‘You don’t need to listen to it now,’ she said, her cheeks hot as she made a grab for his phone.
‘…don’t wait for me, but I will be there.’ Her voice echoed through the phone. ‘I love you, Harry.’
Harry stared at Kat in joyful disbelief. She was blushing furiously, but she held his gaze. ‘You love me?’
She nodded. ‘Very much. I’m so sorry I ever gave you cause to doubt m?—’
Harry cut the words off with a kiss. He didn’t need to hear them. She’d come when he needed her. Stood by his side and made the best case she possibly could for their future. Shelovedhim. And he loved her, more than he’d thought was possible. Breaking off the kiss, he lifted her up and spun her around once more, the joy inside him impossible to contain. ‘I love you, Kat Bailey. You’re the best thing that ever happened to me.’
EPILOGUE
ONE MONTH LATER
‘Has Ed still not said anything to you about what tonight’s all about?’ Kat asked Harry as they strolled hand in hand on the short walk from their flat towards Ed and Matt’s cottage. Along with every other member of the family, they’d received the invitation to a barbeque a couple of weeks previously, but Ed hadn’t said anything other than he thought it’d be nice to get everyone together.
‘Not a word. Rick and Liam haven’t got a clue either.’ Harry shook his head. ‘Knowing Ed, he’s just looking for an excuse to throw a party.’
Kat laughed. ‘Yeah, that’s probably all it is. And knowing him he’ll be expecting you to do all the cooking.’
‘No chance,’ Harry replied. ‘When it comes to manning the barbeque there’s a distinct pecking order in the Penrose family and Dad and Uncle Rick aren’t going to let any of us near it.’
‘That’s fine with me,’ Kat said as she snuggled into his side. ‘It means I get to spend more time with you.’ They already spent every moment Harry wasn’t working in the restaurant together and it still never seemed enough to Kat. Being with him was thesweetest addiction and she already knew she would crave him for the rest of her life.
She stopped Harry at the top of the path. ‘Are you sure you want to do this in front of everyone?’
Harry raised a hand and brushed a stray lock of hair from her cheek. ‘I am if you are. It’s been such a team effort to get to this point, I feel like we should share the moment with them regardless of what the decision is.’
Russ and Adam had come back within twenty-four hours and both had agreed to come on board. Harry and Kat had bitten the bullet and put an offer in on the shop which the Nicholsons had accepted. The next step had been a meeting with the manager of the Cornish Bank over in Port Petroc, where Harry and Kat had given her a shortened version of their presentation, together with a full copy of the proposal and funding pledges from both Russ and Adam which would cover a hefty deposit towards the asking price. They’d received a letter from the bank this morning and had decided to wait until tonight to open it.
‘It’s going to be good news,’ Kat said, hoping she sounded more confident than she felt. Even if it wasn’t the answer they were hoping for, there were plenty of other lenders around they could approach. Kat wasn’t about to give up if they tripped at the first hurdle.
Harry reached for her hand. ‘Let’s get inside and find out.’
The little patio behind the cottage was already full and people had spilled out on to the grass beyond it. As Harry had predicted, his dad and his uncle had taken up station behind the large gas barbeque and were chatting and laughing, each wielding a beer in one hand and a pair of tongs in the other. Harry’s mum and aunt were busy in the kitchen while Ed and Matt were circulating, offering beers and wine.
‘I thought you’d got lost!’ Ed cried when he spotted them. He hurried over clutching a bucket full of ice and bottles of beer.‘Here, hold this a minute,’ he said, thrusting the bucket at Harry, who had no choice other than to take it. With a wicked grin, Ed turned to Kat and slipped an arm around her waist. ‘How’s my favourite Kitty-Kat?’ he asked as he pressed a kiss to her cheek. ‘Still determined to choose the worst twin, I take it?’
‘Behave yourself,’ Kat said, returning his kiss with a laugh.
‘Oh, all right then!’ Ed dropped his arm and retrieved the bucket from Harry then offered him one of the beers. ‘Get yourself on the right side of that, bro, we’ve got some celebrating to do.’
‘Oh, have we now?’ Harry asked him as he twisted the cap off the top of the bottle. ‘You going to let me in on what all this is about then?’
‘All in good time,’ Ed said in a teasing voice as he tapped the side of his nose. ‘Right, I’ll be back with a glass of something cold and fizzy for you in a sec, Kitty, my love.’
Ed was as good as his word, but he flitted off again moments later before either of them had a chance to quiz him on his mysterious secret, so they wandered over to where Liam and Issy were chatting to Chloe. Matt came over with a beer in one hand and a bottle of prosecco in the other. ‘Who’s that for?’ his sister asked him, nodding at the bottle.
‘You’re bound to need a refill any minute, so I thought I’d save myself a trip back to the kitchen,’ Matt told her with a perfectly straight face.
Kat thought Chloe might be offended but she merely raised a hand and patted his cheek. ‘You really are the best brother,’ she said in a fond voice.
‘Any idea what Ed’s big news is?’ Harry asked Matt.
Matt shook his head. ‘Nope, I’m as much in the dark as everyone else.’
Chloe took Kat’s hand and led her to one side. ‘She’s back then?’
Kat nodded. ‘Last week apparently.’
