‘Not at all. She said you needed one small kiss and asked if I had any friends who might help. I wasn’t hanging around to ask questions, I was straight in there, and the kiss only proved me right. So by the time you hit me with your arrow, I’d already been in love with you for quite a few hours.’
Now it’s my turn to laugh. ‘This might be where I say “back at you” again. When you turned up and I thought you were marrying Pixie I struggled. But then when I found out you weren’t engaged after all, but were slightly less available than a monk, that was even worse.’ I take a deep breath, because it’s okay to tell him. ‘I had such a hard time keeping my hands off you those five months. All those times you were naked … But I convinced myself it was misdirected lust, all the way to our first dance. Then, as I listened to Ellie sing, with my head on your chest, it hit me – everything I’d been feeling all along was because I was completely in love with you.’
‘And then straight after that I went on to tell you I had to go away … because I loved you.’ He’s shaking his head. ‘What terrible timing that was. I’m sorry I messed up so badly.’
‘I knew it would only upset you more if I told you the truth, and I didn’t want to do that. But I did try to give you a way to understand. And I did get to have the best night of my life.’
He laughs. ‘Me too, Milla Vanilla.’
‘And then you went away, and I’ve tried really hard, but I’ve been so miserable.’ It comes out as a wail.
He blows out his cheeks. ‘I’m so sorry. Pixie was right to want to run me over. But thanks to you, and your mum, I’ve finally got here in the end. So, do you think I could have a kiss now?’
He gets up, grasps me by the wrist and pulls me into his arms, and a moment later, my mouth is buried in his, and the world slides out of focus for a very long time.
As I finally let him go and push myself back again, Nic’s pupils are dilated. He’s holding on to me very tightly, and I’ve got my hands on his chest, looking up at the dreamy smile on his face. ‘I was looking out at the stars every night, willing you to come back.’
He lets out a low laugh. ‘And I was looking up at the stars, knowing I had to. And now that I have, I’m here to stay.’
I’m smiling now, but still sniffing back my happy tears. ‘Five months to get to know each other properly is good – so does that mean we’re officially going out now as well as being in love?’
He drops a kiss on the top of my head. ‘If that’s okay with you?’
My head’s racing, looking for the catch. ‘But what about your friend’s mum and dad in Australia?’
Nic smiles. ‘I found a very good skipper to step in for me. As for us, not wanting to resort to bribery here, but maybe we could get our very own puppy to sit by our fire with us. Or better still, find another Merwyn from a rescue?’
‘I do love you so much, Nicolson Trendell.’ I’m laughing across at him. ‘For all of that. Somehow I doubt we’ll ever find a dog with quite as much side-eye as Merwyn. But yes please to all of it.’
He’s smiling down at me. ‘And you do want babies too? Kids of our own?’
I’m laughing at how, after all the holding back, he’s all over this now. ‘You do realise you’ll need a whole new manual for those?’
He’s grinning back at me. ‘And a cottage to keep them in might be handy. With a view of the sea, obviously. And maybe a jetty to tie up the boats.’
‘So long as we’re together and in love with each other, I don’t mind about any of the rest.’ My face is aching with all the smiling. ‘You know, Jess said Brides by the Sea works its magic, and it has done for us hasn’t it?’
‘It has.’ He gives a shamefaced grin. ‘I really won’t mind helping you with Brides Go Wild rather than delivering boats.’
I can’t help laughing at the change in him. ‘You really love your weddings, don’t you?’
He grimaces. ‘I haven’t given up on boats altogether. In fact, I’ve got something to show you, over there.’ He takes my hand, leads me down towards the end walkway, and stops by the second largest boat in the harbour. ‘So what do you think of her?’
‘That’s notSnow Goose?’ The rigging and the mast are similar, but the shape and the colour are different. For a non-boat-y person, I’m proud of that summing up.
There’s a smile playing around Nic’s lips. ‘No, this one’s got a better bathroom and a much bigger bed. It came in a couple of days ago and, so long as you like it, it will be ours.’ His face breaks into a beam. ‘See what you think of the name.’
I’m walking along the quayside, and when I come to the back of the boat and read the neatly painted letters, I let out a cry. ‘Milla Vanilla? How cool is that? You called it after me!’
‘I hope that’s okay? You know what a boat fiend I am. It was the best way I could think of to show you I was here for good, that we’re going to be forever.’
I’ve got tingles running up and down my spine. ‘It’s amazing. How am I ever going to get back at you for that?’
He laughs and pulls me into another kiss that leaves my knees collapsing. Then, when he finally lets me go again, he grins down at me. ‘I can think of a way, but let’s leave the serious stuff for further down the line. There are so many things we need to do before that. First, I need to kiss you some more … and take you to bed, like,immediately… And, back in February, I offered to make you pancakes and you still haven’t had those.’
As I rub my palm over his face, I feel like I’m going to burst with happiness. ‘And best of all, I think my mum would approve of all of that.’
He laughs again. ‘Are you ready for me to carry you onboard then? I reckon it’s time to try out this enormous bed.’ He sends me a wink. ‘Luckily for me, you came in your pyjamas. Unless you’d rather have breakfast first?’
