I peered back in the bag and pulled out a plastic bag containing a cardboard box. I felt Jude’s eyes on me as I opened it. By the time I’d dumped the card and found a black ring box inside, he was down on one knee.
“Open the box, Neva.”
I swallowed hard, my heart now properly racing. Encased in velvet was a platinum band, a pretty pink diamond glistening from a simple setting.
“Do I need to explain what I’m asking?”
I looked from the ring to him. He was still on one knee.
I shook my head, taking the ring out and staring at it, then looking at him.
“Is there a yes in there? Will you marry me?” A huge smile was on his face, his eyes dancing, as bright as the diamond I kept looking at. “I’m thinking that’s a yes. You haven’t run out of the room yet.”
“It’s a yes.” I left the sofa and went onto my knees next to him, passing him the ring. “Will you put it on?”
He took it and found my ring finger on my left hand, pushing the band onto it. “Marry me, Neva.”
“I will. I love you.” I managed to get the words out between the tears that were now falling. “I didn’t expect this.”
“I was going to wait till midnight then I figured we’d both be asleep.” He pulled me into his arms, our kiss starting just like many others had before, with a messy need that I could fall into and throw away my worries.
“I love you. I did before and I didn’t think love could be more than it was, then you grew our child and I love you more than then.”
His words were sweeter than cherry wine.
“Thank you. Thank you for everything you’ve given me.” And he had no idea just how much he had yet.
The kiss returned, merging into something more that had me losing his hoodie, the T-shirt clinging over my outgoing-incoming baby bump. I sat down with my back against the bottom of the sofa, the rug soft underneath me.
I stiffened slightly, watching Jude as he pushed the T-shirt up and noticed the sequinned words, half hidden by my sleep shorts.
“Is that a message for me?”
“It is.” I raised my hips so he could pull down the shorts, exposing the words.
“Neva?” He looked up at me. “Is this true?Home of Baby Whittingham Number Two?” I had ended up drawing on some of the words because that was a lot of sequins.
“It’s true. I found out today. I thought I was on contraception and I wasn’t - ”
“Don’t you dare fucking apologise.” He bent down and kissed my belly. “I couldn’t think of a better way to bring in another new year with you. This is everything.”
It was everything.
My everything.
And it couldn’t be more perfect.
Epilogue
JUDE
FIVE AND A HALF YEARS LATER, BACK IN FRANCE
“Theo,please don’t try to drown your sister.” I’d tried for half a minute just to sit down. That wasn’t going to be possible obviously, so I was up on my feet again and sliding into the pool to prevent my son Theo from dunking Maia’s head underwater.
It wasn’t Maia I was worried about. She was a little fish at nearly six years old, swimming three different strokes and spending most of her free time either in water or asking to go in water.
The concern was revenge.
