‘A shooting star. Make a wish,’ whispered Guy.
Libby squeezed her eyes shut and made a wish.
‘And what did you wish for?’ asked Guy, hugging her tight.
She looked up and kissed him on his lips. ‘I can’t tell you that, otherwise it won’t come true.’ And this was one wish that Libby desperately hoped would come true.
‘I think we’re going to be okay,’ he whispered.
Enfolded in Guy’s arms, she stared at the night sky for a moment longer. Even with the uncertainty hanging over them, this was the happiest she had been for a long time. She knew difficult roads led to beautiful destinations, and after everything the pair of them had gone through, she hoped they could overcome any obstacles and make it work between them. Tilting her gaze towards his, their eyes locked, and the flickering glow and shadows of the candlelight passed across the contours of their faces. Guy smiled at her. One thing she knew for sure: being wrapped up in Guy’s arms tonight couldn’t come soon enough.
* * *
Waking up snuggled into Guy’s chest, she glanced at the clock. It was 6am. Guy was fast asleep and Libby watched him for a few seconds before she closed her eyes. Lying next to him she felt content, safe and the happiest girl on the planet. She had wanted last night as much as he had. She knew there were still talks they needed to have, but at least they’d made a start on the difficult conversations. Now all she could do was take one day at a time.
Wide awake now, she gently removed Guy’s arm from around her body, silently slipped out of bed and padded into the kitchen. After making a cup of tea and lighting the fire, she pulled a blanket across her legs and picked up Julia’s wedding scrapbook.
As soon as Flynn had agreed to the surprise wedding, Libby had scheduled a top secret meeting in the wedding studio with their closest friends in the village. She knew the whole community would get on board to make this the wedding of the year. Guy would capture every moment on video. The outfit was made and Flynn was going to sneak a few items of clothing from Julia’s wardrobe so that Libby could get the measurements spot-on. She was leaving nothing to chance.
Taking her phone, she began to snap photos of the relevant pages, which she was going to distribute at the meeting. The main challenge would be to get the whole community to Starcross Manor on Christmas Eve without Julia discovering that they were all there for her and Flynn.
‘Hey, what are you doing? I woke up and you were gone.’ Guy was standing in the doorway.
‘I just woke up.’
‘That’s good. You haven’t run out on me.’
‘Don’t be daft! Where would I run to? This is my lodge.’ She smiled.
‘Oh yeah, I forgot that bit. What are you doing?’
‘Looking at Julia’s wedding scrapbook.’ Libby lifted the edge of the blanket and Guy slipped onto the couch next to her.
‘Girls actually have scrapbooks about their ideal wedding?’
‘Some,’ replied Libby. ‘But this is going to make my life a hell of a lot easier. I still can’t believe that Flynn is going to re-propose on the morning of Christmas Eve. Julia has no clue that by midday she will be married!’
‘Has anyone considered she might say no?’
‘Don’t be ridiculous!’ Libby swiped his arm playfully. ‘It’s going to be magical watching her walk down the aisle.’ She fanned her face. ‘I’m getting emotional just thinking about it.’
‘You daft sod,’ said Guy, pulling her in for a hug. ‘You do have a lovely family. Don’t worry, when you’re not here, I’ll look after them all.’
‘That makes me even more emotional but…’—Libby smiled—‘if things are meant to be, things are meant to be.’
He gave her a puzzled look. ‘What is that meant to mean?’
‘I can’t tell you just yet.’
Guy tilted his head, then began to tickle her. In a fit of giggles, she moved the scrapbook to one side and kicked her legs in the air. ‘Get off me! I’m ticklish.’
‘I can see.’
‘Now, can we get back to bed?’
He stopped tickling her and gave her a cheeky wink. Standing up, he dropped his boxer shorts to the floor, then ran naked across the room, treating her to a sexy rear view. She laughed as she admired his broad shoulders and toned thighs. He stopped in the doorway and held out his hand to her. ‘I want to ravish you every moment I get.’
Libby had no objections whatsoever. She was up on her feet at once, and followed him into the bedroom.
