by Annie O'Neil
Oli listed a few more things—a human fruit machine, a ring toss and a few other things Sam didn’t quite catch. How could he? He was about to change his life for ever.
‘Of course we’re going to need one more volunteer for Dolly’s stand.’
‘I’ll do it,’ Sam said.
The sooner they wrapped this up the better. Presumably Dolly was setting up a baked goods stall selling scones and cakes from the teashop, with all of the proceeds going to the hospital looking after Maggie and the babies.
Everyone looked shocked.
‘What?’
They all shared complicit glances, then smiled benignly at him.
‘As long as you’re happy, Sam,’ Dolly said. ‘I’ll bring a couple of spare towels and some wet wipes.’
‘What for?’ he asked absently.
He gave his jaw a scrub. He supposed he could have shaved a bit more neatly. And probably worn a nicer shirt, given he was about to make a massive declaration of love, but he wasn’t looking too scruffy, was he?
‘You do realise you just volunteered to be on the cream pie stall?’
He hadn’t. He pretended he had. ‘Got it. What’s next?’
‘That’s about it!’
‘Great!’ He had to get to London, find the girl of his dreams, get a ring on her finger and then bring her back to Whitticombe, where she belonged. ‘See you on Sunday afternoon.’
* * *
Four hours in rush-hour traffic and a speeding ticket later, all Sam’s hopes plummeted to the core of the earth.
Jayne had been to the hospital. Just long enough to hand in her notice.
No forwarding address. Not for a scruffy-faced man running in off the street, anyway.
It was private information, the HR secretary had said. Family only.
He’d wanted answers.
He’d received them.
If only they were the answers he’d wanted to hear.
CHAPTER TWELVE
JAYNE COULD HARDLY believe what she was hearing. Her parents didn’t need to apologise to her.
It seemed they’d all gone through their own form of torture and, with the clarity hindsight always offered, she could see they’d all unnecessarily gone through the pain alone, when they could have come together as a family.
They’d lost one of the family. Who was equipped to handle that sort of devastating loss with grace and an eye on the future?
Now that they were here, together, one thing was very clear. It was time for them all to let go of the pain. It was time for them all to heal. Together. As a family.
Her mother took Jayne’s hand in hers—the first time she’d done so in years. It felt warm and comforting. Tears filled her eyes as she spoke.
‘We handled it so poorly. The more we withdrew, the more we saw Jules in you. That fighting spirit that carried on no matter how tough things were.’
Jayne’s mum reached out to hold her husband’s hand too.
‘You seemed so much better equipped to take care of yourself and...to our shame...we let you. We failed you, Jayne.’
As much as the little girl in Jayne needed to hear that her parents knew they should have reacted differently, she knew now that the blame didn’t lie in anyone’s camp. The apology that had been lodged in her throat for the past seven years finally came out.
‘You didn’t let me down. If I’d spoken to you then, told you what really happened, maybe we could have gone through it together.’
Her parents looked at her sharply. ‘What do you mean?’ asked her father.
Her voice shook as she spoke. ‘I’m the one who suggested we ride our bicycles.’
Her father paled and her mother stemmed a small sob.
Jayne forced herself to continue. ‘Jules said we should go to the pub and get a celebratory glass of fizz, so I suggested we race our bikes there like we used to. She threw her helmet off so she could feel the wind in her hair. You know what she was like...’
They both nodded. There was no need to remind them how much of a daredevil Jules had been.
‘I picked it up for her, but fell behind. I saw the car coming, but I didn’t scream loud enough. I tried.’ Her voice cracked straight down to her broken heart. ‘I tried so hard. But I wasn’t fast enough to help.’
At long last she wept. Wept with her parents’ arms around her as they soothed and held her.
After who knew how long, they finally pulled apart.
‘Jayne, darling. Have you been blaming yourself all this time?’ her father asked.
‘Of course. It is my fault. If I hadn’t suggested it things might have been different.’
‘It wasn’t your fault,’ Jayne’s mother said solidly.
Her eyes were red. Her cheeks were still wet with tears. But there was a resoluteness in her Jayne hadn’t seen in years.
‘It was an awful, awful accident. Nothing more. You did everything you could.’
Jayne’s father rubbed his wife’s back and turned soft blue eyes to his daughter. ‘I think what we’ve learned is that we turned away from each other at exactly the moment we should have turned to each other. You coming here has helped us see that a bit more clearly.’
‘Even now that you know everything?’ Jane tugged a tissue out of the box and swept away her own tears.
‘It brought you to us, didn’t it?’
She nodded. ‘Yes... I have to admit that when I got back to Whitticombe and you weren’t there, even though I knew you were here, I... I felt as though I’d driven you away.’
‘What?’
Her parents looked shocked.
‘That’s not true at all,’ her mother protested. ‘We love you. And do not think for one second that we have ever blamed you. It was not your fault. We just... We found being in Whitticombe difficult. Looking down the lane every single day, tensing at the approaching roar of a car. The whole reason we loved the village was how safe it had made us feel, and without either of you girls there it...’
‘It didn’t feel the same,’ her father finished for her. ‘But maybe it was us that wasn’t the same, rather than the other way round...’
He began to apologise again, but Jayne held up her hands. They were beyond playing Pass The Guilt. ‘I absolve us all. We’re...’ Her voice shook with emotion. ‘We’re all human, aren’t we? There are a lot of things we could’ve done better. Sticking together was one of them.’
And telling Sam she loved him. She should have done that before she’d left. She could do it right now, but even sending him that paltry text had seemed wrong, somehow. Particularly when coming here had been so powerfully healing.
She offered a silent prayer that she hadn’t messed things up with Sam. Hadn’t ruined them for ever.
Her father tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, just as he had when she was a girl. ‘We’re so proud of you, darling. So very proud of everything you’ve done with your life. We just hope you live the rest of your life for you. Jules was a bright, beautiful star, and we were so lucky to have had her, but now we’re going to have to carry her here.’ He pointed at her heart.
In that instant a lifetime of distance and misunderstanding was erased. The courage to make the final change barrelled into her heart like a beautiful racehorse surging towards the finish line. Jayne knew what she wanted. She knew where she was going and what she was doing. And she knew who she wanted to do it with.
‘You two up for taking a spontaneous trip to Whitticombe?’
* * *
‘C’mon, old man! Show me what you’ve got!’ Sam was doing his best to bait everyone who came along to the pie throwing stall. Even poor Martin Cainen, the butcher. One of the nicest chaps he’d ever met. And one of the vainest.
Sam knew any reference to his age would throw him off.
‘Bring it on, you old wrinkly! Do your best
to hit the Pie Man!’
Martin threw him an odd look. Fair enough. He wasn’t exactly exuding charm. Reeling from being too late to find Jayne was more like it.
Family only.
She was his family. Was meant to be his wife. He’d even dug the ring out of his drawer and felt it searing through the fabric of his pocket straight through to his skin. Ah, well. She clearly wasn’t coming back. It would be onwards and upwards from here on out.
Seeing as his face was already covered with cream pie, he figured he could scowl all he wanted till his bad mood decided to take a hike and let him get on with it.
Back on Sunday.
They were already thirteen hours into Sunday and so far there was no sign of Jayne.
‘You going to throw that pie or eat it?’
Sam made a wild face and Martin took the bait. He missed by a mile.
A new punter stepped up to the plate. A woman holding a pie in front of her face. A woman he would have known if she’d been holding an armful of pies and wearing a Victoria sponge on the top of her head.
Jayne Sinclair.
The way his heart slammed against his chest was all the confirmation he needed to know that he hadn’t expected her to show.
Especially with such a big smile on her face.
A number of people fell into line alongside Jayne. Maggie. Nate. Each with a baby strapped to their chest and holding a child by the hand. His father was there. His sisters. His grandad. Jayne’s mother and father.
He let out a low whistle. That was a surprise. And it explained Jayne’s mysterious absence. They were holding hands. Smiling. Wearing the same light glow of serenity that he’d been praying Jayne would wear one day. The luminescence of a woman at peace with herself. The warmth of forgiveness.
Her hair wasn’t combed. Her clothes were wrinkled. She looked as though she’d been travelling all night. She was absolutely beautiful.
‘You going to take a shot?’
‘Maybe. But first I think you’d better know that I love you.’
His heart skipped that same old familiar beat. She loved him. But was it the kind of love that meant sticking around?
‘Yeah? Well...what are you going to do about it?’
She grinned.
Everyone took a step in.
‘Stick around for a while.’
‘Uh-huh?’ He needed more than ‘a while’ before he bit.
‘For a lifetime, if you’re good with that?’
‘What about the London hospital? They told me you’d handed in your notice.’
Her eyes widened. ‘You went to the hospital?’
‘Of course I did. Let the woman of my dreams run away to the big smoke twice? Wasn’t going to happen.’
A complication of emotions washed across her features. ‘I should’ve told you. A girl should definitely not withhold information from her boyfriend.’
‘Your boyfriend?’ He was being cheeky now, but if he couldn’t be cheeky with the love of his life when she was holding a cream pie in her hand and her heart in the other when could he?
‘If you’ll have me.’
Damn. There was a hitch in her voice.
‘Of course I will, woman. You’re the love of my life.’
The smile came back. ‘Well, since that’s the case... I thought I’d ask you a question.’
‘Go on, then.’
Everyone leant in.
‘How would you feel about being more than a boyfriend? Maybe...a fiancé?’
Blood shot to his brain so fast he saw stars. When he regained his focus what he saw up close and personal was Jayne. Those blue eyes of hers brimming with hope. Her cheeks all pinked up with nerves and anticipation. This was Jayne with her heart on her sleeve, in front of all the people they loved most.
Could a lifetime of happiness be as simple as saying yes? They had a past. A complicated one. But they could have a future. A beautiful, rich, fulfilling future. So long as he could trust that she would stick it out with him.
She bit down on her lower lip and then released it. ‘I know I have a pretty dodgy track record, so I thought maybe this would help.’
She knelt down in front of the ridiculous wooden cut-out they had him posing in and held up a piece of paper.
‘What’s that?’
‘It’s a contract.’
‘For marriage?’
He was about to tell her he hadn’t really expected things to move quite that quickly when his eye caught a few of the words on the contract. It was a job offer for Jayne from the children’s hospital in Oxford. Just up the road.
Was this enough? Enough to prove she would stay for good this time?
* * *
Jayne’s heart was pumping so hard she could practically see it pounding through her shirt.
What she was feeling right at this very instant was what she’d been waiting for her entire life.
Hope.
Hope that her love for Sam could finally blossom. In the light. In front of everyone she loved. Everyone who mattered. Hope that they could work through their problems together, no matter how painful it might be. Hope that they would have a family of their own.
She knew change didn’t happen overnight, but she was ready to try. Right here. Right now. In front of everyone who cared enough to hold her accountable to the vows she hoped she would one day make in front of them all. To love, value and cherish the love that Sam felt for her.
She stared into his face, trying to read the mix of emotions sending flashes of dark and light through those green eyes of his.
Trust was the biggest problem. She hadn’t done anything over the years to win it. Quite the opposite, in fact. But she was ready and willing to do everything it took to win it back and hold it dear.
So she would tell him as much.
In as loud a voice as she could manage, she said, ‘Samuel Crenshaw. I love you. I love you with all my heart. I know I haven’t been the most consistent part of your life, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned it’s that honesty is the best policy, and the biggest lie I’ve been telling myself all these years is that I could survive without you. I was wrong. Crazy wrong. I love you. And there isn’t anything that will stop me from loving you with all my heart for the rest of my life, if you’ll have me.’
He looked at her. Blinked. Then disappeared out of sight.
Her heart plummeted to her gut. He didn’t believe her. She had known it was a grand gesture that could go wrong, but she had hoped with every fibre in her being that he would say yes.
All of a sudden Jayne felt herself being lifted up off the ground. Before she had a chance to exclaim, Sam was kissing her. Kissing her right there, in front of the entire village, as if they were the only two people in the world. As her body arched to meet his kisses she finally began to understand what was happening.
He was saying yes. Sam was saying yes. He’d be her fiancé. And one day he’d be her husband. Together they would do whatever it took to stay together. Openly. Honestly. And with the loving support of their community.
And that was exactly when the pair of them began to be pelted by cream pies.
They kissed through all of them. Banana cream. Lemon meringue. Chocolate cream. Every flavour under the sun. They were a mess. They were also crazy in love.
Sam swept a blob of meringue away from Jayne’s forehead. ‘Fancy jumping in the river to make this engagement official?’
She felt as if a thousand roses were blooming in her heart. A jump in the river? It was the perfect way to make a new beginning.
‘Why not?’
They clasped hands and together, as a couple, they jumped into the river, laughing and whooping. Because with love everything had a silver lining.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
‘OH, MAGGIE...IT’S PERFECT.’
Ma
ggie beamed as she twisted another cupcake into a just-so position on the massive tower. ‘Nothing less for my bestie!’
‘Right. So...’ Jayne’s fingers moved to her throat to touch the pear-shaped necklace Maggie had worn to her own wedding. ‘Thank you for the “something borrowed”.’
‘Absolutely. The “something new” is that amazing dress.’
They both grinned as Jayne did a twirl in the pleated, tiered maxi-dress, sending layers of white tulle fluttering.
‘“Something old”?’
Jayne poked her toe out from beneath the hem of the maxi-dress. ‘Mum’s wedding shoes.’
Maggie gave them a round of applause.
‘And “something blue”?’
Jayne held out her wrist to show off her bracelet.
‘Ooh...that’s pretty. Is it new?’
‘No. I found it in Jules’s jewellery box. We bought them together years ago but I lost mine. I thought it’d be a nice way to share my wedding day with her.’
Before she had a chance to cry, a knock sounded on the doorframe of the village hall.
Maggie squealed. ‘Sam Crenshaw—don’t you know it’s bad luck to see the bride before your wedding?’
‘There are a whole lot of things that we haven’t done by the book, so why start now?’
Sam strode in, swept his hands across the white gown stretching over Jayne’s curved belly and dropped a kiss on her cheek.
‘You look beautiful. I’ve brought you a present.’
‘You didn’t have to do that, love. You’re all the present I need.’
Maggie rolled her eyes. ‘I’m going to leave you two alone. You’ve got that lovey-dovey look in your eyes again.’
‘How could I not have when I’m minutes away from marrying the man of my dreams?’ Jayne parried.
‘Good point. Get on with it, you two... The pub is stuffed with well-wishers, waiting to see the happy couple make their way down the aisle.’
‘Have Ethel tell them to get inside the church and we’ll be there when we’re good and ready!’ Jayne laughed.