‘Not just now, thanks. Maybe later when we eat. I’m starving.’

She was always starving, and he loved seeing her here in his home, eating, drinking, laughing. It was a life he could get used to.

‘Have you thought any more about what I said last week?’ Tom intentionally kept his tone light. He didn’t want her to feel any pressure, and with her back to him it gave her somewhere to hide.

‘Of course I have,’ she said, turning to face him. ‘It’s still no, Tom. But it doesn’t mean never.’

Her brown eyes didn’t waver as they looked into his, and Tom returned her gaze.

‘Is it because I bought this place when I was with Leo?’ he asked. He knew some people would find it difficult to move into a house that had been shared with a former lover, but it came as no surprise to him when Louisa laughed.

‘Of course not. That is truly unimportant to me. We both have pasts, and we’ve both loved other people. I would find it a bit sad if you hadn’t, to be honest. But I was badly burned, as you well know, and after that relationship I decided to give myself at least a year with any new man before making a forever commitment. In my mind, moving in with you would be that kind of commitment.’

Tom smiled. ‘I’ll go with that,’ he said. ‘What is it you’re looking to prove during those twelve months? What is it that you don’t already know?’

‘I need – no, I demand – total honesty. My ex lied to me about everything, and I only discovered that when we split up. I don’t ever want to feel that stupid again, so I reckon that if I haven’t found any skeletons within a year, I might be safe. I just don’t want to go through all that pain again.’

Louisa stood up and walked towards Tom, and this time it was her turn to wrap her arms around him. She rested her head on his shoulder. ‘I don’t see you as a cheat and a liar, Tom. But I have to be sure.’

Tom felt torn in two. He had never lied to her, but he had intentionally misled her about one thing right at the start of their relationship. His reasons were identical to those she had given for not moving in with him. It was simply a matter of trust. Would it be safe to trust Louisa with the one secret he had, knowing the repercussions could be devastating for so many people? Or should he wait until she believed in him enough to stay?