Behind The Proposal novel Chapter 59

"You actually had a girlfriend?" she asked, shocked, but still didn't look up. He'd never mentioned any kind of serious relationship.

"I did. I was young. I thought I'd fallen for her, but it turned out she hadn't actually been interested in knowing me at all. She'd only been interested in my money and my surname. She'd planned the whole thing before she'd even met me. She'd heard I was at the same uni and set about becoming Mrs Sanderson," he clamped his jaw shut and his hands on her waist tightened slightly. "I just seem to attract that sort of women, so I just avoided any kind of serious relationship. I don't think I'd ever met a woman who saw the real me, until you stumbled into my life."

Sophie didn't know what to say. She couldn't even look at him, but it still didn't change anything. He'd still married her because of a stupid deal, not because he loved her.

He tipped her chin up to look in her eyes. "Talk to me, Soph?" he pleaded.

"What's the point? You still married me because you had to marry someone. Even if I could forgive you" - which she still wasn't sure she could do - "our lives are so different. My life is here. You need to be in Cairns, or wherever. It's just too hard," she sighed, giving up hope that she could ever be with him. It broke her heart, but it was how it had to be, and despite everything her family had done, she was not going to turn her back on them to be with someone who'd used her. Better the devil you know, right?

"You can come with me."

"No. I can't. I'm sorry, Tom." She swallowed hard. "I shouldn't have come tonight," she confessed, then turned and fled the ballroom. She couldn't do it. Yes, he'd said he loved her, but she couldn't tell if he was telling her the truth or if he was just saying what he knew she wanted to hear. She didn't even know what he had to gain by staying married to her. And that was what worried her.

Tom watched her go, unable to make his voice or his feet work. He'd opened up to her completely, told her things he hadn't talked about in years, if ever. He'd told her he loved her and he'd never, ever told a woman that before. And still she'd left. She hadn't even stayed long enough to listen to the speeches and hear his plans for the resort, hear him dedicate the whole resort to her, or find out he'd changed the restaurant's name to Sophie's. Maybe he'd made a mistake getting the band to start the dancing early just so he could dance with her. Maybe she would have stayed longer? But he hadn't been able to wait any longer to hold her in his arms and talk to her. His family had monopolised her time all evening, then they'd hardly had two seconds alone before some member of his family interrupted and dragged her off to meet someone. Were they trying to help him or not?

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