by Holly Martin
Skye lay down on the bed again and Emily squirted some more gel on her stomach and then pressed the transducer to her stomach. Immediately the screen lit up and started moving.
‘And there we are,’ Emily said. ‘There’s your baby.’
There was a small black shadow and inside was something that was shaped like a cashew nut.
‘That’s baby’s head, that’s baby’s bottom and right there you can see baby’s arms and legs. It looks like baby has just rolled over away from us and its hands are tucked in around the stomach. You can actually see a really good shot of the spine there.’
Skye held her breath, taking it all in. She was vaguely aware that Jesse had gone very still next to her but she couldn’t take her eyes off the screen.
‘I’m actually going to take a measurement now, as baby has given us a really good angle to measure from the crown to the rump here.’
Emily moved the transducer around, pressing various buttons and zooming in and out. ‘So baby is measuring approximately seven and a half to eight centimetres. Which is a little big for twelve weeks.’
‘Is that bad?’ Skye said.
‘No, not at all. Baby might be longer because of the height of Dad. If Mum or Dad are very tall, then you tend to have quite long babies, which is perfectly normal. We’ll be able to tell more at the next scan, but right now I would guess that you’re around thirteen or fourteen weeks. Which would put conception right around New Year’s Day.’
‘Best New Year’s resolution ever,’ Skye whispered, quickly glancing at Jesse. He had the biggest smile on his face as he stared at the screen.
‘Baby has just rolled over so we can get a good shot of the heart. Here we go.’
A little black flutter could be seen on the screen, frantically pulsing.
‘That’s very fast,’ Skye said.
‘Your baby’s heart beats twice as fast as yours, normally around a hundred and ten to a hundred and sixty beats per minute. That heartbeat looks perfectly normal. Would you like to hear it?’
Skye nodded.
Emily pressed a few buttons and suddenly the room was filled with a banging noise that sounded like someone sawing a piece of wood really fast.
Skye gasped and Jesse’s grip on her hand tightened.
‘That’s a really healthy heartbeat,’ Emily said.
‘So everything is OK?’ Skye said, hardly daring to believe this was all happening.
‘You have a really strong, healthy baby. I’m going to take a few more measurements but everything I’ve seen so far indicates that your baby has all the milestones ticked that we would want to see at this stage. Do you want to know the sex?’
Skye looked at Jesse again and her heart ached to see he had tears in his eyes. He quickly wiped them away. ‘Shall we?’
Skye turned back and nodded.
‘You’re going to have a boy.’
Skye let out a small sob and Jesse gave her hand a squeeze. It suddenly felt real. It wasn’t just a baby, it was a boy. They were going to have a son.
Emily continued to move the transducer across Skye’s belly, stopping and taking pictures and measurements for a few minutes, and Skye watched it all with wide eyes. She really was pregnant and the baby was fine. Strong and healthy and long, thanks to his dad.
A few minutes later they were out in the corridor clutching a few photos of their son.
Jesse didn’t say anything as they made their way out but as soon as they were outside in the sunshine, he stopped her and kissed her again.
‘I love you, Skye Philips, and impossibly I think I love you just a tiny bit more right now.’
‘I love you too. Now let’s go home and we can tell your daughter the exciting news.’
‘Our daughter,’ Jesse said.
She smiled. They were going to be a real family, just like she’d always wanted.
Epilogue
Skye peeped through the blinds of the bakery at the street outside and was gratified to see that the whole island appeared to have turned out to watch the parade, a good many also with a colourful display of puddings and desserts with them too. She looked up at the turquoise-blue sky; the sun was shining and there was not a cloud to be seen, although the weather report had forecast rain and storms for later that night.
‘I think we’re ready out there,’ Skye said, turning back to face Jesse, Bea and Kendra.
‘Let’s get this thing out of the oven,’ Jesse said, pulling on his oven gloves as Kendra did the same.
Jesse had made a rolling wire tray so it was easy to move the pie in and out of the oven. As it emerged Jesse and Kendra carefully lifted it and slid it into the golden tray.
‘It smells amazing,’ Skye said. ‘Pity I can’t try any.’
They’d decided to stick to the original recipe and use the rhubarb gin and just make everyone fully aware. They’d spoken to a local gin company who told them the stuff in the cellar would be perfectly fine to drink as long as they filtered it. Skye thought it was a nice touch to use Walter’s own gin in the pie, just as he’d intended. Jesse had also made a rhubarb and peach pie for the children and for those that couldn’t drink alcohol, like Skye, or would prefer not to. The alcohol-free one was already up at Cones in the Cove after they’d cooked that the day before. They’d had more than enough rhubarb delivered from the villagers.
‘I think I’d prefer the peach one anyway,’ Bea said. ‘Pie made with seventy-year-old gin doesn’t really appeal to me.’
‘I’m not really a gin drinker but that stuff was really good,’ Jesse said, waving his tea towel over the top of the pie to cool it down a bit.
‘I agree, I loved the potency of the rhubarb. I can see I’m going to have to leave my gin longer before I drink it in future,’ Kendra said.
‘OK, I’ll get the navy in here to take the pie out,’ Skye said.
She moved to the door and opened it a crack, gesturing for the commander to come in. A few words from the commander and the cadets who were with him stopped talking and marched in single file into the bakery. There was a sudden excited buzz amongst the waiting crowds.
The cadets lifted the golden tray onto their shoulders and Skye pushed open the double doors. The commander gave the order and the cadets carefully moved outside. Skye couldn’t help smiling when the waiting crowd cheered and clapped as the pie was loaded onto the carriage. She hoped Walter would be proud.
Orla was already sitting on her throne at the back of the carriage wrapped in one of Sylvia’s purple robes and wearing a splendid crown that Seamus had found in the storeroom of the village hall.
Freya, Clover’s horse, was at the front of the carriage, her mane decorated with beautiful flowers courtesy of Bea.
Jesse lifted Bea into the saddle and she couldn’t have looked happier as she picked up the reins.
The cadets fell into place around the carriage and the commander stood in front, right behind the bagpipe player who happened to be Seamus’s brother.
Seamus and Kathy in their finest regalia stood behind the carriage and Jesse and Skye took their places behind them. Aria, Clover, Noah and Angel fell in at their sides. All the other villagers, complete with their splendid array of puddings, started to gather behind them. The bagpipe player started playing and suddenly they were off, walking slowly through the village and up towards the hotel.
Jesse slipped his hand into Skye’s and she looked up at him and smiled. ‘Thank you for doing all this for me. The navy, the pie, the cooking workshops. Thank you.’
He smiled and placed a kiss on her head. ‘Of course, I wouldn’t have missed this for the world. And actually I’m really looking forward to the workshops. I only have small groups so it should be quite fun.’
Skye looked over her shoulder at the villagers carrying their dessert creations. ‘I think I’m going to need some help judging these puddings too, where do you even start?’
Jesse looked round and smiled. ‘They’ve really embraced the parade, haven’t they?’
&
nbsp; ‘Thanks to you,’ Skye said, leaning into him. She knew he’d gone round to all the houses with the flyers and programme of events and probably given them the big sales patter too.
‘Oh, I don’t think this was anything to do with me, this was all you. They love your ice creams. I always see many of the villagers up there having desserts. The café is as responsible for bringing tourism back to the island as the hotel is. People come from all the local villages and towns to try your ice creams. I know you don’t see it, but Cones at the Cove has always been an essential part of the community and the villagers obviously recognise that.’
Skye smiled. ‘Well, you have to take some responsibility for that too – the place looks great, and your pancakes, waffles and other desserts are an integral part of the menu. I can’t wait to start working alongside you every day. You’ll bring so much to the café.’
‘I’m looking forward to it, although I’m mostly looking forward to just being here with you and not counting down the days until I leave. And to not keeping it a secret anymore.’
‘I don’t think it was much of a secret anyway – everyone knew, including Bea.’
‘I know,’ he rolled his eyes.
‘Is she happy about moving here?’ Skye asked.
‘She’s over the moon,’ Jesse said. ‘Although I think I’ll have to build her a little cabin in the yard so she can have her own space away from the baby.’
‘Oh, she’ll love that,’ Skye said.
Bea had nearly burst when they’d told her she was going to become a sister, although Skye wasn’t sure that excitement would last when the baby was keeping her awake all through the night. A little cabin in the garden for Bea to sleep in might be the perfect solution. It’d be like sleeping in her own tree house and, knowing Jesse, it would have a shower, toilet, kitchen and little lounge area too.
They walked over the headland and into the hotel gardens, arriving back at the café where a small local brass band was ready to welcome them. The bouncy castle was waiting for all the children and there were several other traditional games stalls too.
The pie was unloaded onto a table outside and Jesse started dishing it up to the eagerly waiting crowds. Skye watched him for a while as he chatted and laughed with the villagers and tourists, telling them all about the history of the pie and the surprising ingredients. He belonged here as much as she did.
‘Stop looking at him with puppy-dog eyes,’ Aria teased as she looped an arm round Skye’s shoulders.
Skye laughed. ‘I’m allowed to now, he’s moving here because he loves me. He’s flown here just to help me make an oversized pie, he’s definitely earned the puppy-dog eyes.’
‘He has,’ Clover said.
‘Plus I’m carrying his baby, that’s worth some brownie points.’
‘I can’t believe we’re going to have our babies around the same time,’ Clover said. ‘I’m so excited that they will be growing up together.’
‘Me too,’ Skye said.
‘And I’m so happy that your baby is strong and healthy,’ Aria said. ‘And Orla can’t wait to be the big cousin to them both.’
‘She’s so excited,’ Skye said. ‘Perhaps even more than she was about being the queen of the parade.’
‘I don’t know, she barely slept a wink last night she was so excited about today,’ Aria said.
‘I’m pleased she’s involved,’ Skye said.
‘This all looks fantastic,’ Aria said, gesturing to all the activities and the villagers walking past with their beautiful puddings as they went into the café to put them on the display table ready to be judged.
‘I think it turned out pretty well after all,’ Skye said.
She watched Bea and Sylvia talking and laughing together. Bea had embraced her relationship with Sylvia with open arms. Bea had never had any kind of grandmotherly relationship so this was a good thing for her. Jesse had been a bit hesitant about having any link with Ginny, no matter how distant, but he knew Sylvia and, despite her fondness for interfering, Skye knew he liked her.
She moved over to give Jesse a hand and after a while Bea joined them.
‘Did you ask her yet?’ Bea said to Jesse in a quiet lull.
‘Not yet.’
‘Ask me what?’ Skye said, handing out one of the last slices of pie.
‘Can I watch?’ Bea said.
‘No, this will be private. I don’t need any help from you or Dr Jermaine on this one.’
Bea laughed. ‘Fair enough.’
‘What are you going to ask me?’ Skye said.
‘You’ll find out soon,’ Jesse said, kissing her on the head. ‘Now wish me luck, I’ve got my first cookery lesson in a few minutes, I better go and prepare.’
Skye gave him a hug. ‘You don’t need luck, Jesse Hamilton, you’re amazing.’
Bea joined them, wrapping her arms around them both. ‘I agree, Dad. Go and show them your awesomeness.’
Jesse held them both tight in their little group hug for a moment and Skye felt like her heart would burst. This was everything she’d ever wanted. Her ice cream café was thriving, she had a baby on the way and she was part of this wonderful little family again.
She had the flake on top.
Skye lay in bed, waiting for Jesse to finish up in the bathroom and join her.
The pudding parade had gone without a hitch, people hanging around for several hours after the parade had finished, trying all the ice creams and other desserts in the café, playing the different games and watching the fireworks in the evening. Jesse had really enjoyed his cookery workshops and even said it was something he’d be happy to do again. It was clear everyone enjoyed themselves, it had felt like a big party. They had been so lucky with the weather too; it had been warm and sunny all day. Even as night fell, it had stayed dry throughout the fireworks; it was only as they’d returned to the cottage that fat drops of rain had started to fall. Skye had even heard distant thunder a few minutes before.
Jesse walked in, a huge smile on his face as he closed the door behind him.
He started getting undressed and Skye rolled on her side to watch. There was something glorious about seeing Jesse naked; he was like a work of art and she could stare at him all day.
‘See something you like?’ he said.
‘Very much.’ She sighed. ‘I can’t believe you’re going home tomorrow.’
‘Not home. This is my home now, with you. And I’ll only be gone a few weeks to get everything in order. Now the visas have come through, thanks in part to Sylvia, we’ll both be back long before the next scan.’
He climbed into bed, immediately taking her in his arms. He pulled off her t-shirt and threw it across the room.
‘Why do you insist on wearing a t-shirt to bed when you know it’s coming off a few seconds after I get into bed?’
‘Because I love it when you tear it off.’
He laughed. ‘Is that right?’
‘I love your impatience at wanting to see my body.’
‘I love this body,’ Jesse said, placing a kiss on her shoulder, caressing his hand down her ribs. ‘I love your neck.’ He kissed across where her pulse was racing against her skin. ‘I love these breasts.’ He kissed across them, his hot mouth tracing across her nipple and making her let out a kind of animalistic noise of need. He smiled against her skin. He knew exactly what he was doing. Her breasts were definitely more tender in a good way and now she knew why. ‘But I think I love this heart the most.’ He placed a slow lingering kiss right over her heart and it brought tears to her eyes. How could she ever have doubted his love for her – it was in every kiss, in the way he looked at her, the way he made love to her. The signs had always been as clear as day, she’d just chosen not to see them before. He trailed his lips over her stomach. ‘And I will still love this body when you get bigger from carrying my baby.’
She ran her fingers through his hair as he continued to pepper kisses all over her stomach and she wondered somehow if their son could feel the lo
ve from his dad like she could.
His head dipped lower and she gasped at the feel of his hot mouth between her legs. She arched off the bed, that feeling ripping through her almost immediately. He held her still as she writhed on the bed, mindless with utter pleasure.
He made his way back up her body, leaning over her but taking all his weight on his arms, and she knew that was so he wouldn’t squash the baby. Skye was pretty certain the baby was absolutely fine in there but Jesse wasn’t taking any chances. They’d not made love with him on top since he’d found out she was pregnant, so she was surprised he seemed to be gearing up to do just that now.
He bent his head and kissed her but just as she was wrapping her arms and legs around him, he rolled off her onto his back. She let out a little sigh of frustration; she was sure going to miss him pinning her to the bed for the next six months.
He leaned over to grab something from the drawers and she frowned in confusion. They hadn’t used a condom since they’d found out she was pregnant, there was no need, so she wasn’t sure what he was doing now.
He rolled back towards her, something held in his hand, and brushed the hair from her face. ‘I did this on the beach with the candles and the romance and totally messed it up, mainly because I never said the right words. And I realise that the candles and the location aren’t important, it’s just the words that matter.’
Skye’s heart leapt. He was proposing again. That’s what this was.
‘Skye—’
‘Yes. My answer is yes.’
A smile twitched on his lips. ‘No, this time we’re going to do this properly.’
‘There are no words in the world that would make me love you more than I do right now,’ Skye said. ‘You have proved your love for me with your actions time and time again and I just refused to see it, I told myself I needed to hear the words. But the last time I heard those words were from Oliver and, if he could hate me for losing my child, there was no way he ever loved me. But you, I know your love is unequivocal. I know what we have is forever. If you want to say nice things to me now before you propose, then sure, go for it, but my answer is yes, I will marry you. I know we belong together.’