Her Best Worst Mistake (24 page)

“
The last thing I wanted was to
betray you or hurt you or let you down, E. Please believe that.
When it started, I didn’t think it was real. I thought it was this
crazy sex thing, nothing but some weird, aberrant chemistry. But
then it kept going, and when I realized that I loved him, I felt as
though I’d been lying to you and me for years. But I didn’t know,
E, I swear. I never knew until that night he came over and we
kissed for the first time.”

“
I remember the way you two used to
be,” Elizabeth said slowly. “Like angry cats. Maybe I should have
known then. All that passion had to come from somewhere,
right?”

Her gaze was searching as it scanned Violet’s
face.

“
You’re allowed to be angry, E,”
Violet said. “You’re allowed to call me names or whatever you need
to do. If you want me not to be at the wedding, that’s okay,
too.”

Violet waited for her friend to respond, her body so
stiff and upright in her chair it hurt.

“
Does he make you happy?”

“
Yes.”

“
You look well. So does
he.”

“
He is.”

Elizabeth hand twisted in hers so that she was the
one gripping Violet’s hand.

“
Then I’m glad.”

It was such an easy, generous response. So open and
forgiving. Way too good to be true.

“
You can’t be.”

“
Why not, Vi?” Elizabeth asked, head
cocked to one side, a small, quizzical smile on her
lips.

“
Because you went out with him. You
slept with him. He was once yours. And I lied to you. I chose sex
with him over loyalty to you.”

“
Must have been some pretty amazing
sex, Vi, because you’re the most loyal person I know.”

There was a light dancing in Elizabeth’s eyes, an
invitation for Violet to loosen up. Violet shook her head,
unwilling—unable—to accept her friend’s reaction at face value.
Elizabeth couldn’t be so accepting, so open minded, so generous. It
simply wasn’t possible.

“
I might not have wanted to marry
him, but Martin is still one of my favorite people in all the
world, Vi,” Elizabeth said. “And so are you. Why wouldn’t I be
happy for both of you? What sort of a selfish, dog-in-manger bitch
would I be if I begrudged both of you that happiness when I have
Nathan?”

It was all so different from what Violet had braced
herself to endure. No anger, no blame, no accusations. Just
acceptance. And trust.

Her gaze found Martin at the counter where he was
waiting with Nathan. Their eyes locked across the cafe. She saw his
understanding and love and she remembered the things he’d said to
her, about her fear of losing her family and how she deserved love
and happiness. She remembered how he’d held her after their first
fight and told her that no matter what, he would always love
her.

She returned her focus to Elizabeth and made a
conscious decision. She chose to take her friend at her word. She
chose to believe that Elizabeth loved her as much as Violet loved
her, and that Elizabeth wanted her happiness as much as Violet
wanted Elizabeth’s. She chose to accept that Elizabeth didn’t need
to forgive her, because Elizabeth trusted her. And she chose to
believe she was worthy of that trust, just as she was worthy of
Martin’s love.

Because she wasn’t a natural-born slut. She wasn’t
feckless and troubled and attention-seeking. She wasn’t a nuisance,
an embarrassment, a liability to be written off at the earliest
possible moment.

She was loved. She was valued. She counted.

She took a deep, cleansing breath, then let it out.
Then she lifted Elizabeth’s hand to her lips and kissed the back of
it tenderly, lovingly.

“
Thank you.”

Elizabeth’s eyes filled with tears.
“Thank
you
,
Violet. For so much over the years. For being my courage. For
keeping me sane. For helping me find myself.”

Violet wasn’t sure which of them stood first, her or
Elizabeth, but suddenly they were both standing, arms wrapped
around one another. Violet pressed her cheek against her friend’s
and let Elizabeth’s acceptance soak into her bones.

After the exact right amount of time, Elizabeth
loosened her embrace and they both took a half-step backward.

“
Come on, let’s go home,” Elizabeth
said.

“
Actually, I think Martin has a car
booked.”

Elizabeth’s face fell a little. “You’re not going to
stay with us?”

Violet glanced at Martin again. He was talking to
Nathan, his focus on the other man. His shirt was wrinkled from
hours in the air, his hair rumpled. He looked tired and beautiful
and incredibly sexy.

“
Unless you have the best
sound-proofing known to man, I don’t think that’s a great idea,”
she said.

It took Elizabeth a moment to understand. Then her
head fell back and she let out a crack of surprised, delighted
laughter. Martin and Nathan glanced across at them, twin startled
expressions on their faces.

“
Well. I can hardly argue with that,
can I?” Elizabeth said. “But you’ll have dinner with us tonight,
won’t you? Both of you?”

“
Yes. Of course.”

Elizabeth gestured for the men to join them. Martin
threw Violet a subtly questioning look and she tucked her arm
through his and gave him a reassuring smile to let him know she was
okay.

Elizabeth looked at him, eyes bright with curiosity.
“So, Martin. How are you? Been up to much?”

“
Oh, you know. This and
that.”

Violet smiled to herself, tickled by his very dry
delivery. To think she’d once thought he didn’t have a sense of
humor.

The four of them walked out to the car park, parting
ways in front of the hire car kiosk.

“
I’ll see you tonight,” Elizabeth
said. “We’re having prawns. We’re even going to throw them on the
barbie.”

She spoke with a terrible approximation of an
Australian accent. Nathan slung an arm around her shoulders.

“
We really need to work on that,
Lizzy,” he said affectionately.

They exchanged a look that was loaded with love and
knowledge and heat and acceptance. Violet’s last reservations about
her friend’s decision slipped away.

This man loved Elizabeth. Dearly. That could only be
a good thing.

Elizabeth drew Violet close for one final hug before
nailing Martin with a look.

“
Look after my girl,
okay?”

Martin raised his eyebrows. ”Your girl?”

“
Our girl, then,” Elizabeth
said.

Martin reached out and took Violet’s hand. “Don’t
worry. I’ve got it covered.”

Violet couldn’t help feeling ridiculously touched
that there were two people in the world who loved her enough to
feel possessive about her. She gave E one last hug then followed
Martin into the rental kiosk. He slid his free hand around her
waist as he filled out the requisite forms. She leaned her head on
his shoulder and breathed in the smell of his aftershave and let
herself feel the simple peace of the moment.

She was free, at last. Free to love Martin with all
her heart. Free to be happy, with no reservations.

Martin waited until they were in their hire car
before turning to her. “So it went okay?”

“
Yes. She said she wants me to be
happy. You, too.”

“
She doesn’t need to worry about
me.”

“
I know. That’s my job.”

His gray eyes were very warm as he searched her face.
“So you’re all right?”

“
Getting there.”

It was going to take a while for all the adrenaline
and anxiety to drain from her system. She’d been working herself up
to this for nearly six months.

“
What about you? Are you okay?” she
asked.

Because this had been a big morning for him, too.

“
Of course. I’m with
you.”

It was such a simple, small thing to say. It curved
her mouth into a smile and cut through her tiredness and made her
incredibly glad that once upon a time she’d been compelled by
forces beyond her own comprehension to brave the bitter cold of a
London winter to deliver a bottle of peach schnapps to his
office.

“
Thank you,” she said.

He looked bemused. “For what?”

“
For everything. For being amazing
in bed and endlessly patient, for sacrificing the Savage Club for
me and bringing me all the way around the world simply because you
were worried about me, even though it meant you were probably going
to spend your holidays alone. For the way you always put your hand
on the small of my back to guide me across the street and the way
you let me be in charge of the television remote control and the
way you have never, not once, judged me or mistrusted me or made me
feel small or unwanted.”

“
Violet, sweetheart...” He blinked
and she realized that he was close to tears.

Her Martin. Mr. Uptight. Mr. Repressed.

God, how could one woman be so very bloody wrong
about a person?

He leaned across the handbrake and kissed her, a
deep, passionate, searching, demanding kiss.

“
I will never not want you,
understand? I love you. I adore you. I admire you. I desire you.
You are my heart. My blood, my bones. My everything.”

It was the declaration she’d been waiting a lifetime
to hear, from the man she’d been waiting a lifetime to recognize as
hers.

But she’d finally seen him clearly, just as he’d
finally seen her.

“
Let’s find somewhere I can get you
naked,” she said.

Because suddenly that seemed very, very
important.

He didn’t say a word, simply started the car and
started driving.

Because he got her, just as she got him, and some
things were beyond words.

Other Books By Sarah Mayberry

Can’t Get Enough

Cruise Control

Anything For You

Take On Me

All Over You

Hot For Him

Burning Up

Amorous Liaisons

Below The Belt

She’s Got It Bad

Her Secret Fling

Hot Island Nights * Prequel to Her Best Worst
Mistake

A Natural Father

Home For The Holidays

Her Best Friend

The Best Laid Plans

The Last Goodbye

One Good Reason

All They Need

More Than One Night

About the Author

Sarah Mayberry was born in Melbourne, Australia and
is the middle of three children. Before she was published, she
worked as a magazine editor as well as a storyliner/story editor in
both Australia and New Zealand. These days she splits her time
between writing books and scripts. She has published more than 25
novels with Harlequin and firmly believes she has the best job on
earth. She lives by the bay in Melbourne with her husband and a
small furry dog called Max, and when she isn't writing enjoys
reading, cooking, shoe shopping and spending time with her loved
ones.