“I had it fast-tracked a few days ago,” Paisley explained. “Will drove to their sister store in Bath for me yesterday, after we left my apartment. He got there too late, so he stayed overnight and waited for it to open this morning.”
“He’s a wonderful friend.”
“He wants me to be happy. He’s so good to me.”
“We should invite him over.” Georgina’s thumb grazed the date. “Boxing day. Let’s have people over.”
“I’d like that.”
“Now.” Georgina held out her wrist. “Can you help me with this so we can finish the tree? I’d like to take my fiancée to bed for a film and snacks.”
“Perfect.” Paisley breathed out, placing a kiss to Georgina’s wrist as she fixed the clasp in place. “And this day…it’s been everything I could have hoped for.”
Georgina lifted her mug, finishing her hot chocolate. “I could really get used to this.”
16
Paisley cracked one eye open, her lips twitching as she realised exactly where she was. In bed with Georgina…on Christmas morning. Nothing could have prepared her for this moment—not even the time they’d spent together since Georgina returned—but it was definitely happening. Lying beside one another, their legs tangled and arms holding one another securely, Paisley was on cloud nine.
Paisley reached out her hand, placing her phone on the bedside table. She quickly scrolled to the heating app—Georgina had installed it last night—and fired up the boiler. It was early, the light barely making an appearance through the slight gap in the curtains, but Paisley couldn’t sleep any longer. It was Christmas morning and they had plans. It was Christmas morning and she was with the woman she loved. It would be the first of many together, the thought of missing the previous three pushed to the back of her mind as she snuggled closer to a naked Georgina.
Her soft skin felt like silk under Paisley’s touch. The Egyptian cotton sheets covering their bodies only heightened Georgina’s beauty, radiating from her as she slept soundly beside Paisley. It was a whirlwind. Every moment they’d spent together over the last two weeks had led to this morning and nothing could take that away from them. Paisley’s doubt about Georgina and her intentions had fallen away as each second passed, her only vision to now enjoy life with her fiancée. It couldn’t be hard; the chemistry and the pull between them was undeniable.
As Paisley gently caressed Georgina’s skin beneath the sheets, her mind wandered. Would this have been so simple with any other woman? It was a resounding no. Those years ago, when Paisley was first employed by Weaver & Associates, it had been all she’d ever wanted. A decent job. Financial stability. The beginning of her life as she reached the mid-way mark of her twenties. She hadn’t expected to fall in love with the boss. She hadn’t expected to form any kind of relationship within the firm, but she had…and God, it had been everything she never knew she needed.
The moment Georgina left, Paisley felt her life falling apart. She couldn’t say she’d ever been in love before then; she’d merely dated one or two women before meeting Georgina. But as the days and weeks rolled on by, she knew exactly what she was feeling. That sense of being loved wholeheartedly by another woman had given her a reason to truly kick-start her life. Take away her dad and his beliefs and this could have been so much more by now.
Paisley knew they would have married within another year of being together—it was what she’d envisaged when she lay in bed at her parents’ home—but life had cruelly taken that from them both. She didn’t know what Georgina truly saw in their future, she hadn’t been given the opportunity to delve deeper, but Paisley would certainly make up for that. She had to. Paisley could choose to allow her father to continue ruining her life and relationship, or she could leave him in the ground where he belonged, unable to hurt her or anyone else.
Georgina stirred, mumbling incoherently as she pulled Paisley closer. Paisley could only smile, watching Georgina’s features soften once again, her face stress-free as every muscle once again relaxed. This was what Paisley craved, what she cried for every night that they were apart. Paisley would tell anyone who asked around the office that she didn’t care where Georgina was, but she did. She cared more than she would have admitted to herself some two weeks ago. Now? Now, the honesty didn’t scare her. Giving her heart away to the woman who’d already taken it to Scotland wasn’t the most terrifying thought in the world. It was simply beautiful. It was how things always should have been.
Paisley felt the room beginning to warm, goose bumps settling on the skin of her forearms as she lifted one from beneath the sheets. She leaned in, pressing a kiss to Georgina’s nose and lingered for a moment, praying Georgina would wake. Nothing. Complete contentment. Soft breathing that would only send Paisley back to sleep if she didn’t move from the confines of the warm, indulgent bed. She slowly and carefully slid out from beneath the cover, grabbing her robe from where it was draped over a chair in the corner of the room. She would prepare breakfast and coffee before waking Georgina.
Paisley tiptoed out of the bedroom, the thick pile carpet beneath her feet providing that sense of comfort. The same feeling she’d felt when she lied to her parents about being away on a business trip. Back then, Paisley could only dream about being out. She could only hope that one day her dad would understand. But now?
He was no longer any of her concern. She should feel bad for being thankful he was dead, but she couldn’t. He had caused hell on earth and hadn’t even had the balls to admit that to her. Instead of explaining what a disappointment she was, he simply hid his secrets and lies. The thought of him watching Georgina in Scotland made Paisley’s stomach lurch, something about the knowledge of that making her feel uneasy. If she could have, Paisley would have travelled to Scotland and held Georgina at any given opportunity. She certainly wouldn’t have allowed the last year to go by without Georgina had she known Patrick Healy was responsible for the demise of her relationship. Paisley would have arrived in Scotland on her hands and knees, begging Georgina for her father’s forgiveness. For one more chance with her.
Paisley’s breath caught when she reached the kitchen, her eyes adjusting to the bright white outside the French doors. “Oh!”
It was snowing. Thick, white flakes continued to fall, settling on top of what she could only assume had arrived last night. The sky was that illuminous blue colour, a clear sign plenty more snow on the way. She should wake Georgina so they could watch the flakes together, but she found her bare feet moving towards the doors, unlocking them as she chose to forego coffee for the time being.
Paisley opened the door, her toes cold as the bite in the air reached her feet and bare legs. She held out her hand, smiling as the flakes landed, watching them disappearing only a fraction of a second later.
Snow didn’t often fall around the north-west, and certainly not this much of it. She cast her mind back to the last time it had been more than a dusting. It had to be a few years ago. Snow on Christmas day was even rarer. So much so that the bookmakers in the UK often took bets on a white Christmas. She couldn’t recall it being on one of the news apps this year. The weather was definitely taking everyone by surprise when they woke this morning.
Paisley truly believed she was the winner in all of this. Waking up this morning beside Georgina felt like a dream. But this? Snow on Christmas morning…it was the perfect end to a terrible few years apart. Paisley was momentarily taken aback by how simple this all appeared to be with Georgina. She had thick, white, untouched snow on the ground, her heart beating perfectly in rhythm, and Georgina soon to be by her side for their first Christmas together. How the hell did I get so lucky?
Paisley sighed, leaning against the frame of the French doors. Just a couple more minutes and she would wake Georgina. She would continue to tell herself that, knowing full well that she likely wouldn’t wake the woman of her dreams. Georgina sleeping was a sight to behold. A sight stolen from Paisley long ago. As she held out her hand again, Paisley wondered who els
e knew about Georgina’s reasons for leaving. Her mum knew, but surely nobody else. At least, nobody in Liverpool.
Paisley hadn’t told anyone around the office that her father was dead. It would only lead to questions—questions she didn’t need working for a law firm. How could she explain to people that her dad had been murdered? When they offered sympathy, how could she take it knowing it had all been his own fault? It seemed easier to just sit back and quietly mourn his death. The fact that it happened in Northern Ireland only made life simpler for Paisley. A murder on the streets of Liverpool was guaranteed to be the talk of the office, but elsewhere? Not so much.
Paisley sighed, slipping her hand into the pocket of her robe and toying with the small box she’d hidden there last night. “God, this all feels like a dream.”
“I know…”
Paisley turned around. Georgina was standing on the other side of the kitchen island.
“Sorry, did I wake you?” Paisley wrapped her arms around herself. “I know it’s early, but I couldn’t sleep.”
“Something on your mind?”
Paisley felt Georgina approach her from behind. Her presence calming.
“No. Just excitement.” Paisley held out her hand, pulling Georgina against her. “Why are you up so early?”
“You weren’t next to me.” With Georgina’s arms enveloping her, Paisley relaxed back. “Who’d have thought there would be snow on Christmas Day?”
“I know.”
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Georgina’s chin rested on Paisley’s shoulder, her arms holding her tighter. “I mean, being here with you is.”
“Is it just me, or is this the perfect morning?”
“This has to be the greatest morning we’ve ever spent together.” Georgina kissed the spot below Paisley’s ear. “Of them all…this is my favourite.”
“Even better than the South of France?”
“Mmhmm.”
“Why?” Paisley turned her head. “I mean, the South of France was quite incredible.”
“Because,” Georgina paused, turning Paisley in her arms, “as we stand here this morning…everything is out in the open. We’re both safe. You’re out to your friends and family. I don’t have to hide my love for you anymore.”
“Yeah.” Paisley’s eyes fluttered closed. “You’re right.”
“And then add the snow on top of everything else…I’d say it’s quite romantic.”
Paisley nodded, leaning in and placing her head against Georgina’s chest. This moment was overwhelming; she needed a second or two to adjust. “I love you,” Paisley whispered.
“I love you, too.” The sensation of Georgina’s lips on Paisley’s forehead caused a flood of love through her entire body.
“When you were away, did you have any friends? Someone you could confide in?” Paisley hated the thought of Georgina being alone. Just mulling over everything day in, day out. It was no life for anybody to live. “Please tell me you had someone.”
Georgina nodded. “I had Rhona.”
Okay, that wasn’t where Paisley was going with her line of questioning. Rhona. The woman Georgina called her wife. Great. While Georgina was fearing for her life—because of Paisley’s family—Rhona was comforting her. Paisley was beginning to wish she hadn’t asked.
“Oh.” Paisley backed away ever so slightly, releasing her grip on the box in her pocket.
“Hey, don’t.” Georgina caught her hand, holding her in place. “Rhona…she knew who you were.”
“What?”
“I’ve known her for many years. She was a friend. A business contact,” Georgina explained. “When I finally arrived in Scotland, I got in touch with her. I just didn’t have anyone else I could turn to.”
“And then what happened?”
“I knew I could trust her. I couldn’t tell Brian about it because he would have gone looking for your dad. Nobody in Liverpool could know. You were too close to it all.”
“Please, don’t call him that.” Paisley lowered her eyes, shaking her head. “He’s not my dad.”
Georgina lifted Paisley’s hand, kissing her skin. “I’m sorry. Just…habit.”
“It’s okay. Just no more calling him my dad. I can’t bear it.”
Georgina nodded, her eyes apologetic. “I told Rhona everything. She asked me to stay with her. There was some kind of connection there, but I wasn’t in love with her. I never could have been. She was more like a best friend than a wife. Really, we weren’t together. It just appeared that way to the outside world.”
“Why not?” Paisley frowned. “Why didn’t you two get together?”
Paisley couldn’t believe she had just asked that, but if Georgina had been attracted to Rhona, Paisley could hardly blame her for pursuing a relationship with her. After all, she was alone in the middle of nowhere.
“Because I was in love with you, Paisley. I was always going to be in love with you. The marriage didn’t even come with a proposal. We were both drunk one night, sitting around the fire. She made a stupid comment about how we should get married. I’m sure it’s highly frowned upon—potentially illegal—but I didn’t do it to hurt anyone else. I didn’t do it for settlement reasons or anything like that, so I didn’t feel so bad about it. If it got him out of my life, I was willing to do it.”
“I understand that.” Paisley cleared her throat. “So, she was just a friend?”
“I promise.” Georgina lifted Paisley’s hand, placing it against her chest. “Rhona knew who you were from the moment we met up. She could see the hurt I was going through, and I just needed to talk to someone. She listened to me every time I had things on my mind, whenever the pain of missing you was too much, and she was totally a friend.”
“I’d like to thank her one day.”
“I’m sure she will know how thankful we both are to her.”
“Why didn’t you tell me all of this the other night when I told you we couldn’t be together? I mean, if I’d known about the marriage and the reasons for it, I never would have said those things to you.”
“Because it wasn’t the right time.” Georgina smiled faintly, embracing Paisley. “You didn’t even know fully why I’d left. You didn’t know it was him. I didn’t want to overwhelm you with information because it wouldn’t have done you any good.”
Paisley remained silent for a moment as she pulled back.
“Babe…” Paisley lifted her head, staring directly into Georgina’s eyes. “I just…I have something I needed to say.”
“Okay.” Georgina’s forehead creased as she stepped back, giving Paisley a little space. “I’m listening.”
“The things you’ve been through…I don’t know how you did it.” Paisley ran her fingers through her loose curls, sighing. “I mean, I never thought I would be worth that to someone. Especially not someone like you, Gee.”
“Pai—”
Paisley held up her hand and waited to make sure Georgina was silent before continuing. “There wasn’t a single day when I didn’t think about you. I didn’t know if you were okay or if you were happier without me. I just knew you’d left, and I had to find my own reasons. I wondered if I was good enough for you. Whether I’d done something to hurt you unintentionally. I just…I couldn’t figure out where I went wrong. I tried to change myself, my behaviour, but it only made me more miserable.
“And then you came back here. You walked back into the office—into my life—and I felt as though I was going insane. I’d learnt to manage without you. To function daily to the best of my ability. But you threw everything up in the air again and I was awful to you. I told you I didn’t care, when really all I wanted to do was lock us away here forever. I convinced myself that I couldn’t ever love you again, even though I’d never stopped loving you for a single second. Nothing made any sense when you walked into Victoria’s office…and in some way, things make even less sense now.
“How have I come to be standing here with you on Christmas morning, Gee?” Paisley held herself, her v
oice breaking. “How has everything somehow turned around and now I’m here…in love with you like never before?”
Georgina cocked her head, smiling. “Perseverance,” she said. “On my part more so.”
“And then I think…what if I hadn’t invited you to the Christmas markets with me? Where would I be now? Waking up alone. Still sleeping in my apartment. Everything feels so perfect, but so messed up at the same time.”
“I understand that,” Georgina breathed. “But this…I mean, you’re not leaving me, are you?”
“Not in a million years.” Paisley pulled the small, square box from her pocket, opening it to reveal a diamond ring. “But I do need to be sure that this, what we’re doing, is forever. That I really am forever yours.”
“You’ve always been mine.” Georgina’s eyes welled with tears as they landed on the ring. “You always will be mine.” Georgina stepped closer, placing her hand over the box.
“Okay, because I’m wearing a ring but you’re not. And I really need you to be wearing one, too. So that I know this isn’t a dream. That’s how it all feels. The snow, the date, being here…it’s all a dream.”
“This is real.”
“But I have dreamt about this moment.” Paisley frowned. “Most nights. Most days as I sat in the office…watching the door.”
“And I dreamt about it, too.” Georgina’s eyes sparkled. “As I lay in bed, waiting for a call to say this wasn’t really happening. As I forced myself to eat dinner alone. The days when I took off into the hills, contemplating coming home and risking being caught.”
“I’m glad you didn’t come home then,” Paisley said, the idea of losing Georgina forever too much to take. “As much as I wanted you here, I’m glad you didn’t risk it.”
“Me, too.” Georgina’s thumb stroked the back of Paisley’s hand. “Because as much as I wanted to just call you, to hear your voice, the thought of losing you was greater than any other pain I felt, Paisley.”
Forever Yours Page 16