Broken Souls (26 page)

Six months later...

Various sets of lingerie lay scattered around the floor where Ashley had been sitting for over an hour. She had been trying to pack her
still
empty suitcase with not much joy, and time was starting to run out. The car was coming to pick her up in three hours to take her to the airport, and she still had a million things that she needed to do today before she left for Italy.

“Black or pink... Black or pink...” She batted the question
backwards and forwards in her head before deciding to go with both anyway. “Lilac or green... Lilac or green...” She picked up the next set and studied them both. Aside from the colour, they were both identical. Matching lace, trim and design... “Ugh, both,” she sighed, throwing them into her suitcase.

In the end, Ashley had ended up with all of the se
ts packed into one side of her case, and the other side filled with a couple of dresses and sandals. She was only going for the weekend but still managed to pack enough for at least a week.  

After zipping the case and pushing it towards her bedroom door, Ashley turned towards her wardrobe only to be
distracted by the sound of her phone vibrating on the bed.

Leaning over to pick
it up, she scanned the caller ID before putting it to her ear. “Hey, stranger,” she greeted, wedging the phone between her neck and ear as she continued to look for something to wear today. “Is everything alright?”

“
Hello my darling,” her father replied happily. “Have I caught you at a bad time?”

“No! Not at all,” she said, pulling a deep purple maxi dress from a coat hanger and holding up against herself. “Have you been to see mum today? How is she doing?”

Her father sighed into the phone. “She keeps asking for you, darling. Are you sure that you don’t want to go and pay her a visit?”

Ashley
admired her appearance in the mirror and decided that she would wear the purple dress today. It was chic and perfect for the early summer weather they were currently having in Milan.

“Ashley? Did you hear me?” her father asked again. “Your mother would like to see you. She has been getting a lot better with the treatment at the centre. I think that it would be
good for you both to speak.”

“I’m sorry, dad, but I’ll have to pass.
I’m not ready to face her yet,” she replied with a grimace. “I haven’t forgiven her for the way she reacted that night at the gala. I appreciate she’s ill, but there was no need for it. Ben got what he deserved with the bankruptcy and I believe that mum is finally getting hers too. She needs to earn my respect back, which she will do if she stays in the program.”

Ashley held the phone in her hand as she wiggled awkwardly into her dress.

“Sorry, dad, I’m just getting dressed as we talk,” she laughed, shutting down the conversation on her mother from going any further. “I’ve got a car picking me up in a few hours and I have stuff I need to do.”

“Oh, are you not volunteering today?”

Since quitting her job at the dental practice, Ashley had found herself with lots of free time in the build-up to the ‘plan’ she and Marco had discussed before he had left for Milan. It hadn’t been groundbreaking by any means, but it had involved her having to stay in London for the next twelve months as they affirmed their relationship. Neither of them had wanted to jump into anything too fast with one person having to move to a different country, so they both agreed to take things slow.

So for the last six months, Ash
ley had started some volunteer work believing it to be the perfect way for her to spend her time whilst Marco continued his role in Milan at the boutique he owned. They alternated their time together when they could, and found that every other weekend worked better for them both. Marco would fly to London and spend his time with Ashley at the flat, and she would do the same at his in Milan.

The plan had worked out perfect... or at least sort of.

Since her last visit from Marco almost a week ago, Ashley had been feeling very delicate and lonely. His departure this time around had affected her more than usual, which he had noticed and commented on. Although it wasn’t intentional, she just couldn’t stop her heart from pining for the man she could no longer be without—she needed him.

“I’ve got today and the next few days off, so I’ve arranged to surprise Marco. I’m flying out later today and I am going to wait at the apartment for when he gets home from work,” she said as a giddy smile crossed her lips. She couldn’t
wait to get her hands on him; the last seven days had been absolute torture.

“You’re going to Milan,
tonight
?” her father babbled his response quickly. “But I was hoping that we could maybe meet for an hour this afternoon? Do you possibly have the time?”

Ashley looked at her bedside clock. It was almost three and the car was coming to collect her at six. There was time, but she would have to put almost everything else off until she returned in a few days.

“I’ll make time for you, dad. Where do you want to go?” she asked, pushing her feet into a pair of tan sandals. “As long as I’m back for six, I don’t mind...”

“
Fantastic!” His reply was overly enthusiastic, but she didn’t pay it any mind. “You know where we haven’t been together in a long time? How about we pay a visit to London Zoo?”

She whooped happily with his suggestion. “I am always happy to go and visit Zaire.”

“Brilliant! Let’s say we meet near the enclosure in around an hour? See you soon, darling,” he chirped, disconnecting the call.

Ashley laughed and threw her phone onto the bed. She had to finish getting ready and quickly. If she managed to pack her suitcase then when she got back ever
ything would already be done, or at least that was the idea.

~

Pushing through the admission barrier, Ashley didn’t bother to grab a park map from the friendly attendants roaming the entrance. She knew the entire park like the back of her hand she had visited that much.

She checked her watch as she headed straight for Zaire’s enclosure.

As she approached, she noticed an unusual amount of people standing around aimlessly, not really paying the gorilla enclosure much notice. It was strange. Everywhere that she looked, she saw people wandering with no interest whatsoever. If anything, it kind of unnerved her.

“Darling!” Her father appeared out of nowhere and wrapped his a
rms around her. “You made it! And right on time too,” he smiled, leading her over to a bench facing the enclosure. “Take a seat,” he said, motioning for her to sit. “And make sure that you don’t move.”

“Okay...” Ashley f
licked him a confused glance before she found herself startled by the sound of music playing through the zoo’s speakers that were dotted on lamp-posts around the park.

She recognised the song instantly and froze as a couple started to dance a few jazz steps in front. Her heart immediately started to pound in her chest and she looked
wildly around at the other people who were now starting to gather.

“Now I’m the king of the swingers. Oh, the jungle V.I.P.
..”

The man picked up the woman and spun her around on the spot as five or six other people moved to stand beside them
with a smile. She watched as he put the woman down gently and they proceeded into a routine with the now expanding group.

“Is this a flash mob?” she murmured under her breath.

By the time the chorus of the song had arrived, the group had managed to almost triple in size as more and more people joined in with the dance. It was absolutely incredible and something that she had never seen happen before with her own eyes.

They performed another sequence of dance steps
as further bodies joined the crowd. A number of them were now sporting animal masks as they continued to dance in time with the music.

Nervously, Ashley clapped her hands against her thighs, wondering what was going on and how she had managed to become the centre of this production. Virtually everyone within the immediate area had now got an animal mask shielding their face as they danced.

Everyone that was, apart from the man that had tried to wriggle his way unnoticed into the routine. He had caught her attention straight away. Not because of his dancing, but because his mask had fallen off.

“M-Marco?” Ashley stood from the bench, her eyes following his movement through the rows of people as he tried to keep his identity hidden. “What are you doing?” Ashley laughed as he bounced up and down behind the back of another dancer.

She wanted to step forward and wrap her arms around him. Her fingers were itching impatiently, but she held onto her own control as the song came to a close and the dancers parted down the middle to reveal Marco and the wide grin he was sporting.

“Your mask fell off,” Ashley teased, stepping forward towards him.

He chuckled. “I knew it wouldn’t go to plan. These things are never perfect no matter how long you plan and prepare for them.”

Ashley continued to slowly close the distance between them.
Her legs were trembling as she saw him reach into the inside pocket of his suit jacket and drop down to one knee. Her hands flew to her mouth to cover her sob as he popped open the box and revealed the prettiest diamond solitaire that she had ever laid eyes on. It was large with a diamond studded band that sparkled glimmered in the afternoon sunshine.

“
Amore mio
.” Marco’s voice was smooth and clear. “You are my world. I cannot continue on like this for another six months without you. Please, will you make me the happiest man on earth? Will you marry me?”

Ashley raised her hand to her mouth to cover her sob. Although she couldn’t quite believe what had just happened, she had no problems in giving him
the answer he was looking for. It was everything she had ever wanted and it was coming true before her very eyes. The man that she loved wanted to spend his life with her...

“Si...”
she whispered.

The End.

Well, book number two is now in the bag. Honestly, I’m sure my husband thought that I would have given up by now, but I’m not going to. Ever. This is my life now and I love every minute of it. Writing books and putting yourself out there is a feeling like no other. I’m so grateful for the people that read my debut book, Broken Truth, because it was that positive feedback that pushed me to continue. That and the support of those around me as well...

My husband is my daily lifeline that keeps me going. Words of encouragement, funny scenes for book ideas and generally trying to understand what goes on in my head is what gives us our laughs. He’s always supportive of me and wants to push me to my goal. Even some days by turning off the router so I can’t get near
Facebook or Goodreads. Damn you! Thank you for always believing in me and giving me a kick up the arse when I’m not meeting my deadlines. I love you.

To my amazing mummy, Sandra, who doesn’t care that
her daughter writes rude books. I am so grateful for all of the support you’ve given me since embarking on this journey. You always know the right things to say when I’m having a bit of a block or an especially crappy day. Your book ideas are always spot on and you’re never afraid to tell me if my ideas are a waste of time! And yes, you can have my first proof copy of this book to go on your shelf...

Okay, so along with my family being by my side, I also have an online family that I’m thankful for everyday. These girls never fail to bring a smile to my face and I love every single one of them.

HPH - Sibylla Matilde (My American Ho) and Michelle Campbell (My Pimp), I love you guys so much and I couldn’t have done this without your continued support. We are a trio of complete goofs, but I wouldn’t have us any other way. I don’t know what I’d do without our iMessage and Facebook chats. Thank you for giving up your time to listen to my rambling ideas and beta reading this book for me.

To Diane, Dawn, Nikki, Jane, Chris and Stacy, you girls are absolutely amazing and I can’t wait to meet some of you in Edinburgh soon. Pray to the Manny Gods for what is going to happen when they get us all together. I love you all!

Big thanks to my amazing Smut Sisters as usual: Adriane, Alexis, Amy, Dympna, Jill, Joan, Summer, Teri and Terri. Late night Skype sessions and Facebook conversations are a lifeline to me. We’ve all been busy doing our thing recently, but I know we always have time for each other.

Now I’ve mentioned a few of these names already, but a big thank you to my beta readers: Summer, Michelle,
Rosarita, Diane and finally, Terri. The feedback was spot on and fantastic as always.

Now I must give a special mention to Terri who I’m sure is happy to see the back of this book. We practically demolished it and rebuilt it after her first read through, and now I couldn’t be happier with the outcome. Thank you so much, 2RT!!

Thank you to all of the wonderful bloggers who have continuously helped me on a daily basis with promoting my book. You guys are part of the core that keeps indies a float in this publishing world. Without your love and passion for books we wouldn’t be anywhere near able to achieve what we have done. 

And finally, and by no means least, thank you to you for taking a chance on this indie author and buying my book. I can’t even tell you how much it means to me that you are reading a story that I’ve put together. I am always grateful to each one of you that reaches out with a message once you have finished or that contact me on
Goodreads. I’d love to continue writing books for the rest of my life and I hope that it will be a dream that will come true.