“Me too. I wanted to talk to you about her without her around.”

He stiffens. The Adam’s apple in his throat bobs as he swallows before licking his lips. “Come in.”

I’ve never been inside this house before, and it’s surprisingly sparse. I guess Richard doesn’t store a lot of personal stuff here, but the room Josh leads me into just has a lounge suite and a television in it.

It’s such a lonely house; in that respect, my tiny place puts it to shame.

I think of our wall, covered in photos and Melly’s artwork. There’s more space here than I’d know what to do with. And it’s all bare.

“Come and sit down. Did you want a coffee?”

I shake my head. “No thanks. I won’t be too long.”

We sit on the couch together. His expression is filled with so much hope. “Did you think about me seeing her?”

I nod. “I’ve not thought of anything else. And I didn’t want to keep you waiting because I know you’re not in New Zealand for long.” I’m not trying to hurt him, but the way hope gives way to a wounded look tells me I’ve hit a nerve.

“I’ll be back, though. I can’t stay away now.”

I hold up my palm. “I’m not trying to start anything with you. The last thing I want to do is to piss off the one person who could take my daughter from me.”

Josh’s jaw drops. “I’d never do that to you.”

Taking a deep breath to stop myself from tearing up, I nod. “Anyway, I’m happy for you to see Amelia. But I don’t want to just tell her upfront that you’re her father. She needs time to get to know you first.”

He nods. “Agreed.”

“No games, Josh. It’s going to blow her mind when she finds out her father’s some Hollywood star, and I don’t want her to get any big ideas.”

“I understand.”

“I know you’re busy, but if you could let me know when you have some free time, we can arrange something. Maybe you can come over for dinner.”

His lips curl into a smile, and I can’t look because he still makes my heart flutter. Every single time.

“I like the sound of that. I’ll check my schedule, but I think I’m good on Saturday if that’s okay.”

“Send me a text to confirm. I’ll be at home anyway and there’s rugby on, so Melly will be in fine form.”

His eyes meet mine. “She likes rugby?”

“Adores it. Doesn’t really get the rules, but she likes yelling at the television.”

Josh laughs. “Sounds like fun.”

“Yeah, we’ll see how you feel after eighty minutes of it.” I grin.