Christmas with Her Ex(50)

‘My pleasure.’ She’d been glad she could help him but it was over now. Everything was over and she should go. They didn’t need her any more. ‘Dr Miles has been back. Your grandmother’s tests have all come back negative, as well as the positive result from the medication treating her reflux. So it all points to that being the cause.’

She pinned a bright smile on her face, even though she was suddenly feeling very flat for no reason at all. Which should have been bizarre with this handsome man smiling at her like she was the embodiment of Christmas. ‘So everything has turned out well.’

Except now she needed to leave. ‘And I have to get to my hotel. Now that you’re back. Check my bag made it.’

His smile dimmed. ‘I’ll take you.’

She smiled, realising she couldn’t help the swift lift in her spirits and that in itself frightened her. Very much. No. It was better to make the break now. Stop dragging out this painful feeling of loss. Leave Connor with his gran in private.

Though the reasoning was hard to pin down right at this second as she looked at Connor. She wanted to hug him and share his relief that his gran would be fine. All she knew was that this goodbye hurt. ‘Don’t worry about it. I can catch a cab.’

The humour had faded from his face. ‘I said I’ll take you.’

He couldn’t leave the hospital and they both knew it. ‘What about your grandmother?’

‘Max will be here in a minute. We’ll go as soon as he arrives. She’ll sleep for a couple of hours yet and Max will stay with her.’

She shook her head. ‘I’ll catch a cab.’

‘Not on Christmas Eve you can’t.’ Connor could feel his frustration building. Why couldn’t she at least let him do this for her?

Would this roller-coaster day never end? So much had happened and he didn’t want her to leave until they’d had a chance to talk.

She was backing away towards the door and he followed her. Glanced once over his shoulder at his sleeping grandmother and decided this was better dealt with outside in the corridor than in a sick room.

‘Goodbye, Connor. Give my love to your grandmother when she wakes up.’

What was she doing? Had he got it so badly wrong? Didn’t the way they’d made love mean anything to her?

He suspected it had and they needed to talk about it. It shouldn’t be rushed but she’d be out of here in seconds. Like she was afraid of him.

Connor fought to hang onto his feeling of impending doom. He wanted to ask her to stay. Give what they had a chance. But she was going. Leaning towards the exit as she waited for him to return her goodbye.

Tomorrow she’d be gone from the country. And he hadn’t had enough time to know if they were right together or still so very, very wrong.

Though even in the brief time since they’d parted he had more faith in his own feelings for her than he had in Kelsie’s for him—and damn right he was scared that she’d leave him at the last minute if he opened himself up to loving her again. What if he never recovered?

He ran his hands through his hair. She was the only woman, apart from his mother, whom he should have told to come back, who’d torn his heart. Should he risk it all yet again, and ask her to stay?

He glanced up and down the deserted corridor but nobody was in sight.

For a moment he wished he’d never got on that damn train and met her again. ‘Stop, Kelsie.’

She paused, turned back to him.

It was now or never and he couldn’t bear the thought of never. ‘I gave you my heart once before and you walked away from me. Unlike my mother, you didn’t give me the chance to say come back, so I’m doing it now. I want you to stay.’ But he was terrified he was going to lose at the last minute again.

It hadn’t been the most romantic declaration. He couldn’t believe what this woman did to him. How insane this entire crazy day had been. How desperate he suddenly felt. He couldn’t believe he’d mentioned his mother. His loss. That he’d admitted he would be the one hurt if it didn’t work out—so much for not putting himself out there again.

She shook her head. ‘I can’t. We’re the same as we always were. On different sides of the world. But it was wonderful seeing you, Connor. Goodbye.’

So she’d missed the whole point. Though he had to admit it wasn’t surprising seeing as his declaration had been so garbled. But he didn’t believe distance would keep them apart.

Kelsie had no idea what she was saying. She was desperate to get away before she burst into tears. Her brain was all fogged again with the emotion this guy could stir up in her. Not all of it was good emotion because if she admitted she was wrong now then maybe she’d been wrong fifteen years ago and she’d been responsible for all that wasted time. It didn’t bear thinking about. Not at this moment anyway.