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‘A very physical one, since it involveddress’

‘I suppose’ Seb sounded doubtful, but that was exactly what they’d agreed to Two faether into one

‘And I got to thinking last night it isn’t’ Or, in her case, letting herself hope it could be so heartbroken when it hadn’t happened

She’d known ever since her father had taken her away froree course she’d adored that love was off the table for her She shouldn’t have allowed herself to think otherwise, even for a moment

Which wasn’t to say Seb hadn’t made mistakes, too Ones she hoped her plan would help him rectify

‘Maria, I didn’t just ht?’ Seb asked, and Maria nodded her head

‘Of course I do You married me because your father told you to’ Blunt but honest, that was the only way they were going to get through this Get it all out in the open

Except for the part about her falling stupidly in love with hi him that do? Besides, she couldn’t bear to see the pity in his eyes when he realised the truth

‘That’s not—’ Seb cut hi at his eyes She wished he’d pull the sheet up—his naked torso was sinitude Unfortunately, the chalet’s state-of-the-art heating system meant that while she was uncomfortably hot in her thick sweater, he was likely to remain half-naked for a while

Which was a bad thing, she re

‘We were a team, Maria We were I married you because I respect you, and more than that, I like you And I don’t like many people’ He looked at her balefully, and Maria felt a little of that guilt dripping back in ‘Ithead over heels in love or any of that But oureither’

‘I never said it was’ Sighing, Maria shifted to sit a littlea hand out to him He took it after a moment, and her shoulder eso hard to save it’ Yes, she’d walked out But she’d co

‘Okay, then’ Seb squeezed her hand then let it go ‘So, what do we do?’

‘Like I said, we need a plan Like you would for any business partnership you were entering into’ She sucked in a breath, then tried to get back on script She’d spent half the night rehearsing it, after all It would be a shame not to use it ‘I think part of the problee—and parenthood, come to that—with different expectations And we never talked about them, never discussed e both wanted out of it’

‘And noe should?’

‘And noe should’ Seb still didn’t look entirely convinced ‘Think about it, Seb What could it hurt? The worst that happens is that we realise that e each want is incompatible, and that it can’t work out between us’

‘So you walk away again and take Frankie with you?’ Seb said

‘So we sit down and figure out a way forward that keeps us both in Frankie’s life,’ Maria corrected him ‘I don’t want to take your son away from you, Seb He needs you, and he deserves you in his life But you have to make space for hiht, you know That’s not fatherhood’

He had the decency to look shauess that’s one point for our hypothetical agreement, then?’

Maria nodded ‘Only there’s nothing hypothetical about this We’re going to write it all down, sign and agree it, then live by it’

‘In that case, I’roaned

But he wasn’t saying no That was definitely progress Maria grinned Maybe they could ht help

‘Then let’s get some coffee And my laptop’

‘I want Frankie to know s and the kitchen counter, as her fingers hovered over the keyboard of her laptop ‘That’s otiable point I want hi time with me as he is with you’