Persuading Spring: A Sexy New Zealand Romance (The Four Seasons Book 4) by Serenity Woods Read Free Book Online Page B

weekend to spend some time with Mat.”
    “That must be hard.”
    “It is.” He looked out of the window. “I’m
forcing her to stay in New Zealand, and she hates me for it. She punishes me
every way she can. I’m not sure what to do for the best. Should I withdraw my
case against her and let her leave the country, in which case I’ll only see my
son probably once a year if I travel to Spain, and make him unhappy because he
doesn’t want to go? I’ve tried my best to make it work with her, but her
resentment is rooted too deep. She could never love me now.”
    “Do you still love her?” Bridget asked
softly.
    It wasn’t the sort of question she would
ever have asked a stranger normally, but this situation was so far removed from
normal that she felt as if she could discuss anything with him, sitting there
in the semi darkness, the taste of wine in her mouth, the TV flickering in the
background, the boy snoring gently in the bed.
    “I’m not quite sure what that means
anymore.” He sipped his wine. “She’ll always be Mat’s mother, and because of
that I’ll always have some affection for her. And because of the history we’ve
shared, even if I wanted to, I don’t think I could forget the intense passion
we had for a while. But what is love? Feeling comfortable and content with
someone. Being safe and secure. Desiring them. Wanting to be with them all the
time, to have them to yourself. Feeling as if life is better when you’re with
them. Well, I don’t feel any of those things. She doesn’t wear my ring. She’s
not mine anymore. So no, I don’t think I love her. Not like I used to, anyway.”
    Bridget nodded. “Have you thought about
trying to get custody of Mat yourself?”
    “I’ve considered it, but I don’t want to
put the boy through more than he’s been through already. And Nita’s a good
mother—she loves her son, and it wouldn’t feel right to take him away from her.
There isn’t an answer that will satisfy everyone. Someone’s going to suffer,
and as I’m the man, I guess it’s going to be me.” His lips twisted.
    “It’s unfair,” she whispered.
    “Yeah. But what can you do?” He sipped his
wine. “So I’ve told you my life story. It’s your turn now. If you want to.”
     

Chapter Six
    Aaron had surprised himself by opening up
like that. He’d been known to subside into melancholy and talk ad nauseum about his woes to Joe, his business partner, usually after they’d shared half a
bottle of whisky, but it was a long time since he’d talked to anyone else about
Nita, and about what had happened between them.
    He turned the wine glass around in his
fingers, watching the woman sitting opposite him. Now she was calmer, the
redness had faded from her eyes to leave them a shining blue. Her hair had
dried to a bright blonde, strands creeping out from her braid to curl around
her cheeks. With her face clean of makeup she looked young, although maybe not
as young as he’d first thought—mid to late twenties, maybe. Her pale lips
looked soft. He imagined that if he kissed them, it would feel like kissing
rose petals.
    “You have big hands,” she said.
    His eyebrows rose, and he turned the hand
on the table, looking at the creased palm. Yeah, maybe they were big—strong,
capable hands, used to lifting, handling, holding. “Big feet too,” he said,
waving one around.
    “Hmm. Big feet, big…”
    He met her gaze to find her eyes alight
with mischievousness. Her impish smile lit up her whole face and turned it from
pretty to stunningly beautiful.
    “Shoes,” he finished, his heart rate
picking up.
    She held his gaze for a beat longer than
was necessary before she laughed. She liked him. It was so unexpected it took
his breath away.
    Then her smile faded, and he remembered why
she was there. Idiot , he scolded himself. The last thing she needed was
to have some random guy flirting with her. She needed a father figure to
comfort her, nothing more.
    “There’s not much to