After the required minute, Lottie led Emily outside and down the garden, with the rest of the family traipsing behind. Zach was standing on the patio and hastily ran his fingers through his hair to calm it slightly. It was darker away from the house, but the shape of Jessie bouncing about at the bottom of the garden was just visible.
‘Now!’ yelled Zach, as he dropped onto one knee in front of Emily.
At the end of the garden the trellis lit up. The words ‘WILL YOU MARRY ME?’ appeared, a little wobbly but clearly visible in multicoloured fairy lights.
Emily gasped. She turned to Zach. He held up the ring. ‘I love you, Emily—’
‘I love you too, Emily!’ shouted Jessie, from the bottom of the garden.
‘Will you make me – us – the happiest people alive and be my wife?’
‘Yes,’ said Emily through a splutter of tears, and Lottie tore another sheet off the kitchen roll and passed it to her.
After a few seconds the fairy lights began to flashmanically like they were on the ‘acid house’ setting. ‘Daddy!’ shouted Jessie. ‘What did she say?’
‘Come here and find out,’ called Lottie, tearing off a sheet of kitchen roll for herself.
There were more tears and lots of hugs and kisses of congratulations. Angie was sent to retrieve the champagne that Emily had hidden away at the back of the fridge earlier and everyone went inside to warm up, leaving the newly engaged couple to have a moment on their own.
‘It’s a shame Dave missed it,’ muttered Jessie, as Lottie guided her inside and shut the door.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
‘Whoa,’ said Emily, letting out a breath. Her head was swimming from all the tears. It felt like a lot was happening all at once. She was overwhelmed by the pregnancy and surprised about the engagement. But above all, she was happy. She looked at the ring on her finger. It was beautiful – just what she would have chosen. ‘I wasn’t expecting that.’
‘AndIwasn’t expectingthat,’ said Zach, pointing at her stomach.
Emily felt herself tense. ‘Is that why you asked me to marry you? Did Lottie already tell you?’
‘I knew I wanted to marry you months ago, I was just waiting for the perfect moment. And I’ve known you were pregnant for …’ he checked his watch, ‘nine minutes, and they’ve been some of the best minutes of my life.’ He pulled her into a kiss and she felt the tension disperse. Zach paused and leaned back to look at her. ‘Did my sister know before me?’
‘I didn’t actually tell her, but I think she guessed. She did kind of know that I might be. Sorry.’
‘It’s okay. How did she know that you might be pregnant?’ He was looking puzzled.
Emily’s brain rewound back to when she first entered the village stores, and all the failed test attempts since, and it made her chuckle. ‘It’s a very long story. When did you decide to propose like this?’ They both looked at the manically flashing fairy lights at the bottom of the garden.
‘That’s a long story too.’ He kissed her again, this time taking it slow and making all her worries melt away.
Inside, the excitement was palpable. Lottie was hugely relieved that everything was finally out in the open. She hated keeping secrets. They were the rot that kills the soul, Nana had always said.
Champagne flutes were filled, and Lottie had to stop everyone quaffing it before Zach and Emily came back in. Daniel pulled Nicola and Rhys to one side. Lottie had her back to them, and next to her her mother was gushing about an even better proposal she’d read about in a magazine. Lottie tuned out from her mother, something she was well practised at, and tuned in to Daniel.
‘I’ve been thinking about our situation. And before you say anything, Nicola; yes, I created it, and yes, I am sorry. But now I feel I need to do what’s best for everyone. Including me. I can’t spend the rest of my life feeling guilty and being berated for a mistake I made twenty years ago. So we either need to find a way to move on from this, or … not. I don’t want to move out, but if you want me to, Nicola, then I will.’ Nicola gave a tiny gasp. ‘Before you jump to conclusions, if I move out I’ll be living on my own. Rhys, you can see me whenever you want to and the same goes for Rebecca … if she wants to.’
‘And me?’ said Nicola. ‘What about what I want?’
‘It’s entirely up to you what you want, Nicola. I’m too tired to argue any more.’
There was a long pause. Lottie realised she was holding her breath.
‘I wish it hadn’t happened. But I don’t want this to be the end of us.’
‘I’m not divorcing you, Nicola, unless that’s what you want. I’m not saying it’s the end. But Iamsaying we need to be kinder to each other, and ourselves.’
Silence followed, and Lottie fought the urge to turn around and see what was happening.
‘You’re right,’ said Nicola.
