“Just do it!” screeched Aunt Miriam.
Bex nodded and turned her back to us, heaved the bouquet once, twice, but didn’t throw. She then stopped and turned to face the waiting crowd, a thoughtful smile on her face. I shared confused glances with the gaggle of women around me – what the hell was she doing? Had she decided not to throw the flowers after all? Then Bex’s eyes locked on to mine, and she walked towards me.
“Bex, what—?”
My best friend’s eyes were shining with tears as she pushed the bouquet into my hands. “I think this is for you,” she said.
Several things happened then; the party went very quiet, and I was aware of shuffling behind me, a couple of muted gasps from the crowd. I had a portent that something significant was about to happen. Clutching the fragrant flowers, I turned.
Elliot knelt before me, a small box in his hands. “Hi.”
I gasped, almost dropping the bouquet. Simultaneously, I felt like the ground was giving way beneath me, yet my head was soaring up among the clouds. I was a million things at once: I was speechlessly happy, I was lighter than air and I was breathlessly, gloriously shocked.
“Don’t be mad,” Elliot said.
“I’m not mad,” I told him, my voice little more than a hiccup. “Why would I be mad?”
“Because this was not on the checklist for the trip,” he said, and I laughed. “But I’m hoping you’ll make an exception in this case.”
“I make no promises,” I spluttered.
“Then I’ll take my chances.” Elliot took a breath. “When I asked Bex for your hand in marriage—”
My head whipped to look at Bex, who waved cheekily back at me. “You asked Bex?”
“Of course I did,” he said gently.
“Oh wow.” Because what else could I say? Elliot Fox, still robbing me of speech since the fateful day in Have a Java.
“Well, after insisting I do the proposal on this day, Bex told me that she’d always worried you were so driven that you were missing out on life.”
I thought back to that awful argument at Sergio’s. “True.”
Elliot took my hand. “Well, Iloveyour drive, Lucie. I love it because it brought you all the way across an ocean to me. I love watching you work, watching you grow. And if Nana Kath were here—” I let out a soft sob.Oh God. Nan.I half wanted to raise my head, in the vain hope she was in the crowd, sharing this moment, even though there was no possible way she could be. Elliot squeezed my hand tight. “If Nana Kath were here, there is no way on earth she would not be proud of you, the woman that you are. So please, let me stay by your side forever, let me continue watching you, loving you.” I could barely see him through the tears of sheer happiness, but I was smiling so hard my face hurt. “Lucie Annabel Clifton.” Elliot opened the box to reveal what I presumed was a ring – all my blurred eyes could make out was something sparking like blue fire. “Will you marry me?”
I let out a tear-soaked laugh. “Of course I will!”
The crowd erupted into applause as Elliot leaped to his feet and grabbed my waist, swinging me around and around.Dizzy, he lowered me, but I couldn’t feel the ground, not when he slid the ring onto my finger, not when he planted a deep kiss on my lips to the delight of the other wedding guests. I was flying.
“How did I do?” He murmured in my ear.
I pulled back, finally able to focus on the ring. I gaped in delight; it was a simple, neat emerald-cut diamond. Perfect. I pretended to consider his question. “Well, as usual you used a thousand words when a simple ‘will you marry me’ would have done the same job.”
“Efficient as ever,” he said with a rueful chuckle.
“You nailed it though,” I said. “I don’t think I’ve ever been so surprised.”
“Is that a fact?” Elliot turned his head, and I followed his gaze. To my immense shock, from the crowd rushed Riley, Michelle and Sol, barging Elliot aside to sweep me up into a massive group hug.
“Oh my— What are you—” I hugged my American girlfriends so tightly I could barely breathe.
“Didn’t seem right to not have the gang here,” Elliot called over their heads.
“Sol flew us over on her jet!” Michelle laughed. “We got papped at Heathrow!”
“Congratulations, Lucie!” Riley added. “I told you he was one of the good ones.”
“Thank you,” I said breathlessly, “and Sol, the jet, you didn’t have t—”
