Page 2 of Finding Forgiveness

“Cass.” He grasps my chin between his forefinger and thumb, gently tilting my face up to meet his. “What’s going on? You’re not having second thoughts about us, are you?”

“What? God no! I love you, Connor Maloney … with everything I have.” I lift one shoulder. “I’m tired of hiding though, every time I look Jacinta in the eye I feel like the worst human being in the world.”

“Me too. I’m thinking it’s time we come clean.”

“I can’t lose her, Con.”

“You won’t, she loves you.”

“She’s not going to be happy about this.”

“When she sees how much we love each other she will.”

“You think?”

“Yeah, I do. We’ll talk to her in the holidays, that way we won’t have to hide our true feelings anymore.”

“Okay.” The thought still makes me sick to my stomach, but we’ve kept this secret too long.

“Now that we have that out of the way,” he says, peppering kisses along my jawline, “let’s make the most of this short time we have together before I have to head back to my dorm.”

And that’s exactly what we do. By the time he drops me off at home two hours later, I feel lightheaded, delirious, and thoroughly satisfied. Is it enough to last until he returns? Not even close; I’ll be pining for him again by morning. But for tonight at least, I’ll be falling asleep with a smile on my face.

There’s a definite spring in my step as I bound along the path that leads to my front door. Although I’m petrified about the news I’m yet to tell Connor, and our impending talk with Jacinta, I can’t stop smiling.

I punch the code into the lockbox by the front door that holds the key to get inside, but before I get the chance to retrieve it, the door swings open. “Who was that?” my mother barks.

“What?”

“Don’t play coy with me, young lady, the person who dropped you off?”

“Connor, Jacinta’s brother. He was home from college for the weekend, and offered to give me a lift on his way back to campus.”

My mother roughly grabs hold of my arm and drags me over the threshold. She may not be the most loving parent, and despite the venom she often spews in my direction, she’s never once manhandled me like this before.

“Is it him?”

“Is who him?”

I don’t even see it coming, but when her hand connects with the side of my face, the force almost knocks me off my feet. “Do you have any idea the scandal this will cause if it gets out? It could ruin your father’s career.”

My flattened palm is now resting against my stinging cheek as I try to make sense of what she’s saying. What scandal? Is she referring to the age gap between me and Connor?

“I don’t know what you are talking about, and I can’t believe you just hit me.”

When she pulls out the white plastic stick from her pocket—the one that was hidden in my room—and waves it in my face, my heart sinks to the pit of my stomach.

Shit!

She wasn’t supposed to find that.

Chapter2

Connor

The present …

The moment the plane touches down in Melbourne, I’m out of my seat and collecting my carry-on luggage. “You’ll need to remain seated while we’re still moving, sir,” the flight attendant says as she approaches me.