“It’s embarrassing, Mum,” she’d said when Bea reminded her of the rule. “Damien is going to think I’m a teenager.”
“You were a teenager two years ago, honey. And it doesn’t matter—the rule would still apply if you were thirty years old.”
Dani and Harry both carried their bags to their bedrooms while Bea dished up dinner in the kitchen. Damien hung about awkwardly, in silence. She tried to engage him in chitchat, but he responded with single-word answers until she gave up. Instead, he preferred to wander around her living room, staring at each picture or piece of art from various angles, tipping his head to one side, then the other, over and over again.
They sat together around the small kitchen table and ate. Bea heated up a bowl of lentil and vegetable soup for Damien that she’d had left over in the fridge from the previous evening. She served it with the sourdough bread she’d baked that morning at the café. The rest of them ate beef massaman with homemade naan bread.
“Did you know that naan bread is Indian and massaman is Thai?” Damien asked as he stirred his soup carefully. “So, it doesn’t really go together.”
“Wow, that’s interesting,” Bea said in her best company voice.
Dani shot her a warning look. She’d have to try harder not to sound peeved. Her daughter knew her too well.
After dinner, they all sat around the living room and played a game of Scotland Yard.It’d been one of their favourite family games when the kids were little. Dad came down from his house up on the hill to join them, and the five of them had a lot of fun trying their best to figure out who was the criminal and where on the board they were located.
Each of the others played the part of a detective from Scotland Yard, hot on the case. It took Bea ages to figure out that Harry was the fugitive from justice. He was so good at keeping his piece just out of reach. Damien didn’t seem particularly invested in the game and instead wandered off to sit on the porch before they’d finished. When the fugitive was revealed, Dani left to join him.
When Bea went to bed, she was grateful they’d managed to have a peaceful and enjoyable evening together. Her father drove Damien to his accommodations so Bea could rest and prepare herself for the next day, which would be a busy one full of last-minute wedding preparations.
She was applying moisturiser to her face when Aidan called.
“Hello, Rushton,” he said.
She laughed. “You won’t be able to call me that soon.”
“I know—I’m just sneaking it in while I can. Are you sure you want to change your name? You kept your maiden name all these years. You don’t have to change it now if you’d rather not.”
She loved that he was so concerned about her happiness. “Truthfully, I think I kept it as Rushton because of you. That was your pet name for me, and I couldn’t bear to part with it.”
“I wish I’d known how you felt.” He frowned.
She smiled to herself. “I thought you’d moved on. Besides, I loved him in my own way, and I believed he was the right one for me. So, I’m learning to live with no regrets.”
“Wanted you then, now and forevermore,” he said, warming her heart. “And I can’t wait to call you Mrs Whitlock.”
They spoke for a few more minutes, then Bea yawned and Aidan said they should both go to bed and get some rest.
“Will you be able to sleep?” she asked him.
“I don’t know. Not very sleepy yet.”
“There’s no backing out now,” she teased.
He hesitated. “Really? Are you sure? Maybe I’ve changed my mind…”
“Don’t you dare!”
He laughed. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Rushton.”
She hung up the phone and pressed it to her chest for a minute, regarding her own reflection in the bathroom mirror. He was truly the one for her. Even when he was teasing, she couldn’t love him more.
The next day, Bea took Dani and Harry to the formal wear shop to try on their clothes for the wedding. Dani had bought a dress in Sydney, but the tailor at the shop had agreed to adjust it for her. Harry had rented a suit that’d arrived a few days earlier. They both tried on their outfits and walked out to where Bea sat.
Dani looked beautiful in an off-the-shoulder cobalt blue dress with an asymmetrical hemline. She’d match the ocean that encircled the island. Grace had a dress in the same colour but with spaghetti straps and a long skirt. Harry was handsome in his black suit with the open collar.
Bea clapped her hands together. “I can’t believe how grown up you look.”
Harry sighed. “Mum, we’re both adults.”
