‘And then there’s ours,’ said Will, kissing me on the side of the head. ‘I can’t wait for midsummer’s eve.’
He’d proposed one cold February evening after I’d spent the whole day in the glass-blowing factory and had come home to find Will insisting that we were going to the Sea Shack for lobster and chips. He waited until the banana split arrived to ask me to marry him. There was a note tucked under the banana. ‘Oh, what’s this?’ he said, opening it. ‘It’s from Pablo.’ He turned to Pablo who was on the bench next to him. ‘I didn’t know you could write,’ he said. ‘Well, you’re a clever dog. Right, let’s read it. Okay. It says, “Dear Liv, I am writing this on behalf of Will. He is in love with you and loves everything about you. And so do I. We would like you to do us the great honour of marrying us. And we will love and treasure you forever.”’ Will had one eyebrow raised as his eyes met mine. ‘“Lots and lots of love, Pablo”,’ he’d said.
‘Oh my God.’
‘Will you?’
I nodded, my heart soaring, thinking how happy I was. Another moment to file away, another time in your life which you should treasure and draw upon. Love was something worth waiting for. ‘Of course I will.’
He grinned. ‘Pablo!’ he said. ‘She said yes!’ He stood up and hugged me, kissing my tears away. ‘Oh, I do love you, Liv O’Neill,’ he said. ‘I love everything you are, everything you’ve been and everything to come.’
So that was us, a little instant family – me, Will and Pablo. The date was set for midsummer’s eve… the very thought of the night was magical to me now. It would always remind me of the summer my life changed and the summer I came home to Sandycove, the place I loved and the place where I was loved and where I belonged.
Acknowledgments
Thank you to Caroline Ridding and her amazing team at Boldwood Books – I am delighted to be part of the family. My clever and brilliant agent Ger Nichol is always so kind and encouraging and I’m happy to be tucked under her wing. All my impressive and gorgeous friends are a constant source of joy for me – but thank you especially to Jenny and Arantza who made lockdown walks fun.
And, of course, most of all to the best person I know, Ruby.
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About the Author
Sian O’Gorman was born in Galway on the West Coast of Ireland, grew up in the lovely city of Cardiff, and has found her way back to Ireland and now lives on the east of the country, in the village of Dalkey, just along the coast from Dublin. She works as a radio producer for RTE.
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First published in Great Britain in 2021 by Boldwood Books Ltd.
Copyright © Siân O’Gorman, 2021
Cover Design by Head Design Ltd
Cover photography: Shutterstock
The moral right of Siân O’Gorman to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This book is a work of fiction and, except in the case of historical fact, any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Every effort has been made to obtain the necessary permissions with reference to copyright material, both illustrative and quoted. We apologise for any omissions in this respect and will be pleased to make the appropriate acknowledgements in any future edition.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Paperback ISBN 978-1-80048-377-4
Large Print ISBN 978-1-80048-378-1
Ebook ISBN 978-1-80048-379-8
Kindle ISBN 978-1-80048-380-4
Audio CD ISBN 978-1-80048-372-9
MP3 CD ISBN 978-1-80048-373-6
Digital audio download ISBN 978-1-80048-376-7
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