As they wove out the door, Ally felt a pang of affection for her bonkers, life-loving parents, and for the first time felt like she’d found her place in the family.
* * *
Gradually, everyone drifted away. Dave had gone home with Fia; Francis had left, still deep in conversation with Eloise. Finally, there was only her and Pete, surrounded by party debris. Ally sank onto a purple velvet banquette; Pete handed her a Prosecco as he sat down beside her, and she rested her head on his shoulder.
‘I know what you’re going to say to me,’ he said at last.
‘That this was a massive success and everyone loved it?’
‘Apart from that .?.?.’
‘What’s going on, Pete? Why didn’t you tell me you’d invited them?’
‘Because .?.?. we’ve squared things up, Tony and myself .?.?. and I wanted them to meet you.’
‘Pete, I know you all have a history together but .?.?. you don’t seem .?.?. the same. Is there a part of you I don’t know?’
He was silent for a moment, while Ally prepared herself for the worst.
‘The opposite. There’s a part of me they don’t know. That night we spent here in the tent, when this place was just a shell .?.?. that’s me. Us walking on the beach with Patsy, throwing stones .?.?. that’s me.’
She felt the country boy inside him.
‘Me too.’
‘Ally, will you marry me?’
‘What .?.?. are you serious?’
He grinned. ‘Of course I’m serious, I’m hardly saying it as a joke .?.?.’
She laughed and gave him a playful tap on the cheek, but his face had grown solemn. ‘I mean it. I don’t want my life without you.’ He took her face gently in his hands and pressed his forehead against hers.
‘Yes. Yes, Pete, of course I will.’
And in that moment, all of her doubts fell away. Being with him felt like home – all the other stuff was just window dressing. He kissed her gently, as though they had all the time in the world.
‘So, will we go home?’ he murmured.
‘We’d better – we need to feed the fish, even though Patsy’s been keeping an eye on them .?.?.’
