the local fire engine had just entered the car park.

Sure enough, minutes later there was a deep ‘ho-ho-ho’ as Ryan Forrester, aka Santa Claus, appeared, a large red sack over his shoulder and a couple of volunteer firies escorting him. Someone wolf-whistled and Henri laughed as she spotted Grant snapping photos on his phone. Predictably, Eileen Brady scowled at him.

‘Do you want me to carry you over?’ Liam asked as Ryan made his way towards the tinsel-covered marquee, waving and ‘ho-hohoing’ to the kids who parted like the Red Sea as he passed by.

‘Maybe you can just support me while I walk?’

But Liam was having none of it. As he lifted her into his arms again, her mother grabbed the fold-up chair she’d been sitting on and followed after them to join the crowd that was now gathered on the sand in front of the marquee where Ryan sat on a tinsel-covered lifeguard’s chair, two enormous towers of presents piled on either side of him.

Ruby used a microphone to address the animated crowd. ‘Welcome, everyone, to our annual Christmas Tree.’ The noise hushed. ‘I know you’re all very excited to see Santa Claus, but I need you to sit as quietly and patiently as possible while you wait for Mrs O’Neil to call out your name.’

She gave a few more housekeeping instructions, then turned to her assistant. ‘You ready?’

Susan O’Neil nodded but as she opened her mouth to read out the first name, Ruby held up a hand. ‘Hang on. Where’s Logan? He’s supposed to be taking photos.’

She glanced towards Drew and Mike, who were standing at opposite sides of the marquee looking very official in their uniforms. When they both shrugged, she tried Frankie, who was right at the back next to Henri and Liam.

‘Um?’ Frankie glanced around frantically.

‘He’s here,’ yelled someone across the other side of the crowd.

‘Sorry! Coming!’ Logan shouted and wound his way through the kids to the front.

Ruby glared at him and then gave the nod to Susan to begin.

‘I’ll kill him later,’ Frankie muttered under her breath.

‘What’s going on?’ Henri asked.

Frankie dropped down beside her and spoke quietly so that only Henri and possibly Liam could hear. ‘He’s on the scent of the mysterious benefactor. He was hoping with so many locals in one place, he could talk to a few more people. Did you hear he or she has struck again?’

‘No?’ Henri had been focused on very little but the sex machine kneeling beside her.

Frankie nodded. ‘You know Jim Nash? His house was infested with termites and he couldn’t afford the treatment to get rid of them. Well, on Friday, one of Phil McDonald’s guys just turned up. Told Jim someone had dropped an envelope into Phil’s mailbox with cash for the exact amount and a typed note saying what it was for.’

‘Wow. Hard to track cash, I guess.’

‘Yes, but the benefactor doesn’t always give cash. For the really big amounts, it’s always an anonymous cheque from a bank in Geraldton. Logan’s tried to get the staff to tell him who comes in for the cheques, but of course they won’t.’

‘So, is that what he’s trying to find out now? Who banks in Geraldton? That has to be half the town.’ Although why anyone went into an actual bank when you could do everything online these days, Henri had no clue.

Frankie nodded.

‘Who did Jim tell about his problem?’ Henri whispered, finding this conversation marginally more interesting than the repetitive giving and receiving of presents.

Frankie rolled her eyes and sniggered. ‘Literally everyone. He was in the supermarket and the doctor’s surgery the day he got the quote, complaining about how expensive it was.’

‘And the pub,’ Liam said, confirming he’d been listening. ‘He was mouthing off about it the other night. I gave him a free beer and burger to shut him up.’

‘So, Logan’s really going to try and out this person?’ Henri asked.

‘No, although he agrees with his boss it would make a good story and I think it’s really annoying him not knowing—journalists can’t stand unanswered questions—but he’s decided that if he can pitch a story about all the things the benefactor has done, focusing on the people and groups who’ve received donations, maybe his boss will be happy with that.’

‘You reckon that’ll work?’ Liam asked.

Frankie shrugged. ‘Who knows? But I’m hoping so. I get Logan needs to keep his boss happy, but I don’t really want to upset the apple cart here just before we leave.’

Laughter rippled through the crowd and Henri looked back to the front to see Faith and Monty trying to get Clancy to stay on Ryan’s lap long enough for a photo. The poor toddler looked terrified, and she guessed this would be a story told in their family for years to come.

She slipped her hand into Liam’s and leaned closer to him. ‘Thanks for coming with me, or rather bringing me here.’

He squeezed her hand and met her gaze. ‘You’re welcome. I hope you’re having fun.’

‘I am.’

There was another half-hour of present-giving and at least a dozen kids bursting into tears as soon as they got close to Santa Claus, and then the official part of the event was over and everyone dispersed to various parts of the beach.

Henri was surprised when Stella’s daughter ran up to them and threw her arms around Liam, almost whacking Henri with the bright pink fishing net Santa had given her in the process.

‘Hey there, Heidi girl,’ he said, gently yanking one of her pigtails. ‘How you doing?’

She pulled back and held up the net as if it were a trophy. ‘Liam, come help me use my new toy.’

‘That doesn’t look like a toy. That looks like a serious crab-catcher.’

Heidi giggled as Liam pushed to his feet and looked to Henri. ‘Will you be okay? I won’t be long. Do you want me to take you back to the picnic rug first?’

‘I’m fine here. You two enjoy yourselves.’ Henri waved them off, bemused.

She was alone all of five seconds before Grant dropped onto the sand beside her. ‘Hey there. Mind some company?’

‘Of course not. Ryan did a fab job playing Santa by the way.’

‘I reckon. Sexiest damn Santa Claus I’ve ever seen,’ he said with a wink.

Henri couldn’t argue with that, and although on one level Grant’s cheerful, bouncy personality irritated the hell out of her, she found herself warming to him. ‘Do you miss the city?’

‘Not so much. There’s actually more happening here than I imagined, but I’d have moved to Timbuktu to be with Ryan.’

‘How’d you guys meet?’

‘Mutual friends,’ he said, and then told her the story of how it had been hate at first sight. ‘He thought I was a show pony and I thought he was a country bumpkin, but we couldn’t fight the chemistry.’ Grant nodded towards the water. ‘You know how it is?’

Henri followed his gaze to where Liam was holding Heidi’s hand as she scrambled over the rocks.

She nodded. Oh yeah, she knew how it was.

She’d been trying to fight that chemistry since the day she’d proposed their charade. Normally she didn’t like losing anything, but this was one duel she was glad she’d conceded.

‘There must be more than chemistry for you to have moved all this way for Ryan?’

Grant nodded. ‘Of course. Once we started talking, getting to know each other, we found heaps in common. He truly is my best friend in every sense.’

‘Really?’ On the surface Henri couldn’t see what the flamboyant drama teacher and the rugged but handsome farm boy had in common at all.

‘We both have similar values, our sense of humour is almost identical, we like the same movies and music, we both care about health and fitness—although whereas I favour running, Ryan prefers footy training. I guess most importantly we’re on the same page about what we want for the future. We value family above all else and want lots of kids.’

Henri nodded—it was impossible not to feel warm and gooey inside listening to Grant talk about Ryan.

‘What about you and Liam?’

‘Huh?’

‘He’s really good with kids …’ Grant gestured towards Liam and Heidi. ‘Do you guys think you’ll have any?’

At that moment, Ryan—no longer wearing his Santa outfit—dropped down onto the sand beside them.

‘Steady on,’ he said, wrapping an arm around Grant. ‘Liam and Henri are still in that blissful, can’t-keep-their-hands-off-each-other stage—children are probably the last thing on their minds right now.’

‘Sorry.’ Grant gave a sheepish smile. ‘I forget not everyone’s as clucky as we are.’

Henri smiled back. She reckoned these guys were proof that you could still be in that touchy-feely, can’t-get-enough-of-each-other stage and want to procreate. The two weren’t mutually exclusive, but neither did they always go hand in hand.

‘It’s fine,’ she said. ‘I don’t mind, but I meant it when I said I don’t want kids, and Liam doesn’t either.’

Grant looked as if he couldn’t even comprehend such a thing, but Ryan grinned and said, ‘Perfect match, then.’

‘How did you guys go in Perth meeting the surrogate?’ she asked.

Grins to rival Heidi’s spread on both their faces.

‘Really good,’ Ryan said, taking hold of Grant’s hand.

‘Lizzie is the most sublime being, and she’s agreed to have a baby for us,’ Grant finished.

‘Wow. That’s fantastic. Congratulations.’

‘Thanks,’ they said in unison as Stella Burton came up beside them.

Henri looked up to see her hands resting on her back in an aim to support her massive belly.

‘Do you want to sit down?’ She looked like she needed the chair even more than Henri did.

Stella shook her head. ‘Thanks, but if I get down again, I’m not sure I’ll be getting up. I almost broke Adam’s back when he tried to help me stand five minutes ago.’

Henri grimaced. ‘When are you due?’

‘Five days ago.’

No wonder the poor woman looked fed up. What if she went into labour on the beach?

‘We’ve tried everything to get this baby out—hot curries, whole fresh pineapples, raspberry leaf tea, and …’ She lowered her voice. ‘Lots of sex. Nothing has worked. I’m pretty sure I’m going to be pregnant forever and I couldn’t miss seeing Heidi get her present from Santa.’

At the mention of her daughter, both women looked towards the water where the little girl was still playing with Liam.

‘She’s such a great kid,’ Henri said. ‘You should be super proud.’

‘Oh, I am.’ Stella smiled as she rubbed her belly.

‘Does she know Liam well?’

‘Quite well. The first time we had dinner at the pub and he came to take our order, Heidi was instantly taken with him. She wanted to go sit at the bar so they could chat, but of course, she couldn’t, so between busy periods he came across and sat with us and coloured in. He’s such a gem.’

Henri smiled at the thought of Liam’s big hands with a thin colour pencil in them.

‘We’ll catch you both soon,’ Ryan said as he and Grant stood. ‘Gotta go spend some time with my cute niece and nephew.’

‘Heidi likes everyone,’ Stella continued once the boys were gone, ‘but she’s always had an affinity with people who’ve suffered terrible sadness in their lives. She was the same with Adam’s mum.’

Henri slowly turned her head to look properly at Stella. She couldn’t know the particular sadness that Liam had gone through, could she?

As if reading her mind, Stella added, ‘I don’t know much about Liam’s past, but it’s hard not to see the heartache in his eyes sometimes. Maybe I notice more than most because I’ve had my own share of disappointments, but …’ She blinked and rubbed her belly again. ‘Anyway, what I’m trying to say is, I’m glad he’s found you. He’s such a valued member of the community and he deserves happiness. And I’m looking forward to getting to know you better now that you’ll probably be spending more time in town as well.’

That was when the guilt really twisted in Henri’s stomach. She and Liam weren’t only deceiving her mum and Eileen Brady, but their friends and the whole damn town. Lovely people like Stella who didn’t deserve such dishonesty.

‘Mum! Mum! Look!’

Heidi bounced up to them, flicking water as she thrust her little cupped hands at her mother. ‘We caught a crab.’

‘I can see, honey,’ Stella said as Liam arrived carrying the net.

‘Can I keep it?’

While mother and daughter wandered off to find Adam and get his opinion, Liam dropped a hand on Henri’s shoulder. ‘People are starting to leave, and I’ve heard a few say they’re dropping kids at grandparents and then heading to the pub for drinks. I should get back to help. Do you mind if we make a move?’

‘Of course not,’ she replied, still unsettled.

Liam went over to gather their things and brought back most of Henri’s family to say goodbye—half of them announced they’d be at the pub soon too—then he picked her up and traipsed up the sand towards the car park.

‘Is your ankle hurting?’ he asked, as he turned the key in the ignition.

‘What? No, it’s fine.’

‘You just seem a little … I don’t know … agitated?’

She rubbed her lips together before confessing, ‘I’m feeling guilty.’

Liam frowned. ‘What about?’

‘Us. Our lies. Everyone’s so happy to see us together and I just … I can’t believe I ever thought it was okay to lie about it. Maybe it’s time to tell them all the truth?’

He switched off the ute and shifted in his seat to face her. ‘Henri, it’s up to you what you want to do. If you want to come clean to your mum and everyone, that’s fine. But I think you’re forgetting something.’

‘What’s that?’

‘We’re not lying anymore. At least not about being … intimate.’

The way he said this last word gave Henri goosebumps. She swallowed—what they did between the sheets certainly felt real enough. ‘I guess you’re right.’

‘Always,’ Liam said cockily as he reached out to briefly cup her cheek, before sliding his hand behind her neck and drawing her head to his.

Their lips met and, as she opened her mouth and gave herself wholeheartedly to the kiss, every molecule in her body melted and all thoughts of guilt and uncertainty evaporated. In the far crevices of her mind, a little voice declared that Liam had probably ruined her for all future flings, but she pushed that voice aside.

Right now, nothing else mattered except this moment.