‘Yeah, but I know you stayed with Henry for a long time because you didn’t want to be alone. I don’t want you to be with me unless you’re 100 per cent sure. I want you to be happy with me.’
‘You left me. You went back to the city. I thought I was alone. And that was fine with me. I’d rather be alone than be with someone I don’t love. I didn’t love Henry. I have no idea if what he and Sarah have is real, and honestly, I couldn’t care less. They really wanted us to watch them get engaged; that’s why they turned up here. To show they don’t care about us. Although it kind of shows to me that they do. It hasn’t worked. If they are happy, good luck to them. Henry is my past. Not my future. I am hopingyoumight be my future.’ I wanted to be honest with Blake; I’d had enough games this summer to last me a lifetime.
‘I want to be your future. But we started out as a fake relationship. Sarah betrayed me, hurt me; I can’t go through that again,’ Blake said. ‘Seeing her with Henry… it seems just as fake as we started. How can we be sure whatwehave is real?’
I knew he was scared. Our connection scared me too. But it was also everything I had ever wanted.
‘We just have to trust what we have is real. Can you trust that my feelings for you are real?’
‘Can you trust me?’ he countered.
We stared at one another.
I heard voices and turned to see everyone trooping back past us, all smiles.
‘Thank you for letting us do that here,’ Sarah said loudly to Willow even though they hadn’t given her a choice in the matter. ‘That flower arch is such a good backdrop for proposals.’
Despite the situation, her words echoed through my mind. The archhadmade an excellent backdrop for their proposal. I wondered if other couples might want something like that too.
Blake and I started to follow the group back towards the farmhouse but once again, he walked a few feet away from me, making no move to take my hand or anything. It made me nervous. Why did he suddenly seem unsure about us?
Sarah waved her left hand, her ring sparkling in the sunshine. It was bigger than Henry’s grandmother’s ring. I wondered if that was on purpose. ‘I’m sorry, guys, but I found my soulmate.’ She gave Blake a sneering smile as Henry came over and slung an arm around her. ‘You can’t fight true love, can you?’
Blake didn’t respond. I stared at the gap between us. I felt panic rise up again but I tried hard to stay calm. Deciding I needed to get away from our exes, and worrying about what Blake was thinking and feeling, I broke away from the group.
‘Good luck to you both,’ I said before I turned around and walked back to the farmhouse.
Blake followed me, calling out my name. ‘Daisy, what’s wrong?’
Spinning around to face him, I took a deep breath. ‘Has them being here changed things between us? I thought last night was the best night of my life.’ My voice wobbled and I tried not to let any tears fall.
Blake grabbed my hand. ‘God, Daisy, it was for me too.’ He pulled me into his chest, wrapping his arms around me. I leaned against his chest, taking solace in his strong embrace. ‘I loved last night and waking up beside you. I want to do that every night if I can,’ he said, holding me tightly against him. ‘They haven’t changed anything for me. It’s none of their business that we’re together. I don’t want them having any bearing on us at all. I just wanted them to leave as quickly as possible. And leave for good this time, hopefully. I wanted to wait so we could talk alone about us.’ Blake leaned back and looked down at me.
I gazed up into his eyes. ‘I thought you might have changed your mind.’ I hesitated then asked the question on my mind. ‘Have you?’
42
‘Definitely not,’ Blake said firmly. ‘We haven’t had the most conventional of beginnings. But I wouldn’t change a thing. Do you trust me? That I won’t leave? That my feelings are genuine? That we are real? Can you be happy with me too?’
Relief washed over me and I nodded firmly. ‘I trust you. And I am already happy. We’ve been real all along.’
He grinned, showing off his dimples. ‘So, it’s not quite as grand a question as we just witnessed, but will you be my girlfriend, Daisy Connor?’ Blake reached out to touch my cheek.
‘Yes. But what do we do after summer ends?’
‘We’ll figure it out; I just know that I want to be with you.’
‘Me too.’ I leaned in and we shared a long, lingering kiss. ‘I’ve actually had an idea about the future. Will you drop me into town on your way back home so I can speak to Mary? And I’ll explain what I’m thinking on the way.’
‘What are you planning, gorgeous?’
‘A way for me to stay in Birchbrook beyond this summer.’
Blake’s eyes lit up. ‘You want to stay around here? That makes me even happier.’
‘I was meant to come here,’ I replied simply. Somehow, when I left my wedding, I knew I needed to find my cousin and now I had found myself too.
‘I was meant to come home,’ Blake agreed.
