The Chocolate Lovers’ Wedding (25 page)

It had been a lovely but tiring day and now she was glad to be back at the house. Yet, in her heart, this felt less like home now. She was still feeling anxious about going out after dark and every single noise seemed to make her jump. It didn’t feel safe here anymore.

James and the children had arrived late last night and had done little more than dump their bags and go straight to bed. She and James had stayed up too late, chatting and sharing a glass or two of wine. It had been nice to lie in James’s arms again.

This was to be a flying visit, just for the wedding, as the children had to be back in school on Monday and their train left to return to Penrith at lunchtime tomorrow. But she was grateful that they’d made the journey at all. It was wonderful to have had them with her at Chantal’s wedding and not to be at yet another social occasion alone. At one point during the day, she’d stopped, arm-in-arm with James, and had taken time to look round at their children playing together; at that moment she felt that she could really make a go of them being a family.

Now, they all flopped down on the sofas in the living room, grateful for the rest after the long day. If they felt this tiny, terraced house was a world away from their rambling farmhouse back in the Lakes, then they didn’t mention it. Another time, it would be nice to show the children the sights of London. Perhaps take them to Buckingham Palace and the London Eye.

‘Thank you for coming,’ she said to James. ‘It meant a lot.’ ‘It was lovely to see everyone again and meet new friends,’ he said. ‘I’m only sorry that we’ve got to dash back, but there’s school, and I’ve got so much on at the farm.’ He shrugged apologetically. ‘You know what it’s like.’

She did. Her visit had shown her that James was very firmly tied to his land and the rhythm of the season and the farm.
Still clutching Chantal’s wedding bouquet, Nadia went through to the kitchen, only relinquishing it to put the kettle on. She smiled as she looked at the pretty white roses, wilting slightly now after their afternoon in the sunshine, and wondered whether it was a sign. If you believed the tradition, she’d be the next one of the girls to be married. She laughed at the thought.
‘What’s making you chuckle?’ James said as he came into the kitchen after her.
‘Oh, I was just smiling about catching Chantal’s bouquet. Lucy was so determined to have it. I should have let her catch it, but I was feeling mischievous.’
‘Hmm. I like the sound of that.’ He came behind her, slipping his arms round her waist and nuzzling her neck. ‘You could be the next bride,’ he murmured against her skin, making her shiver with delight. ‘My proposal still stands. Have you given it some thought?’
She turned and let herself relax into his embrace. ‘Yes, I have.’
He gazed earnestly into her eyes. ‘And?’
‘It’s a
huge
decision, James. It would be really hard to leave here,’ she said. ‘Not so much this house.’ She gestured at the kitchen that needed sprucing up. Everywhere you turned, something was broken or bashed. ‘That wouldn’t keep me here. To be honest, my family wouldn’t keep me here either. I thought it would be a wrench to leave them, but I don’t think there’s any chance of reconciliation with my parents. Not really. We managed to be civil with each other for an evening – just about – but I don’t think they’re going to be rushing round here for babysitting duties for their grandson any time soon.’
‘That’s sad.’
‘It is. Yet, in some ways, it makes my decision easier. Anita will miss me and I’ll miss her. But we’ll survive.’
‘She could come to us on holiday any time she likes.’
‘I know that.’
‘If you want to we can move back into the big cottage, then we’ll have plenty of room for everyone to come. We could rent out the farmhouse instead. It would need a bit of tidying up here and there to make it suitable for a holiday let, but it’s definitely doable.’
‘Oh, James,’ she said. ‘You seem to have thought of everything. It all sounds so very feasible when I talk to you.’
‘So what’s holding you back?’
‘It’s the girls of the Chocolate Lovers’ Club. That might sound silly, but they’ve been like a family to me for years. They’re the ones who’ve seen me through the ups and downs. They were here for me when Toby died. They’ve looked after Lewis and love him as much as I do. They’ve propped me up when I didn’t have the will to go on by myself. I don’t know what I would have done without them, if I’m honest. If I come up to live with you, it’s such a long way from my support network.’ She gave him an anguished look. ‘I’m not sure how I’ll manage without them.’
‘You’ll have me,’ James said. ‘I know it’s not the same, but I’ll try to be a good substitute.’
She put a hand on his chest. ‘You’re wonderful,’ she said. ‘That’s not in question.’
‘Wouldn’t they want you to be happy? In a perfect world, I’d live just down the road and we could see each other all the time, but that’s not how life works. I know it’s a big compromise for you, but wouldn’t we have a better future together than apart?’
‘I’m frightened that I’ll be lonely. I don’t want to rely on you for everything. That would be exhausting for you.’
‘There are lots of clubs and activities, if you wanted to get involved with that kind of thing. The natives are quite friendly.’
‘Some more friendly than others,’ she noted.
He waggled his eyebrows mischievously.
‘Or you could get a job if you wanted to. It would be nice for you to stay at home while the children are young, but it’s entirely up to you. We’ve muddled along all this time with some help from Penny. I’m sure we can continue with that.’
Ah, Penny. Yet another thing to consider. If she didn’t snap James up, she was pretty sure that Penny was waiting in the wings for her chance. What if she decided to stay here and, one day, had a call from James to say he was tired of waiting and had chosen to throw in his lot with Penny? The thought of letting him go made her feel sick.
Her mind felt in turmoil. When James was here, she knew in her heart that she never wanted to be without him. As he said, wouldn’t the girls want to see her happy in a settled relationship? Didn’t she deserve that after all she’d been through? Would it be foolish to give up this chance of love? But there was so much to weigh up.
‘It’s not just leaving the girls behind; I also have to do what’s right for Lewis.’
‘He gets on brilliantly with Seth and Lily,’ James countered. ‘I’d love us to be a family.’
Tears pricked her eyes. James would make a great father to Lewis and her son had taken to him instantly. What should she do? Take this once-in-a-lifetime chance to find happiness with her farmer in Cumbria or struggle on alone?
‘Wouldn’t you like to swap this for my ramshackle house and the mountains?’
A sob caught in Nadia’s throat when she said, ‘Yes.’
James rocked back. ‘So you’ll come?’
‘Yes.’ She laughed and wiped the tears from her cheeks. ‘Yes, I will.’

From the kitchen door, Autumn watched her daughter laughing. It was a rare sight, but Willow’s face lit up when she let herself go a bit and it made her look even more beautiful. Autumn smiled with pride. She was a good kid and, thankfully, their relationship was still developing nicely.

Willow was on the sofa with Flo engaging in a tickle fest. The little girl was squealing and giggling while Willow pretended to be the tickle monster. After initially being terrified of Willow and her ‘witchy’ make-up, Flo now adored her new big sister. It was lovely to see their closeness.

Willow pounced again, growling, and Flo shrieked again. She didn’t mind them being noisy for a while. It was good for them to blow off some steam; they’d both behaved beautifully at Chantal’s wedding yesterday and she was so glad to have finally introduced her daughter to the girls. They’d loved her, of course. For the first time, Willow was staying for the entire week and Autumn couldn’t wait to spend time with her. Tomorrow she’d take her into Chocolate Heaven and introduce her to the many delights there. Later today, maybe they’d go up to Hyde Park and Flo could run off some more of her endless energy.

Miles finished tidying up after the carnage of breakfast and came to lean against her. ‘Happy?’
‘Yes. It’s all working out better than I could have hoped.’ She smiled at him. ‘When I take her home, I’m going to stay there overnight to spend some time with Mary, too. I don’t want her to think that I’m monopolising Willow.’
‘I’m sure that having done the last fourteen years, Mary might be glad of the break.’
‘You’re probably right, but I don’t want to step on her toes.’ She turned and gave him a hug. ‘Thank you for being understanding.’
‘She’s your daughter; why wouldn’t I be? You’ve accepted Flo into your life without question. It’s only right that I do the same.’
‘I know it’s not always easy.’ Willow’s moods were, at best, mercurial – but she was becoming less difficult to manage as they spent more time together. As Willow relaxed into their relationship her desire to punish Autumn by being awkward seemed to be diminishing. Sometimes, one of her tantrums caught Autumn on the hop, but she was learning to read when the darkness was coming and was able to nip it in the bud. Mostly.
‘She’s got to learn to trust you. That’s going to take time. Plus she’s a teenager.’ Miles shuddered. ‘All those hormones crashing around.’
Autumn laughed. ‘We’ll have another one going through it before you know.’ She nodded towards the screeching Flo. ‘Enjoy her while she’s still a delightful little bundle.’
‘Do you think we might add to our growing clan any time soon?’ Miles cuddled her close.
‘Feeling broody?’
‘Yeah,’ he said. ‘I think I am. I like kids and I’m getting seriously outnumbered by women. I need some boys on my side. I’m fed up with having my nails painted and rollers put in my hair. I want someone to kick a football with.’
‘And you want a train set.’
‘What red-blooded male doesn’t?’
The doorbell rang.
‘Are we expecting anyone?’ Miles said.
‘I don’t think so.’ After the long day at Chantal’s wedding, they were all having a lazy morning. She was still in her pyjamas and hadn’t even made an attempt to brush the mass of tangles that was her hair. Wondering who it might be, she went across to the intercom and said, ‘Hello?’
There was a hesitant cough and then a familiar voice said, ‘It’s us.’
Her
parents
? Autumn didn’t think they’d ever visited her in this flat before and now they were turning up unannounced.
‘We don’t mean to disturb you.’ Her father this time and he sounded very apprehensive. ‘But we’d rather like to see you. Is this a good time?’
No. It was the
worst
possible time. She quickly scanned the flat and put her hands to her head. The place was a total mess and they’d never met Miles or Florence. Willow was here, too, and she never thought they’d want to see her after their last meeting. Yet here she was and they’d have to like it or lump it. She could hardly turn them away, but was taking no trouble from them today. Even though she didn’t necessarily want a fight with them in her PJs.
‘Yes, yes. Of course. I’ll buzz you in. You’ll have to take us as you find us, though.’ She pressed to undo the door lock and turned to Miles. ‘It’s my parents.’
‘Wow. I wish I’d washed my hair,’ he joked.
‘I wish I’d
combed
mine,’ she said. Then she looked round at the debris of toys on the floor and realised that her hair was the least of her worries. ‘I wish I’d got an hour to tidy up.’ Maybe two. ‘Too late for both now, I guess.’ Miles grimaced.
‘They’ll be here any second.’ Autumn’s heart was in her mouth. ‘Girls, girls. My mother and father are coming to see us. Can you quickly put some of the toys away?’
Willow stopped tickling the shrieking Flo and they both looked at her blankly as if to say ‘Have you seen the number of toys on this floor?’
It was true. It would take hours to clear this lot away. Her one-toy-at-a-time rule had lasted about five minutes.
Willow stared at her, wide-eyed. ‘My grandparents?’
‘Yes.’
‘Now?’
She went and held her daughter’s hands. ‘I would have loved to have had more time to prepare for this, but shall we just do it? No time like the present.’
Her face creased with concern. ‘What if they don’t like me?’
She wanted to say that, of course, they would. But, the truth was that you could never tell with her parents. They could equally turn on their heels the moment they clapped eyes on Willow.
‘I can’t promise anything, but I can’t turn them away from my door either. We’ll face them together. You do understand?’
Willow nodded.
She took in the two girls, who now sat expectantly. Flo was pink-faced, the remains of her breakfast were still down the front of her dress and her hair looked like a wild bush. Willow was in full Goth make-up, sporting a ripped Alien Sex Fiend T-shirt and equally ripped black jeans. Oh, goodness. Her parents were in for something of a shock and she’d so wanted them to love the girls. Well, they’d simply have to take them all as they found them.
‘Do they even know about me?’ Miles asked.
‘Not really.’
‘Oh, good. I always imagined I’d meet my future in-laws at a civilised dinner in an upmarket restaurant rather than in my oldest joggers and a skanky T.’
‘Me too.’ Then, despite her panic, she smiled. ‘Future in-laws? Is that a proposal?’
Miles grinned at her. ‘It might be.’
At that moment her parents knocked at the door of the flat. Damn. Their timing couldn’t have been worse.
She held a finger up to Miles. ‘We’ll continue this conversation as soon as we can. I won’t forget.’ Then, with a deep breath, she opened the door.
Her mother and father stood there looking as awkward and as out of place as she’d ever seen them.
‘Hi,’ Autumn said, pinning on a smile. ‘An unexpected pleasure.’
Her parents both looked sheepish. Her father was clutching a bouquet, which he held out to her.
‘Thank you.’ Autumn took it and, looking down at the beautiful and extravagant arrangement of flowers said, ‘What’s this in aid of?’
‘A peace offering,’ her mother said, licking her lips uneasily. ‘We felt things went badly when we last spoke.’
Something of an understatement. Autumn flushed as she remembered it. ‘Yes. They did.’
‘We wanted to make amends,’ her father said. ‘If you’ll let us.’
Well, that certainly was a surprise.
‘You’d better come in,’ Autumn said. ‘This is as good a time as any. You can meet your granddaughter.’