Page 90 of Milo
“Sweetie, how do you manage to get it on your face?” Oz says, grabbing a wet wipe from his pocket and cleaning her face despite her screwing it up like she’s entering a gurning competition.
All around us are shouts and cheers, and we stand for ages growing colder but joining in the cheers and counting down as the runners jump into the freezing cold pond, grinning like lunatics.
“I can’t fathom the British,” Oz says, staring at two women who are shrieking at the cold with big grins on their faces.
“You’reBritish.”
“I’m Irish,” he corrects me. “We’d have been in the pub by now shaking our heads at the idjits.”
Cora joins in, dancing about and occasionally stopping to admire her wellies or the huge sparkly red ring that Silas boughther from a stand earlier. Oz looks at her affectionately. “She’s got the taste of Lily Savage with regards to jewellery,” he mutters.
Suddenly he brightens. “There they are,” he exclaims, hoisting up Cora so she can see.
Niall and Silas are at the top of the platform. They’re covered in mud and already soaking wet, but they’re laughing and Niall’s grin is white and wide in his muddy face. The crowd starts a countdown and Niall puts a hand to his ear while Silas shakes his head and laughs at him. Finally, holding hands, they jump into the water.
I laugh but it dies away quickly. “She’s here,” I hiss and sure enough, there she is, marching towards us and dragging her friend rather reluctantly with her.
“I found out today that you’re married to the Earl of Ashworth,” she says abruptly to Oz.
He blinks. “I’m sorry. Was I supposed to have informed you? I must have missed that memo.”
“I think it’s disgraceful that a peer of the realm should conduct his affairs so publicly. Married to a man indeed. This is why we need Brexit to get rid of these dreadful new-fangled ideas.”
“Oh, Sally,” her friend mutters.
“Yes, we should leave Europe and maybe we could get rid of those pesky things called manners too,” Oz mutters, bending to put Cora down as she wriggles in excitement at seeing Silas.
She turns her gaze on me. “And you’re the one who was kissing a man here last time in front of families and children. What do you say to that?”
“I say I’d do it again,” I say, taking a breath at the beginning to calm my breathing.
“I’d certainly hope so,” a deep voice drawls next to me. “But only if it’s me.”
I lean back against him for a second, loving the scent of his cologne mixed with clean sweat. He’s hard and warm against my back but also rather wet and soggy, so I move forward again rather quickly, catching the wry quirk of his lips as I do it.
“Nilo,” Cora screeches and dances over to him. She’s called him this since she could talk, and I love it. It’s an amalgam of me and him, so how could I not?
He bends down, pursing his lips for a kiss. “Come and give me a smooch, Cora Bora,” he demands, and she screams in delight as she smothers his face in smacking kisses. The old woman tuts, and Niall puts Cora down and stares at her. “Is there a problem?”
“I’ll say there’s a problem.”
“Is it that the food wagon was out of small children for you to eat for breakfast, or are the sweets falling off your house in the wood?”
“Niall,”I say, trying not to laugh.
“It’s disgusting that this child should be surrounded by gay people.” She whispers the last words and I stare at her.
“She’s surrounded by love,” I say quietly. “I don’t think there’s anything better than that.”
I feel Niall’s stare on my face and when I turn, he’s looking at me with a very fixed and strange look on his face.
“You okay?” I ask curiously.
“Brace yourself,” Silas says, looking like he’s trying not to laugh.
I stare at him and then stand open-mouthed as Niall drops to his knees in front of me. Cora immediately dances over to him and drapes herself across his shoulder. She loves Niall with a passion.
I frown at him. “What are you doing?” I ask, and Oz starts to laugh.
