Page 59 of Amazing Grace

And Grace felt a sense of peace wash over her and radiate within her that she’d never felt before. She laid her head back on the pillow and drifted back to sleep.

EPILOGUE

The sun was shining. It was a beautiful afternoon in late August and she could hear the string quartet playing the ‘Flower Duet’, which was one of her favourite pieces of music.

‘Ready?’

‘Yes, darling, I am. Are you?’

‘I am, let’s do this.’

She looked down at this handsome young man she was so very proud to be a mother to as he put his hand in hers and squeezed it three times. She squeezed it back with an extra one as he walked her through the manor-house courtyard towards the outdoor-seating area, decked out in white organza, flowers and fairy lights.

Halfway down the pathway, her father stood up from where he’d been sitting next to Gladys, who was already dabbing at her eyes with a tissue. He was looking particularly dapper in a grey suit and crisp white shirt with a grey floral tie, and he had his trademark twinkle back in his eye as he beamed at his daughter. He took her other arm and between him and Archie, they walked her towards a wooden gazebo where the registrar and the man she was due to marry were waiting for her.

She glanced over to the left-hand side of the audience and saw Vera and Reg, who had flown all the way from Australia for this special day, sitting behind Hannah and her family, next to Belinda and Bill, all of them grinning from ear to ear. Monica and Carlos sat with tears streaming down their cheeks – and that was before the service had even started. ‘You look stunning!’ Monica mouthed across to her friend, blowing her a kiss with both hands.

Grace glanced to the other side of the walkway, where a number of Vinnie’s mates were sitting. And in the row behind them were the crowd from Busy Bodies. Every single person in the group still came to meetings once a week, but not only that, they’d become a wonderful group of forever friends, not just meeting up at the slimming club but also at other social events too. Grace could never have wished to meet such a nice group of people.

‘Thinking Out Loud’ by Ed Sheeran started to play.

Vinnie turned and it appeared that the sight of his bride literally took his breath away.

She was stunning, in an exquisite floor-length ivory gown, with a fitted silk bodice sparkling with hand-sewn crystals and a flowing chiffon skirt that sashayed as she walked towards him. A simple chignon hairstyle, with gypsophila braded through tousled curls, complemented her dress beautifully. She had never looked more beautiful. The love shone from within him, as he sighed, grinned and kissed her cheek.

Archie shook Vinnie’s hand and his voice warbled slightly as he said, ‘Look after my mum please, Vinnie!’

‘I promise I will, buddy. I’m going to spend the rest of my life making your mum the happiest lady alive,’ Vinnie replied.

Archie beamed back at him, took his mum’s hand and kissed it.

A loud gurgle came from the front row. Grace, Vinnie and Archie turned round to see little Meredith giggling and being tickled under the chin by her Aunty Hannah. Now six months old, Meredith was a chubby little bundle of joy and Hannah was loving spending time with her niece. She was looking forward to taking Archie and Meredith out to Florida where they would be joined three days later by Grace and Vinnie who were having a long weekend away, the destination of which Vinnie was keeping under wraps, although Grace had heard him and Ruth talking about Italy one day before shutting up when she approached. She hoped it would be that wonderful hotel that he’d talked about.

The sisters had shared a very special moment that morning when they were getting ready in their hotel room. Hannah came out of the bathroom to see Grace gazing into space out of the window, in a world of her own, a sad expression on her face and with tears in her eyes.

‘You know she’ll be here today in spirit, don’t you? She’s around us all the time, babe. You don’t think she’d miss a day like this, do you?’

‘I know, but she’s missed out on so many important days in my life. The day I had Archie, the day I had Meredith and now the day I get married. Although some of that might not have been in the order that she would have approved of!’

The sun came out from behind a cloud and as Hannah looked across at her sister, the sun framing her in the window, she looked like she had a huge pair of wings behind her. She thought at that moment that her sister had never looked more beautiful and knew for sure that their mum was with them in the room.

‘But more than anything, I just wish that she was here to give me some help with the babysitting!’ Grace said, laughing. Hannah knew how much her little sister missed her mum. They both did, but today was a big day for them, Hannah knowing that her sister was not alone any more and was truly loved by Vinnie, both about to start a new chapter in their lives.

Grace adored her baby girl and Archie doted on his baby sister. From the minute his mum and Vinnie told him that they were having a baby, Archie was over the moon. When she was born, he kissed Meredith and said, ‘Hello, beautiful. I’m your big brother and it’s my job to love and protect you forever.’

Her two pregnancies couldn’t have been more different. Vinnie was the perfect partner, practically wrapping her in cotton wool. He wouldn’t let her lift a finger, and single-handedly decorated the nursery to her exact wishes, in stark comparison to her first pregnancy, where she’d felt very alone, devastated that her mum wasn’t around to share this precious time with her. Grace had loved being pregnant with Archie, completely amazed by this little miracle growing inside of her, but she had also carried around a terrible sadness that Mark wasn’t more interested in the baby.

There was no doubt whatsoever that Mark loved Archie, in his own way, but he was such a selfish man that his own happiness had and would always come first. After the episode where he took Archie from school, he and Lorraine had patched up their differences and moved to Spain.

Without having to worry about joint custody and being near to Mark, Vinnie and Grace bought their dream holiday home on the Cornish coast. The stone cottage mixed traditional and modern styles and boasted a first-floor living room, which opened through tri-fold doors onto a spectacular decking area with panoramic beach views. Through a gate at the bottom of the garden they just had to saunter through the sand dunes and they were on the beach. Never in her wildest dreams had she thought she’d ever be lucky enough to have a place like this, but Ruth and Vinnie had inherited some money from a distant relative and the couple ploughed money and hard work into their place by the sea.

Grace would never tire of this stunning view from their second home and walks on the gorgeous sandy beach with Becks frolicking in the sea. Vinnie dipping Meredith’s toes in the cold water and her squealing with laughter as Archie jumped over the waves made Grace’s heart swell with joy.

It was their special place of peace, tranquillity and happiness, and she and Vinnie hoped one day to retire there and grow old together.

After they’d both come clean about the reasons that they’d been keeping secrets from each other, things had never been better. The day after Mark had taken Archie, Vinnie had gone round to Grace’s and she’d asked about the text and asked who Ellie was.

Vinnie explained that Ellie was a horticultural student who he was mentoring via the local agricultural college. She was also a friend of Meredith’s, and she had developed a huge crush on Vinnie. Because she was quite vulnerable, and she’d always looked up to Vinnie, he didn’t want to do anything to upset her, so didn’t really discourage her either.

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