Page 66 of A Recipe for Romance in Brambleton

‘Because, if I’m going to be honest about that, I need you to do the same. Are you ready to get to know me better? To let me into your life?’ She looked up at him, and her eyes were so open, so tender, that he suddenly felt as though he was going to cry. A lump rose in his throat when he realised what it must have cost her to admit to that. And it didn’t go away when he decoded what, exactly she was really asking him.

‘I will,’ he said quietly. ‘And promise you’ll hear me out.’

‘I promise.’

Marc drew in a deep, slightly shuddering breath. ‘It’s been two years since Tessa died. And those years have been the toughest of my life. Raising the boys is hard – really hard – on my own. Anyone who comes into my life, anyone who wants to have a relationship with me, must understand that the boys will always come first. They’re so young, Lauren, and they lost their mum.’ He paused, blinking away sudden tears.

‘And you lost your wife, Marc.’

‘I did. And that won’t ever just go away. I – we – are a complicated proposition. You need to know that.’

‘I do know that.’ Lauren’s hand moved from under his, and she placed it gently on top. ‘Complicated is hard, but it can also be wonderful.’

‘It can also mean me suddenly cancelling plans because one of the boys is sick, or sad, or there’s a school thing I’d forgotten about, or an appointment, a football match…’ He trailed off. ‘This is me trying to put you in the picture that it won’t always be like this.’

‘Are you trying to scare me off?’ He’d expected her expression to be light-hearted, but she looked deadly serious.

‘No,’ Marc said carefully. ‘I just need you to know what you’re getting into, if we decide that this is what we want.’

Lauren didn’t reply immediately. Just as Marc was beginning to worry that he’d come on too strongly, she spoke.

‘Everyone has things in their life that make it complicated,’ she began. ‘Life with my mum can be just as tricky, even though she’d hate me for saying it. When you’ve spent your whole life looking out for someone else, it’s difficult to imagine sharing that with a new person.’

‘But… do you want to try?’ Marc could hear the hesitation in his own tone.

There was no answer from Lauren, and Marc began to kick himself. He’d obviously scared her. He knew, much like his brother Noah, that he guarded his heart fiercely. But once moved, he found it very difficult to play it cool. He just wasn’t built that way. And Lauren had touched his heart, had made him feel like, perhaps, maybe, possibly, he was starting to feel an attraction to someone else again.

Obviously realising that he was waiting for her to reply, Lauren looked back at him. ‘I’ve got a favourite saying,’ she said.

‘Oh yeah?’

‘Yeah.’ Lauren’s lips met his before she continued. ‘Something I’ve learned over the years, that seems, very much, to be true.’

‘Well,’ Marc teased, ‘either tell me, or keep kissing me. Either is good.’

Lauren kissed him again, and her hands stroking through his hair made his senses come back on high alert. He responded to her touch, pulling her closer to him until they were entwined on the bed again, all thoughts of tea forgotten.

‘That saying of yours,’ he murmured, before he lost the ability to speak in coherent sentences. ‘What was it?’

Lauren broke away from him, smiling. ‘It’s daft, really, but I always think… life is a journey, not a destination, right?’

Marc’s heart twisted in a combination of pain and pleasure. If that wasn’t a sign, that Lauren’s mantra was the same as Tessa’s had been, then he didn’t know what was.

‘You’re right,’ he said, a tremble in his voice. ‘And this is one journey that I want to take with you.’ Their lips met again, and as they kissed, the morning sun warmed them both, rising over the vast, sparkling expanse of Willowmere Lake.

EPILOGUE

Bella’s voice, sweet, sad and achingly mournful, filled the living room. The sound system, set up in one corner, worked beautifully in the space, and Bella was lip-synching like a pro from the first blocked spot on the sofa. The large stage lights that were set up out of shot but near enough to cast her in a bright simulation of winter sunshine created just the right amount of atmosphere, a contrast to the grey mistiness of the lake outside the window.

From the far corner, Marc stood and watched the spectacle. He’d realised, as soon as the crew had descended that Monday morning, that it would be pointless to try to lock himself away in the study while they were here. He’d blanked out his diary and just observed the process.

The past week and a bit had been pleasant but different. The boys had returned, buzzing, from their London trip, and then the next few days had been spent chilling out before school started again, on the same day that the crew from Bella’s record company were due to start shooting her video. He and Lauren had met up a few times, taking full advantage of the fact that Joel had stayed on at the lake house until New Year’s Day, to use his skills as a babysitter. They hadn’t yet broken the news of their developing relationship to the twins, but Marc felt that it would soon be time.

Marc had dropped the boys off at school, popped in for a coffee at the café and then come back to the lake house to welcome Bella and the crew. Over by the window, Samira was running through the shooting order with the camera operator, Bella glancing up from her acoustic guitar and nodding along, occasionally questioning and then going back to her own notes. The make-up and hair team had worked their magic, and the woman he knew as Bella West was once again transformed into Isabella Indigo. She kept throwing him glances, sometimes apologetically, sometimes just happy grins, and he wondered if he needed to make himself scarce.

‘No, honestly, it’s fine,’ she replied, when he asked during a break. ‘Actually, it’s lovely having someone I know here. I’m not sure I could handle Noah watching my every move, but your friendly face is helping a lot!’

‘Glad to hear it.’ Marc smiled. The more he got to know Bella, the more he liked her.