by Claire Frost
‘I know. Or rather I do now,’ Toby said a little sheepishly. ‘Melissa had a “chat” with me a couple of days ago and told me off because she said if I didn’t actually tell you how I was feeling then I couldn’t expect you to read my mind. So, yes, I have been feeling, well, threatened I suppose is a good word. About the travelling stuff, I mean. And I obviously shouldn’t have agreed to Mum and Dad’s offer to stay with them over Christmas without talking to you first. So I apologise. Melissa also made me realise that I’d probably want to murder them both after four days, never mind two whole weeks, so it was never going to work anyway.’
‘I owe you a bigger apology,’ Hannah said quietly. ‘It was horribly selfish of me to agree to go and see Dee without even asking or really even thinking about you. I feel terrible about it now. I suppose I’m so used to only having to think about myself, and speaking to Dee made me realise how much I missed her, as well as Oz, so I didn’t stop to think how you would feel. I’m sorry.’
‘That’s okay, I’m starting to understand where you were coming from, so it makes sense to me now,’ Toby replied. ‘I guess it’s similar to how I reacted to my parents’ suggestion we stay with them. I didn’t think about what you might want, just what the easiest thing for me was. I’ve spent the last two years trying to convince my parents I’m okay – even when I wasn’t – so I’ve been saying yes to whatever they ask. Sometimes I’m not even sure what are my own decisions and what I’m doing just because my family think I ought to.’
‘They clearly care about you very much,’ Hannah ventured.
‘They do, and I sort of felt that when Emma died and I fell apart, I let them all down. So since then I’ve been trying to do everything I can to make it up to them.’
‘You’ve nothing to make up to them, Toby. Grief is a long and painful process, especially when you lose someone so suddenly. You need to not be so hard on yourself.’
He smiled. ‘You sound like Melissa.’
‘Then it must be true if we’re both saying it!’
‘I’m not sure that quite follows, but thank you.’
There was a short silence during which a huge gust of wind wound its way through Hannah’s limbs and into the furthest recesses of her coat, making her shiver beneath the darkening sky. ‘Well, at least one good thing came out of you doing exactly what your family told you.’
‘And what’s that then?’ asked Toby, a smile creeping across his face.
‘You agreed to marry a woman you’d never even seen before, enjoyed a week of absolute luxury in sunny St Lucia, and then got to spend a Saturday afternoon freezing to death in the middle of rainy old Manchester with said woman, that’s what!’
Toby grinned, turning towards her so their faces were almost touching. ‘You’re right.’
‘Toby, can I ask you something?’ Hannah asked softly.
‘You mean you don’t think we’ve done enough soul-searching for one day?’ He smiled. ‘Of course, ask me anything.’
Her heart hammering and more aware than ever of just how close they were, she whispered, ‘Would you like to come to Australia with me sometime?’
He gently touched his lips on hers and then answered so softly she wondered if she’d imagined it. ‘Yes, I would love to.’
Hannah stroked his face before pulling him towards her. Suddenly, immediately above them there was a crack of thunder, followed by a huge flash of lightning. Within seconds they were being pelted with jagged balls of hail. They reluctantly moved apart.
‘To the pub?’ Toby suggested.
‘I thought you’d never ask!’
Epilogue Two months later
Hannah looked around at the throngs of people all along the harbour. The walkway was full of families, friends and couples, their faces lit up with smiles and awe as the last of the early fireworks filled the sky. She glanced over to the bar where Dee and her partner Ade were ordering the drinks before the next wave of celebrations began in Sydney Harbour, with all the boats lighting up in a perfectly choreographed dance, followed by the iconic midnight fireworks display with the bridge at the centre.
And she squeezed Toby’s hand.
‘What a year!’ she said, looking up at him and smiling.
‘I don’t know what you mean? It’s been such an uneventful twelve months…’ Toby teased.
‘Sure, just a few things going on.’ She grinned. ‘My new job is exciting, that’s true. As much as I loved Save The Date, when I knew the sale was definitely going through I actually felt relieved to be starting a new chapter of my life. Although the downside of working for a teenage outreach charity is having to pretend I’m cool and down with the kids all the time.’
‘Don’t worry, they’ll see through you immediately,’ Toby quipped.
‘Oh thanks! What else has happened over the last twelve months? Well, there’s the fact that in a matter of weeks I’m going to be bridesmaid for my best friend again – though this time I definitely won’t be getting off with any hot barmen. Well, at least that’s what I’ve told Jess.’
‘I’m very pleased Jess and Tom are renewing their vows, but I’ve already made them promise to employ only ugly bartenders, so I don’t think your luck is going to be in, I’m afraid. Anyway, hasn’t something else interesting happened in the last year maybe?’ he smiled, leaning towards her playfully.
‘Has it? No, there’s nothing I can remember…’ She squealed as he started to lightly tickle her. ‘Stop it! You know I can’t deal with being tickled under my ribs – Tobes! Fine, yes, something else quite exciting happened this year, you’re right.’
‘Quite exciting?’
‘Sorry, very exciting. I have a new sister-in-law! Oh, and a new mother-in-law and father-in-law, both of whom made me feel very welcome for the few days I stayed with them over Christmas. And, yes, I suppose it is pretty exciting that I have a new husband. Happy now?’
‘Very happy, thanks.’ Toby beamed before adding more seriously, ‘I am really happy I met you, Han. I know it’s not been easy for either of us over the past few months and there’s no magic wand to make everything perfect immediately, but I’m having fun being on this journey with you and seeing where it takes us.’
‘Me too,’ Hannah replied, wrapping her arms around his neck and leaning towards him. ‘And I’m excited that this journey will very soon take us up to Queensland and the Barrier Reef with Dee and Ade. I can’t wait to take you swimming with the fish.’
‘Nemo’s got nothing on us! And I can’t imagine a better way to start the New Year.’ He leaned into Hannah for a kiss.
They were interrupted moments later when Dee and Ade returned with their drinks. Hannah laughed as her friends teased them, then poked out her tongue. ‘Shut up, I’m just starting the next twelve months as I mean to go on! Right, Husband?’
Toby grinned and leaned in to kiss her again, ‘Right, Wife.’
Acknowledgements
Well, what an eighteen months it’s been (and, no, for once I’m not referring to a certain pesky virus). Since the ebook of my debut novel came out in July 2019 and I first got to see my paperback on a shelf in an actual bookshop two months later, it’s been quite a ride. And I feel so lucky to have a whole team of friends and family – both in the book world and in ‘normal’ life – who have come along with me on this ride.
Thank you to my agent Tanera Simons, who has so often been on the receiving end of an essay-length email containing the line: ‘I know I might be overthinking this and apologies in advance for the stream of consciousness, but…’ – and has not even once sent me a sarcastic message in reply. Writing this book has been a much richer experience for having you in my corner, and your encouragement and suggestions gave me the self-belief to find my way through Hannah and Toby’s story. I’m so proud to be part of #TeamTanera. Thank you, too, to the whole team at Darley Anderson who work so hard.
An absolutely massive whoop-whoop to my Simon & Schuster crew. My biggest thanks go to my talented editor Bec Farrell,
who knows how to raise people from the dead (yep, she’s that powerful), how to tell me things aren’t quite working in the most constructive (and kindest) way, and how to curb my overuse of the word ‘ooh’ (as well as ‘ahh’). This book is at least a million times better than it would have been without you. I’m hugely grateful for Alice Rodgers’s input and hard work (I will definitely never confuse half-sister and stepsister again thanks to your brilliant intervention!), and I am forever indebted to the all-round superstar that is Sara-Jade Virtue – I could not be happier that I now get to work so closely with you. The second I clapped eyes on Pip Watkins’s cover design for Married At First Swipe I instantly adored it – in fact, you could say it was love at first sight! – so thank you, Pip, for being such a cover whizz. While we’re on the subject of whizzes, a massive shout-out to the S&S publicity and marketing teams, especially brilliant Becky McCarthy and amazing Amy Fulwood who have worked so hard to create standout campaigns for my books.
It has been an absolute privilege to meet and connect with so many fellow authors over the last few years, and I want to say a particularly big thank you to every writer who has supported me by reading and blurbing my books, sharing my posts on social media and offering me congrats and advice when I need them most. Understanding that you all feel the same highs and lows on your own writing journeys has stopped me from going (too) mad.
It’s hard to put into words (and I know that’s what I’m supposed to be good at!) how much it means to me that so many bloggers have taken the time to read and review my novels, be part of blog tours and post beautiful pics of proofs and finished copies of my books on their channels for the sheer joy of it. I am so very grateful. Thank you to all the super-hardworking journalists and reviewers on magazines and newspapers who are drowning in jiffy bags and TBR piles (I hear ya!) but have still found the space to feature my books. Your support is invaluable and I will never get tired of opening the pages of my favourite mags to see my beautiful cover staring back at me.
I wouldn’t be the person I am today without all my friends and family (you’re to blame for all the bad bits, obv!) and each and every one of them has played a part in my author journey, from my best friend Beth buying up every copy of my books in West Yorkshire and the whole Fabulous team turning out to support me, to my mum and sisters proudly cheering me on (and spreading news of my books far and wide on social media and pulling them to the front on bookshop shelves) and my mother-in-law Pat reading a chapter every night even though she isn’t really sure what Instagram or dating apps actually are.
Thank you, Steve, for the last twenty-two (twenty-two? God, how did that happen?!) years together – yes, I know you keep saying you’d get less for a life sentence, but hopefully you agree that doing time with each other has been fun. Here’s to another twenty-two (maybe you’ll get round to reading one of my books by then!).
Finally, thank you to YOU. Readers are everything to an author, and to know you opened this book and got to the end (and hopefully enjoyed reading the pages in between) means the absolute world to me. On those days where I stare blankly at my laptop screen and despair of ever writing a coherent word again, just one Instagram message from a reader telling me how much they loved meeting my characters is enough to send flamenco ladies dancing across my computer and love hearts glinting in my eyes. So if you read this book and enjoyed it, please do let me know – and I will send you all the emojis in reply.
Claire x
@therealfabfrosty
@fabfrosty
More from the Author
Living My Best Life
About the Author
Claire Frost grew up in Manchester, the middle of three sisters. She always wanted to do a job that involved writing, so after studying Classics at Bristol University she started working in magazines. For the last twelve years she’s been at the Sun on Sunday’s Fabulous magazine, where she is Assistant Editor and also responsible for the title’s book reviews. She can mostly be found at her desk buried under a teetering TBR pile. You can follow her on Twitter: @FabFrosty, and Instagram: @therealfabfrosty.
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Also by Claire Frost:
Living My Best Life
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First published in Great Britain by Simon & Schuster UK Ltd, 2021
Copyright © Claire Frost, 2021
The right of Claire Frost to be identified as author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988.
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Design by Pip Watkins / S&S Art Dept.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Paperback ISBN: 978-1-4711-9385-9
eBook ISBN: 978-1-4711-9386-6
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual people living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.