our former home.
My insides turned to jelly as I replayed all the things I could have done to prevent this from happening. Our relationship had always seemed easy, and maybe that was where it had gone wrong. It had felt as natural as breathing, and we’d always felt safe. I’d always felt safe.
My feet wanted to carry me back inside and return somehow to that life of happiness. I wanted to wake up from this nightmare.
Max looked at me with concern.
I continued down the pathway, holding my breath until what felt like a tidal wave of loss no longer paralyzed me. With a fake smile, I wrote down my aunt’s address and gave it to the truck driver.
“You don’t have to stay,” I told Max. “The truck is more than enough.”
“It’s fine.”
My voice cracked with emotion. “Nick sent you to make sure I left?”
“I wanted to be here.”
“Everyone dreads moving day.” I looked at him, surprised. “No one volunteers for this.”
He smiled. “Well, it’s not like I’ve had to lift anything.”
“There’re plenty of other things you could be doing.”
“You saved me from having afternoon tea with my mother and her friends. Quite frankly, I owe you.”
I relented and led the way over to my Mini Cooper, clicking the doors open.
Before Max got into the car, he looked back at the house. “You were good for Nick, Daisy, no matter what else has happened.”
“You really believe that?”
“After his dad died, you were like an anchor in a storm for him.”
His words sent regret through me, because this was how I felt, too. Yet nothing could be done about it. It was like watching someone you love drive on the wrong side of the road. Yes, they’d hurt you, but the mistake they were making somehow hurt more.
Max climbed into the driver’s seat of my Mini, shaking his head in amusement at how cramped it was as he adjusted the seat back to accommodate his long legs. I sat beside him, pointing out where the indicators were.
With my mind spiraling and being so distracted, I was relieved that he had offered to drive. Had I been alone, I’d have sobbed all the way to Richmond and probably crashed on the way. With Max throwing me reassuring glances, I was able to hold back my emotions and not embarrass myself.
“You don’t mind driving on the other side of the road?” I asked, simply trying to make conversation.
Max gave me a sexy smile. “I’m versatile.”
This forbidden crush I was developing was making me feel guilty. It was the way his hands gripped the steering wheel, the way he shifted the gears with confidence. Not to mention his gorgeous profile. I suspected he knew I was stealing glances.
Considering Max was used to driving on the right, he was handling the traffic well—like someone who lived here. Yet he lived a million miles away.
“So…you and Nick have the same mum?” I asked.
He nodded. “Yes, her name is Gillian.”
“How well do you and Nick get along?’
“The older we get, the easier it gets. I was eight and living in S?o Paulo when Nick was born.”
“That must have been hard. Having your mum here, I mean.”
“It is what it is.”
I wanted to say that he must have missed her a lot, but I didn’t want to bring us both down.
I turned to him. “Did Nick say why he couldn’t make it?”
Max threw me a glance. “He has a meeting with a coach from Manchester United.”
That actually made me feel a little better. “Oh, he couldn’t miss that.”
“Thank you for understanding, Daisy.”
“I’m keeping my eyes, fingers and toes crossed for him.”
Nick’s dream was coming true. He’d sacrificed so much along the way, attending every after-school soccer training day. His talent had been spotted young when he’d played in the little leagues—though his famous father had probably helped shine a spotlight on him. Nick’s focus on the sport had intensified to an obsession when he’d finally believed in his own talent.
His entire life was football.
As a senior player, he was being offered the chance of a lifetime—to play for Manchester United. The money would be amazing, but that had never been Nick’s motivation. It had always been the game. The chance to prove he had what it took to play in the premier leagues. To join the same team that had made his dad an icon.
I’d been there to help Nick get to this point, supporting him any way I could. But now I’d not be able to see him