Page 125 of All Wrapped Up
‘What, here?’
‘It doesn’t matter now.’ I gulped as I reached him.
‘Did you get my note?’ he asked, croakily. ‘Hello, Pixie.’
‘Note?’ I frowned, as he let us into the barn ahead of him and then closed the door.
‘The one I put through the cottage door.’
‘I’ve just come from the cottage, but I didn’t see a note,’ I told him, my heart hammering as I looked up into his handsome and familiar face. ‘I was with Molly.’
‘What, at your place? I didn’t realise you knew her well enough to warrant a visit.’
He hadn’t looked at me properly since I’d crossed the threshold and I hoped with the whole of my heart, now I knew it had been Lottie and Will in the barn bathroom and not another woman Ash had got cosy with, that he wasn’t regretting telling me that he loved me or worse still, had a change of heart and no longer thought he did. Though if Lottie was right, and he was planning to leave, then it was feeling likely that he had.
‘Well, I didn’t, but I do now,’ I rushed to say, all inner poise and former determination to stay calm taking flight. ‘Ash, there are things I need to say to you.’
‘And there are things I need to say to you, too,’ he said, still looking over the top of my head and not giving me a chance to get my words in first. ‘To start with, I’m sorry I put you in a difficult position earlier by telling you that I’m in… well, you know what I said.’
And clearly, he wasn’t about to say it again.
‘And secondly, I don’t want you worrying about running into me and feeling awkward, because I’m moving back to Bakewell. I can see now, this was the reason why I never found a place of my own and it will be easier for me to go as a result. Will isn’t happy, obviously, but you’re settled here, Clemmie. You love Rowan Cottage and so I’m leaving to save you further upset. You’ve had more than enough of that in your life, though upset is hardly the right word, and I don’t want to add to it.’
‘Right,’ I said, standing on tiptoe, so he had no choice but to notice me. ‘Finished?’
‘I suppose,’ he said, looking at me, but only briefly.
‘Good.’ I nodded. ‘Okay, so let’s get this straight. You’re actually going nowhere, because… because I can’t bear thethought of losing you now that I’ve realised I’ve fallen in love with you, too.’
He looked at me properly then. ‘What?’ He blinked.
‘I’m in love with you, Ash,’ I said again and I thought my drumming, but finally properly listened to, heart was going to fly out of my chest.
‘You’re in love with me?’
‘Yes,’ I answered, and my knees began to tremble. ‘I’m completely and utterly in love with you.’
His gaze flicked to my lips for a fleeting moment and then I didn’t have to worry about my knees giving way, because he swept me into his arms and held me close.
‘But are you still in love with me?’ I asked, wanting to be completely certain before things went any further.
‘Of course I am!’ he said, twirling me around.
‘Oh well, in that case,’ I smiled as his mouth dipped tantalisingly close to mine, ‘you really had better stay, hadn’t you?’
‘Yes,’ he whispered back, with a smile, ‘I think it would be best if I did.’
Our first kiss was long and lingering, seductive and sweet. We were a perfect match, just the right fit and when we eventually drew apart, my heart and my head were as one and I felt both excited and relieved to finally have our love for one another declared and out in the open!
Chapter 27
I mysteriously never did find his note, which Ash told me revealed his plan to leave, and for the next three days, the only time we were apart was overnight and when he was working. With our sincere love for one another finally declared, we had been inseparable and, even though we were taking the most intimate parts of our relationship slowly, we had talked and talked for hours about every aspect of ourselves, including more details about my past as well as Lizzie’s exciting job offer and I was beginning to feel that I knew Ash every bit as well as I knew myself.
In fact, I knew him so well and felt so certain that ours was a love that was going to last a lifetime, that I no longer wanted to keep it to myself. We hadn’t yet shared the news with our friends in town, but it was Halloween the next day and there was a full-on afternoon and evening of festival events, where we were bound to be spotted together.
As a result, we hatched a plan and happily prepared ourselves for the stir that a well-timed kiss in the square, preferably in front of Joanne, would create.
However, the two people that I most wanted to know aboutus first were Mum and Dad and with them set to visit the following weekend, I decided to share the news and give them time to get used to it before they arrived at Rowan Cottage along with the opportunity to air their opinions to one another, whatever those might turn out to be, without being overheard.
