‘It would have to be me. I don’t think I could bear a situation like the one at Kirkside, where you had Mark Jackson hassling you to be with him morning, noon, and night.’
‘He didn’t hassle me all the time …’
‘Even half the time was bad enough. Don’t you think I’d be a good lodger? I’d pay my share of the expenses, and despite what my mother says I’m fairly clean and tidy.’
Hope didn’t know what to say. She was sure he would be the perfect lodger, she couldn’t think of anyone she would rather share the house with. But would she be able to think of him as just her lodger? Resting in his arms like this she wanted nothing more than to turn and kiss him.
‘I don’t think your parents would approve,’ she said, making an effort to be sensible. ‘You said they wouldn’t let Luke and Clare live together even when they were engaged. St Ann’s Bridge is really quite an old-fashioned place.’
Robbie dropped a kiss on her lips, just a brief touch, and then moved away so that she could see his face properly. ‘Now it’s funny you should say that,’ he said, but he sounded serious rather than amused. ‘Why don’t we get married then? That would please a lot of people. My parents. Susie. Mr Jackson. Me. And I had kind of hoped you would like the idea, too. But when you explained about wanting a bit of space, I thought maybe you would prefer it this way first. So the choice is up to you – either we can live together as friends, until you get used to the idea of having me around, or we can get married. Either way, you’ll find it pretty difficult to shift me.’
Yet again, as had happened so often over the last few months, Hope felt the world shift around her and settle into a new reality.
‘I love you,’ said Robbie, bending to kiss her again. ‘Will you please say something?’
‘I love you too,’ said Hope, because it was the first thing that occurred to her. She smiled slowly. She thought she might like this new reality. ‘Maybe you should kiss me a few more times, and that will help me decide?’ She put out her arms to pull him closer. Suddenly she knew what she wanted, exactly what she wanted.
‘I know family is important to you,’ he said, ‘And now we can be one of our own.’ He bent her lips to hers.
It was a while before Hope had the chance to speak again. Then she rested her head on his shoulder and said softly, ‘A family of my own. You and me will be a real family.’
‘I’ll take that as a yes, shall I? I don’t want you to think I’m rushing you or anything …’
‘Yes,’ said Hope, certain now that she wasn’t being rushed. ‘Yes, yes, yes.’
Gillian Villiers
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Published by Accent Press Ltd 2016
ISBN 9781783759316
Copyright © Gillian Villiers 2016
The right of Gillian Villiers to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by the author in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
The story contained within this book is a work of fiction. Names and characters are the product of the author’s imagination and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the written permission of the publishers: Accent Press Ltd, Ty Cynon House, Navigation Park, Abercynon, CF45 4SN
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