I was surprised when the sound of clinking glass, signalling the start of the speeches, cut Caroline off as she was telling me how her grandmother once met the queen.
Don, Heather’s father, stood up as the room fell silent and all eyes turned towards the top table. Beside me, Cameron topped our glasses up with wine and I leaned back to listen.
‘Please forgive me if I get emotional,’ Don began. ‘I don’t think I’ve made it through this speech without crying and that was just me reading it to the pigs on the farm,’ he said, to titters from around the room. ‘But it’s hard not to be emotional today. My only daughter’s wedding day. And what a daughter. Heather is such a wonderful woman that sometimes it’s hard to remember that she was once a girl who I could hardly get to come out of her room to eat as she was so absorbed in one of her favourite books. But, Heather, you’ve grown up to be such a capable businesswoman and a wonderful mother. I couldn’t be prouder to see how your two farms and the shop are thriving, to see how well you look after your son, Harry, and how you get up every day come rain or shine at the crack of dawn and put on wellies, which we all know how much you hate.’
More laughter at that.
‘What I’ve been most happy to see is how you’ve created such a lovely family for yourself. You and Rory are such a strong partnership. I think everyone in the room sees that. You’ve both suffered such big losses in your lives but they have made you so determined and such caring people too. You love your family so fiercely and I know you’d do anything for them. And for me too. Inviting me to be part of your family was such an honour and I love living at Fraser Farm with you.
‘Seeing you two get married today makes me so proud and happy for you both. I know this has been a long time coming, that it wasn’t easy to stand up there today without some of the people who we miss very much, but I know that they are right here with us. Your mother, Heather, was watching today and she was incredibly proud of you, and your parents too, Rory.’
He paused then to clear his throat. Everyone was starting to get emotional now. Rory was holding Heather tightly beside Don as they listened.
‘You have been through so much together that there is no doubt you’ll be together forever and will continue to weather any storm, anything that life throws at you, with all your strength and good humour too. This is really a lifelong partnership. I want to thank everyone here today for supporting Heather and Rory, and for cheering them on always. This community is so special, I know we all know that, and we will always be rooting for you both. We will always be here for you.’
‘Hear hear!’ Angus said from next to me. Everyone murmured their agreement too.
Don nodded his thanks to the room. ‘This is Heather and Rory’s special day but I know that we all share in it. I wish I had some wisdom to give you both but I learn as much from you two as you learn from me. You will live happily ever after because you have chosen the very best person to navigate life with. So, here’s to finding your partner in life and to never taking that for granted.’
As he raised his glass to the couple, Don completely choked up and had to sit down and bury his face in a hanky. Everyone cheered and raised their glasses as Heather hugged her dad and Rory clasped his shoulder tightly. God, even I felt a tear roll down my cheek.
I turned to Cameron and leaned in so only he could hear me. ‘I love you too.’
‘Really?’ he checked, which made me chuckle.
‘Yes, really, you fool.’ I leaned in to kiss him and, in the background, I heard someone wolf whistle and I didn’t mind one little bit.
Chapter Fifty
Once I had told Cameron how I felt, I felt a hundred times lighter. I had been so scared to just say the words but once I had, I felt fearless. And I didn’t want to waste a moment with him.
After dinner, we all headed outside to wait for the floor to be cleared for dancing. Cameron took my hand and we slipped away from everyone, walking around the castle as the sun started to dip in the sky. It was chilly now but I felt perfectly warm as Cameron wrapped an arm around my shoulders, pulling me close as we walked. I felt giddy from the wine, the emotion of the day and being by his side again. And the thought of being alone with him later too.
‘Well, this is definitely one wedding I won’t forget,’ I said as we looked out at the countryside, the castle standing tall behind us.
‘What brought you back to me?’ he asked. I leaned in closer, enjoying the warmth and strength of him next to me. I wondered how it was that I could feel like I fit beside him so perfectly when I hadn’t even known him that long. As if we were two puzzle pieces that had been slotted together.
‘I had been thinking about it all the time I was in London, even though I tried not to. I missed Glendale. All of it. The place, the people, the Hall, my brother, and you too. But I told myself to forget it, that I needed to move on, and I was annoyed that I couldn’t do it. And then there was the work. I loved it, Cameron. I knew that this was what I really wanted to do. But you know me, the fear soon kicked in.’ I smiled wryly. ‘It was the same with you. That day in your cabin. I felt it then… but when you said… well, you know, I freaked out that you didn’t feel the same way about me and I did what I’ve always done best, and I ran.’ I shrugged.
‘I’m so sorry that you thought that. It’s haunted me why you left that day, why you wouldn’t speak to me. I couldn’t stop thinking about you. I knew I had to try to tell you how I felt.’
‘I’m so glad you did.’ I looked up at him and he gave me a soft kiss. I smiled. ‘Then suddenly Beth, Heather and Emily showed up. It was like I was trying so hard to move on from you all, but they decided not to let me.’ I chuckled. ‘And then reading your letter… It just cemented what I’d been thinking and feeling but trying not to. Basically, I knew I needed to come back here.’
‘You did?’ he asked in surprise.
I remembered then that I hadn’t told him any of my plans. I turned to face him then, even though it was hard to leave his side. ‘So I have come up with this idea but I just realised, I mean maybe you might not…’ I stopped myself. God, what was wrong with me? I didn’t want to be scared anymore. We had both told each other that we loved the other person. ‘I want to move back to Glendale. I want to live and work at the Hall and study for a cookery diploma. One day I want to own my own restaurant. I’ve never stayed put anywhere, you know that, but this feels right. I want to follow my heart for once and maybe I’ll suck at it, maybe I’ll want to run. But right now, this just feels right.’
Cameron broke into a wide smile. ‘You’re staying?’ he checked.
‘I mean maybe not forever, I don’t know—’
He stepped forward and put his hands on my waist. ‘But right now, you’re staying?’ he interrupted my babbling.
I nodded. ‘Right now, I’m staying.’
He picked me up by the waist, spinning me around in the air. I cried out in protest and he put me down, both of us laughing. Maybe if I’d have known how good this love lark felt, I would have opened my heart up sooner. But as Cameron kissed me, I realised that, no, I wouldn’t ever wish that. Because it was meant to be Cameron who opened my heart. The same way I had opened his. If I was sure of anything in this life, I was sure of that.
* * *
We went back inside for the dancing, and twirling in Cameron’s arms on the dancefloor was something I felt like I’d always enjoy. I received many nods and winks and nudges and smiles from our family and friends throughout the night but I didn’t care. I knew that I was smiling like a loon and I wasn’t bothered in the least. For once, I just enjoyed being with Cameron. I wasn’t worried about what came next. I was perfectly happy just enjoying this moment.
We had the wedding cake, baked to perfection by Emily of course, and we danced until midnight, when the reception ended and we piled into cars to take us all back to Glendale, apart from Rory and Heather, who were staying the night at a nearby hotel. They had decided not to have a traditional honeymoon as they did
n’t want to leave either Harry or their farms. I went with Cameron back to Hilltop, which I knew had been noticed by everyone and would have probably been high on people’s talking points of the night but I was too happy to mind that. It was annoying that Beth had been right all along, and my brother too, but nothing is perfect, right?
Cameron’s cabin was dark and silent as he let us inside. He went over to the fireplace to light it and then made us both tea in the kitchen. It was chilly but we curled up on the floor with a blanket draped over us as we sipped our tea in front of the fire. We were both quiet after such an eventful day and night until he turned to me, the flames from the fire flickering in his eyes. ‘Are you really sure, Anna? About us, I mean?’ I caught the vulnerability in his gaze as he asked me the question. I wondered if he was thinking about his ex, not because he still had feelings for her, but their relationship ended so tragically. I kept thinking about how scared I was considering an actual relationship for the first time but I needed to remember all the hurt and pain he had been through too. This wouldn’t be easy for us. We had been closed off to other people for a long time but our connection had opened up our hearts. We were fragile, though. What we had was still fragile.
I nodded. ‘I’m scared. I think I will be for a long time. But being away from you made me miserable. I feel like this is where I’m supposed to be.’
‘Me too.’ He reached out and stroked my hair back from my face. ‘Everything has changed since you turned up in Glendale with your pink hair and honesty and passion, and I feel like I’ve changed. I don’t want to hide away here. Well, unless you’re with me, and I feel excited for the future. I didn’t have that before. Seeing you today has made me happier than I thought possible.’
‘It’s the same for me,’ I told him. ‘It’s all that matters right now. We can worry about everything else another day.’
‘Just take it all as it comes,’ he agreed.
‘Deal. Now how about we go to bed?’
He raised an eyebrow. ‘Sleepy?’
‘Nope.’ I jumped up and held out my hand to him. He grinned and took it, getting up with me, keeping hold of it as we went upstairs together.
Chapter Fifty-One
Light streamed in through a gap in the blinds, pooling on the bottom of the bed as I opened my eyes and felt Cameron’s arms still around me. I smiled at how cosy I felt, and how well I’d slept too. As if finally having everything settled had put my mind and body to rest in a way it had struggled to do for years. Glancing at the beside clock, I raised an eyebrow. It was late morning. I’d slept for nine hours. Which was completely unheard of for me.
Cameron was facing me and he opened his eyes as he felt me move a little under his arm. His lips curved into a super sexy smile. ‘Morning, gorgeous. Did you sleep well? I slept like the dead.’
‘The best in a long time,’ I agreed. Cameron leaned in to kiss me gently. I had been half wondering if things would be the same between us this morning. We’d had so many false starts since we met. But his kiss sent a warm wave through my body and I knew that it hadn’t all been a dream. This was real.
‘I’m going to make us breakfast in bed,’ he said, sitting up and stretching. I eyed the muscles in his stomach. ‘Don’t move,’ he half-warned. Perhaps he was worried it had all been a dream too.
‘I wouldn’t dare,’ I replied with a smile. I watched him leave the room and then I sat up, pulling a knot out of my hair. I looked around. Like me, Cameron kept his bedroom décor plain and functional. I thought maybe we both needed to change that. Now that we might be finally planting some roots. Together. I smiled again. God, I was starting to annoy myself with this happiness. But I had to admit it had been a very long time coming.
Cameron returned with a tray of coffee and toast with pots of homemade jam from Heather and Rory’s farm shop. ‘I might get used to this,’ I warned him as he came back into bed and put the tray down between us.
‘I don’t mind. I’m just so happy you’re here with me. You know, you don’t have to go back to the Hall.’ He shrugged. ‘If you didn’t want to.’ He busied himself by buttering his toast, avoiding my eyes.
I laid my hand on his arm and he looked up at me. ‘It’s not that I don’t want to stay with you, but I still think we should take things slowly. This is really new to me. I don’t want to freak out and run again. I need to be independent. I can’t help it.’
He smiled. ‘I know, and it’s one of the things I love about you. I just wanted to make sure you knew that if you wanted to I’d be more than fine with it. But you’re right. We should take things slowly. It’s not like you’re far away. It just felt so good to wake up with you.’
‘We will do a lot of that, I promise,’ I said, giving him a kiss then snatching his toast out of his hands and taking a bite of it. He shook his head and got himself another one. ‘I know that everyone will be looking for our happy ever after. It’s what Glendale seems to be all about,’ I said. ‘I’ve only been here for one summer and I’ve already seen three weddings, for goodness’ sake, but for me this is a happy ending, you know? I like us just like this.’
‘Just like this,’ he agreed, brushing back my hair and looking into my eyes in that way of his that both thrilled and unnerved me. It was like I was being seen for the first time properly in my life. ‘Always and forever,’ he added in a whisper.
Goosebumps pricked my arms as I pulled him to me and we kissed, our mouths full of love, hope, trust, contentment and toast.
* * *
There were two things I needed to do next. I had told almost everyone I wanted to that I was coming back to Glendale but I still had four people on my list. The first were Adam and Lorna. I felt like I… not ‘owed them an explanation’, exactly, but I wanted to be open and honest because I genuinely liked them and hoped that we could be friends. I knew they both meant a lot to Cameron too – he’d been friends with them since school, after all. I wanted to speak to them without him first, though, just in case. I messaged them and asked them to meet me at the pub for an afternoon drink.
Cameron drove me in his truck to the village before heading off to Fraser Farm to help his uncle with the chores there in Rory and Heather’s absence, and I wandered into the pub alone. Adam and Lorna were already seated at a table in the back. It was another cloudy day so the beer garden had clearly not appealed to then. The pub was busy as usual for a Sunday afternoon, people eating roast dinners with a drink, settling in for a relaxing time. I ordered a glass of wine and took it over to them, feeling a little bit nervous as I sat down.
‘This is a nice surprise to see you back,’ Lorna said with a warm smile. It was a relief that she seemed pleased to see me. Adam nodded in agreement.
‘Thank you, it’s so nice to be back.’
‘Are you here just for Heather and Rory’s wedding?’ Adam asked as he sipped his beer. Although they hadn’t been invited, of course they knew about it from Cameron and, to be honest, most of Glendale knew each other’s news anyway.
‘I did come back for that but actually I wanted to talk to you both about my plans next…’ I explained that I was going to move back to Glendale to study cooking and continue to work on at the Hall.
‘That’s great news,’ Lorna said enthusiastically. ‘It was a shame getting to know you and then you leaving for London.’ She glanced at her brother. ‘It’ll be great to have you around again.’
I was nervous for Adam’s thoughts but he smiled genuinely at me. ‘You will definitely have to cook for us now.’
‘I promise I will. In fact, Cameron had an idea to throw a kind of dinner party at his cabin,’ I began hesitantly. This was potentially the awkward part but I had always been honest and I knew it was better to just tell them and hope that they would be okay with it. ‘Because at the wedding, well, we actually got together. Uh, became a couple, I mean.’
They exchanged another look. I held my breath. ‘I knew it,’ Lorna said but she smiled. ‘I said to Adam there was something between the tw
o of you. I sensed it the first time we met.’
‘She did,’ he agreed with a nod. ‘Told me I was wasting my time,’ he added wryly. He didn’t seem too angry though.
‘I’m sorry, Adam. Honestly, I really didn’t realise that there was something until there already was, if that makes sense? We had this connection and I didn’t understand it. I’d never really had that before.’
‘It’s okay,’ he said. ‘Cameron told me after you left that he had feelings for you. He thought you’d gone for good, so I’m pleased for him, for both of you, that you’re back. Honestly,’ he added. ‘All’s fair in love and war, right?’
‘I never meant to hurt you, I hope you know that,’ I said, feeling a little bit less nervous now. Still, I took a gulp of wine just in case. I was glad Cameron had been honest with his friend. I knew how important it was to have friends you could be honest with now. Glendale had shown me that this summer.
‘I’m a big guy, Anna, I can handle it. You were always honest with me.’
I looked at Lorna then. ‘And, Lorna, I know that you liked…’
She put up a hand to stop me. ‘Seriously, my heart is completely untouched. Honestly, it’s always been more the people around us trying to get me and Cam together.’ She gave her brother a hard look and he smiled sheepishly at her. ‘We were never more than friends, even growing up, well before you came long. And then he went off to uni and fell in love and I knew when he came back that he wasn’t ready for anything else. But when you arrived, that changed, and I wasn’t mad about it. Obviously, ego-wise it smarted a bit,’ she said with a laugh. ‘But we are just friends. He’s good-looking, and a good lad. I’ll always think that but that’s it. He’s just a mate and I hope you are too. And I’m always happy for my friends. I’m still looking for my person.’ She shrugged. ‘I’m pretty happy on my own anyway, and so are you really,’ she said to her brother. ‘It’d be nice to meet someone but I’m living my best single life until then.’
Always and Forever at Glendale Hall Page 28