“I love you, Peter,” she said. “If I stay, maybe we can?—”
He cut off whatever she was about to say with a kiss, pulling her into his arms and holding her so close she let out a gasp of air and a squeal.
“Sorry,” he murmured. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“You didn’t. You never could.”
Now she was the one grabbing him and kissing him as if their lives depended on it. She flung her arms around him, ran her fingers through his hair, pressed her mouth to his and sent what was left of his brains into outer space.
When they pulled apart, eventually, he saw stars.
“You came back to me,” he said.
“I came back to you. You told me yesterday that you loved me. I wish I’d said it back. I almost ruined everything when I pushed you out the door.”
He shook his head. “You didn’t ruin anything. You’re here now. That’s all that matters. But what about your job and your contract? You didn’t want to let them down. What about the amazing ocean voyage you wanted?”
“I realised, almost too late, that I wanted this—us—more than I wanted that. And as for the contract? That didn’t matter if it meant I might never see you again.”
“But you can’t risk your career reputation for me, Gaby. I’ll wait until you come back. I’ll wait for however long it takes for us to be together.”
She smiled. “The fact that you said that means more than you could know. But here’s the funny thing. When I turned up to start the job, they didn’t need me after all. It’s a long story. But what matters is that I’m here, where I want to be, with you.”
He hugged her again, still struggling to believe she was really here in his arms when he thought he’d lost her.
“Wait, what are you doing here outside my aunt’s house?” Gaby asked with a surprised laugh. “Shouldn’t you be at school?”
“I ditched my afternoon classes to drive to Southampton and find you. I just spoke to your aunt to find out which ship you were leaving on tonight. I was coming to tell you that if you wanted to be with me again once you’d finished your cruise ship job, then I’d take a leave of absence from school and follow you wherever you wanted to go.”
Her eyes grew wide. “You’d do that for me?”
“In a heartbeat. If it was what you wanted. Wherever you wanted to travel to next, I’d follow you and find a job there. I could work as a private tutor teaching maths. It wouldn’t be hard to find work. We’d have an adventure, together.”
“But you love your school. You love your life here.”
“I love you more. After only a week back together again, I already know I’ll never love anyone the way I love you. I’d turn my whole life upside down if it meant I could be with you. Because my life doesn’t mean anything if you’re not in it.”
He watched as tears filled her eyes and a smile lit up her face. “What if I want to stay here?”
“Then that’s what we’ll do. Is that what you want?”
“Yes. At least, I’d like to stay long enough to find out for sure.”
Peter felt joy rush through him unlike anything he’d ever experienced before in his life. He took her hand and brushed a kiss across the back of it, the feel of her skin against his lips making his heart sing.
“We can figure it out as we go,” he said. “All that matters is you’re here.”
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “All that matters is that we’re together. After all these years apart, we’re together again. For now, that’s enough.”
Peter smiled. She was right. This was enough. More than enough.
It was all he’d ever wanted.
EPILOGUE
Two Months Later
Snow was fallingin thick flurries, turning the road into a whiteout. Gaby peered out of the car windscreen, wondering how Peter was able to look so happy while driving in these conditions.
