Chapter 28
Sydney
I could barely breathe, as I sat through the rest of the dinner in close to complete silence. I allowed Leo to do all the talking, my thoughts were elsewhere. He was telling me about his music, his inspirations and aspirations and asked many questions about Emilia. I could barely even answer his questions and had no input to give him, other than a nod of my head. It was probably the worst possible date that either of us had been on. However, Leo was polite and humble throughout. He was like a completely changed person. The arrogant and self sufficient womanizer who we all knew him as was replaced with this kind and attentive boy who was trying very hard to ensure that I was having a good time.
But I couldn’t possibly have a good time. Not after Dane Forsyth had suddenly and out of the blue just turned up and interrupted our dinner. I hadn’t thought I would ever see him again, in my life. Let alone see him so soon after Emilia’s birth. And from the moment I laid eyes on him, those feelings had rushed back.
I was reminded with a jerk of all the feelings I had for him. I’d forgotten how tall he was. How wide his shoulders were, how his dark eyes sparkled and changed color according to his mood. His jaw and chin were all sharp and chiseled, just like I knew his abs were too. While Leo sat in front of me, talking about John Mayer, I couldn’t stop daydreaming about what Dane looked like under his flannel shirt. He was quiet, and brooding and handsome and had a voice that could pierce my heart.
More importantly, he was also the father of my child. I was filled with dread that he had somehow found out about Emilia and he had come to take her away from me. I knew he was a powerful man, I could tell that very easily even though I knew nothing about him. What if he came up with some legal loophole that would pry Emilia away from my life?
I was growing desperate to leave and I wasn’t hungry.
“Didn’t like the food? Do you want to order something else?” Leo asked, snapping me out of my thoughts. My thoughts were all jumbled up between how physically and sexually attracted I was to Dane and my fears for Emilia.
“No…no, I’m just not hungry,” I said, forcing myself to smile at him.
“It’s that man isn’t it? Dane or whatever his name is. Your mood changed ever since he came here,” Leo said and I shook my head. Why was he asking me these questions when he knew that Dane was Emilia’s father? Why was he torturing me with this? I had an urge to spill everything out to him, just to unburden myself but Leo and I didn’t have that connection. I didn’t trust him with my secrets and thoughts the same way I had trusted Dane.
“I’m fine…I’ll be fine,” I said and tucked in loose strands of hair behind my ears.
“Did something happen between the two of you?” he asked, looking at me earnestly and my brows crossed in confusion. I couldn’t understand why Leo was asking me this question when he knew the truth already. Had he not figured out who Emilia’s father was? I licked my lips and shook my head.
“No. He was a guest at the B&B, that’s all,” I said and Leo nodded his head.
“Yeah, but he seems to have affected your mood in some way,” Leo said and I shook my head again. He clearly didn’t know what was going on! What was wrong with him? How had he not figured it out yet? Who did he think Emilia’s father was?
I didn’t have the time or the mental capacity to worry about Leo right then.
“No, he hasn’t. I’m just tired. Having a nine month old baby gives me very little time to sleep,” I said and stood up from my chair. Leo stood up as well, the smile had returned to his face.
“I understand. I can’t even imagine what being a single parent is like. Remember what I said earlier, Sydney, I’m here if you need my help,” he said, walking around to me and then he placed a hand on my waist.
“Thanks, Leo. That’s very kind of you. I think I should go home now and check on Em,” I said, trying to smile and Leo nodded his head.
“Just give me a minute. I’ll pay the bill and then walk you home,” he said, beginning to walk away.
“No, Leo, thanks,” I blurted out and he stopped. “I need to hurry, you don’t have to walk me home. I’ll see you again soon and thank you for the lovely evening,” I said and just to calm him down, I lifted myself on my toes and gave him a light peck on his cheeks. Leo smiled as I hurriedly began to walk away from him.
I waved at the door and he waved back. Once outside, with the cool night breeze around me, I could finally breathe again. I felt like I was going to be sick as I started to walk in a rush, down the promenade and back towards the house.
Night had fallen suddenly and the street lights had come on. The streets were empty of people now too, and I could hear my own footsteps as I walked. I wanted to be home. I wanted to make sure that Emilia was okay, that Dane hadn’t seen her yet. I was excited to see him, I couldn’t deny that, and at the same time I was worried. Just when I thought I could finally move on, he had come back to ruin everything!
“Sydney,” I heard his voice in the dark and I stopped in my tracks. My heart was beating out of my chest, my shoulders were heaving from heavy breathing.
Dane appeared out of the darkness. He had been sitting on one of the stone benches facing the sea. I hadn’t even noticed him. He got up from the bench and walked towards me now. I wanted to throw myself at him, kiss him…and at the same time, I could feel my fingers quivering.
“I was waiting for you,” he said.