I chuckled at this. “Well, if you do end up filming there, you just let Barry worry about that. If nothing else, having his equipment stolen will be a character-building exercise.”

That got a small grin out of him before his expression sobered again. “Mum is going to hit the roof. When we emigrated she never wanted me to go back. She . . . we left a lot of demons behind.”

I frowned, wondering what he meant by that. Instead I gave him an empathetic look. “I’m sure she’ll find a way to understand. This is a big opportunity for you, Isaac. One you might not get again.”

He blew out a breath. “I know. I guess that’s why I want to thank you.”

My eyebrows rose. “Me?”

“If it weren’t for you being kind to me when we first met, I wouldn’t even be here. Anyone else would’ve had me carted off that rooftop. But you didn’t, you stayed and talked to me, took an interest. You’re a good person, Reya.”

There was something about his simple expression of gratitude that had me welling up. “You’re a good person, too, Isaac. Just remember me when you’re taking over the world.”

He gave a self-deprecating laugh. “Right. If I ever win an award you can be sure I’ll include you in the acceptance speech.”

I smiled. “I’ll hold you to that.”

Twenty-Seven.

As soon as filming wrapped for the day we headed for food. On the walk to the restaurant I linked arms with Karla and told her all about the last few weeks and my recent reunion with Paula and Samuel. She expressed both shock and surprise at the turn of events. She was also unexpectedly supportive when I told her about mine and Trev’s reconciliation. I think she knew it was inevitable something would happen, with us spending so much time together.

I was touched when Trev pulled out my seat for me at the restaurant, unused to such boyfriend-ly gestures. In the past year, I’d missed out on things like having someone hold a door open for me or offer to carry my bags. It really was the small things that made a difference. The way he looked at me with such love and adoration somehow made me feel more comfortable in my own skin.

I felt accepted, and it was a new and pleasant feeling.

Trev’s and my reunion, combined with that of my brother and sister, made me realise something so basic that had always eluded me. I’d subconsciously felt unworthy. Although I sought love, there was some part of me that felt like I didn’t deserve it. After all, if the people who brought me into the world didn’t want me, then why would anyone else? Equally, if they could cast me aside, disown me . . . Well, now I have a better perspective.

Trev invited me to come on this trip because he wanted the chance to win me back. He’d gone out of his way to prove to me that we deserved another shot. It wasn’t the fact that I had his love that gave me this new sense of self-worth. It was that he’d worked for it, made the effort. Persisted.

I watched him talking to Lee, my heart so full of love I felt like it might burst. Trev’s eyes were a vivid blue against the hint of a tan he was developing. We’d been spending a lot of time outdoors, and though he was naturally pale, he was one of those lucky people who didn’t burn.

I couldn’t take my eyes off him the entire meal, how his forest-green shirt draped perfectly across his toned shoulders, how his belt fit around his trim waist. He was the opposite of me in every way and it had always been one of the main reasons why I was so attracted to him.

“So,” said King. “I’ve gotten us all ringside seats for the circus tonight.”

I perked up at this, because in the midst of my googly eyed Trev fixation, I’d forgotten all about the circus. There was a giddy five-year-old inside me that became excited about all things circus related, mainly because there was the chance I’d get to see elephants.

“Do we have time for a quick shower and change of clothes?” Trev asked, his arm draped around my shoulders.

“Of course,” King replied. “We’ll collect you and Reya around eight. Sound good?”

“Perfect,” said Trev.

Back at the apartment, I showered off the day’s heat, dressed, and went out to grab a bottle of water from the fridge. I startled when someone came and wrapped their arms around me from behind, but as soon as I smelled Trev’s spicy cologne I relaxed.

“I feel like we haven’t had a second alone in days,” he murmured gruffly as he brought his mouth to my neck and sucked.

I stifled a moan and shifted against him. “That’s probably because we haven’t.”

His hand went to my thigh, then moved up my belly and higher to cup my breast over the fabric of my blouse. I pulled away from him, because I knew if I let him continue we’d end up having sex right there against the fridge. Everyone was out of the apartment, but I still didn’t want to take the risk of being walked in on.

Trev smirked when I stepped over to the opposite side of the counter, effectively putting a barrier between us. Karla and the others would be here to collect us soon. We didn’t have time for sex, even though just looking at him made me want to tear his clothes off. Besides, now that we finally had a moment alone I wanted to tell him about Paula and Samuel.

“Can we talk for a second?”

Trev’s attention went to my outfit, lingering for a second longer than normal. Then his eyes wandered over my face and hair and his expression grew lustful. “You look incredible,” he breathed, like he didn’t even hear the question.

I laughed softly. “I could say anything right now and you wouldn’t hear a word.”

“That’s because I’m sexually malnourished,” he shot back with a sexy smile. “Take pity.”

I resisted the urge to smile back and sat down on a stool, gesturing for him to do the same. “This is serious, Trev. I want to talk to you about what happened the other day.”

In a heartbeat his face lost its humour, replaced with an expression of regret. He raked a hand through his hair and exhaled heavily.

“I crossed a line, I know that. I thought I was doing the right thing but I fucked up. No matter how hard I try I always seem to fuck everything up.”

Frowning, I lifted his hand and laced his fingers with mine. His breathing turned erratic when I brought his hand to my mouth and kissed it softly. I met his troubled gaze then said, “You didn’t do anything wrong. In fact, what you did was incredibly brave. You sacrificed your own happiness in order to help me find mine. Taking me to my aunt’s house was probably the most selfless thing you’ve ever done.”