Page 69 of Nothing Without You

The hours they were keeping were odd however, and she sometimes found herself nearly falling asleep at work. She rarely slept at The Magic Fish, and this weekend Chris said he wanted to discuss some life plans with her.

Chris did not waste time telling her what he wanted. ‘I would love it if you moved in here with me. See how we go, and then if you’re happy and can still put up with me, well…’ He stopped in mid-sentence and she tried not to squeal with delight when he got down on one knee. ‘Evie, will you marry me? Will you be my wife so we can grow old together?’

He had taken a ring from a box and held it out to her. She was shocked. Marriage hadn’t even been on her mind. She thought she would live at The Magic Fish, and they would continue as they were. She was having such a lovely time that she hadn’t thought past that.

She hesitated. So many thoughts. So much to think about. A worried look crossed his face as he watched her, waiting for her reply.

Bending down, she kissed him and stroked his face. ‘I will. I will live here with you and grow old together. I will marry you.’

When they lay in bed later that night, she plucked up the courage to say what she wanted. The proposal and his plans for marriage seemed a bit rushed, and she was wary of jumping in so quickly. Everything was going so well and she didn’t want it to be spoilt, but… ‘Chris. Can I ask you something?’

‘Sure.’ He turned on his side, his hand brushing lightly over her body. ‘What is it?’

‘Can we wait a while until we get married? I want to, but just not straight away. It’s a bit sudden. Could we wait maybe a year, or something like that?’

‘I’ll wait for however long you want. Are you worried about something?

‘I know I love you, and want to be with you forever, but a wedding straight away is hard for me to think about. I just want us to stay like this. I don’t ever want anything to change.’

He kissed her. ‘Why don’t we get married in a year or so, or whenever you want? You have that ring on your finger, and we’re committed to each other. That’s all I need.’

She breathed a sigh of relief. In the past she had made many rushed decisions without thinking. Now, although she was confident about the future with Chris, she wanted to make sure she was still in control of her life.

Chapter Eighty-Two

Evie moved in with Chris the following week. It hadn’t taken her long to settle into the expansive house, and Chris was relieved when she took over watering the pot plants and feeding the hens he kept in his backyard. She rekindled a vegetable patch that had been overgrown for years, and threw away some old curtains in one of the bedrooms.

Apart from that, she loved everything the way it was. She bought a pair of old picture frames at the market that were perfect for displaying the black and white photos when they were young. The images hung next to the penny keyring, so that she could look at them every day when she made her breakfast.

Chris reorganised his work so that he wasn’t away so often, and most days when they weren’t at work, they spent at the beach, fishing or walking.

They had been living together for six months when her mother, Chris’s father, and her father, came to visit. There was plenty of room for everyone to stay, and the house was filled with laughter and chatter.

Thank goodness she hadn’t seen her parents directly after she left Bob. It would have killed her father to see her looking the way she did back then.

The night before their visitors were due to leave, they sat on the veranda eating a spread of seafood that Chris had organised. Succulent crayfish and mud crabs were displayed on a white plate, their shells still intact with the meat removed and just resting on them, waiting to be eaten. Bowls of prawns sat next to other dishes of oysters, and a large tray of crumbed fish and a large bowl of salad from the garden, added to the banquet.

As they ate, they shared stories, some sad but mostly happy ones. Evie’s dad clinked his glass with a spoon and when everyone stopped talking, he made a toast to ‘their family’. His eyes grew moist, and he wrapped his arm around Evie’s shoulders as he spoke. He talked about the years of pain they had put behind them, and how now was the time to look forward, especially for Chris and Evie as they started their new life together.

Evie’s mind hummed with contentment, and she had never felt surrounded by so much love. To be reunited properly with her mum and dad after all the tumultuous years she hadn’t seen them, and to see them looking so happy, was the best thing she could have wished for. And then there was Chris, who leaned over and to everyone’s delight, kissed her tenderly.

Evie’s father kept looking at her with so much love in his eyes that she nearly burst into tears. He kissed the top of her head, mumbling his words with that distinctive Italian accent that warmed her heart. ‘It means everything to all of us to be together. May there be many more celebrations to come.’ He winked at her and asked, ‘And when is the baby due?’

Evie’s mother gasped. ‘I thought of posing that question, but I wasn’t game to ask.’

Chris placed his arm around Evie’s shoulders. ‘We weren’t going to announce it until Evie was a bit further along.’

‘How could you tell?’ Evie said, a quizzical look on her face.

‘You have a glow about you. A motherly glow,’ her father replied.

Chapter Eighty-Three

The sun shone brightly the next afternoon as Evie and Chris walked to the beach, carrying their fishing rods. Evie had the old rod she had brought with her from The Magic Fish, the Alvey Reel still her favourite. Chris had the most up-to-date gear and was going to try out a special new style of bait runner he had recently purchased.

As they stood side by side with their feet in the water, their eyes cast out to the waves where their lines dangled, Evie thought she would burst with happiness. Waves danced in front of them, and the fresh white tips were bright against the backdrop of the clear Queensland sky.

‘I’ve got a bite,’ she said, reeling it in, the rod bending downwards.

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