Page 51 of Escape to the Country

‘I’m so sorry, Jamie, but I just can’t do this. Any of this. I really am sorry.’

I picked up my things and walked out of the boardroom past enquiring faces and practically ran down the stairs, feeling so much better as I walked out of the reception doors towards Alex, taking in once more just how totally unaware of exactly how handsome he was. He held his hand out to me and I took it. Our fingers linked and intertwined. Our hands fit together perfectly.

I moved nearer and grabbed him by the lapels, pulling him close until there was no space between us, and reached up on tiptoe. This was the moment I had dreamed of so many times. My lips brushed softly against his. A shiver ran down my spine as the bristles of his stubble gently scratched against my chin and his arms wrapped around my back. Our lips moulded together in perfect sync. We kissed, soft and slow. A low moan escaped from him and I pulled away and looked deep into his eyes.

Alex pulled the clip from my hair and ran his fingers through it, shaking it loose. ‘That’s better.’

‘I love you, Alex Millington. I always have and I always will. Why didn’t I just marry you and have your babies twenty years ago?’

He took my face in his hands and his thumbs caressed my cheeks, this man that I had loved for the whole of my life. He kissed me back tenderly at first, but then more passionately. I was sure he was totally oblivious to the fact that a billion and one fireworks were exploding in my heart when he replied, ‘It’s never too late!’

EPILOGUE

THREE MONTHS LATER

Beth turns to me and I hand her the angel. The last two hours have been spent decorating the seven-foot-high Christmas tree, which I have to say is looking absolutely stunning in the corner of the lounge in the farmhouse. Flames flicker in the open fire, and a garland entwined with fairy lights adorns the huge wooden mantelpiece. Beth kisses the angel, stands on the stepladder and reaches to place her on the top of the tree.

‘Merry Christmas, Mum,’ she whispers.

I offer her my hand and she very carefully lowers herself to the ground. She’s doing really well but I know she’s still got some way to go. She’s so happy in her new relationship with Dan and he’s helping her massively with her recuperation. Once they’d got round the ethical issue of him having a relationship with a patient, and his boss had suggested that he passed her on to another physio, they’d been inseparable.

‘Go on then, turn on the lights,’ I say.

The tree lights up beautifully, twinkling brightly, and the glass baubles hanging off the tree create sparkly patterns on the ceiling. A sudden loud bang makes us both jump, as we’re plunged into darkness, the only light coming from the fire.

‘What the bloody hell…?’

Uncle Tom and Alex fling open the door and barge into the lounge where Beth and I are giggling.

‘It’s only a fuse, I’m sure. I’ll go and check.’ Beth opens the bureau door and grabs a candle, going over to the fire to light it, and walks into the hallway to find the fuse box.

Hands caress my back and work their way down to my bottom.

‘I do hope that’s you, Alex Millington, and not your father.’

His breath is hot against my ear. ‘I could do anything I want to you now and no one apart from you and I would ever know.’ A moan escapes his lips and I can feel that’s he’s turned on.

We spring apart like two teenagers being caught out as the lights come back on and we notice that a bulb in one of the side lamps is not on. Alex adjusts his trousers and it makes me smile.

‘Just a faulty bulb then,’ Uncle Tom explains. ‘Good job it was nothing more serious; I don’t know how we’d cook that massive turkey in the morning otherwise.’

Tomorrow is a big day and now that the tree is done, and the vegetables all prepped, we can go to bed.

* * *

‘Happy Christmas, gorgeous,’ he whispers into my ear as he presses up against my back.

‘Is that a pistol?’ I laugh at him and he flips me over and grins as he pins me underneath him. He kisses me tenderly and then more passionately. God, I love this man. The last three months have been the most incredible time of my life. My body tingles as he gently nudges my knees apart with his and I glance over at the bedside clock.

‘Shit!’ I push him off me and jump out of bed. ‘Alex, it’s 7a.m. I needed to get the turkey in at five! I must have slept through the alarm. If I don’t go and do it now, we won’t be eating Christmas dinner until ten o’clock tonight!’

‘Come back to bed babe, I’ve done it.’

I am confused, so he explains that he heard the alarm go off and because I looked so comfortable, he turned it off, left me sleeping, and followed the instructions I’d written on a note propped up on the kitchen table. He’d put bacon over the top of the turkey, seasoned it and stuffed it and had put it in the Aga.

‘Oooh, you are wonderful.’

‘I know! And I’m so glad I did because now we can get back to what we started a minute ago.’ He grins at me. I love that grin, full of mischievousness and sexy as hell. I get back into bed and he kisses me. I forget all about the turkey.

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