Page 86 of Merrily Ever After
Emily giggled and kissed him again. ‘Well, if it’s OK with you, I’d like us to be more than friends.’
‘Yes!’ He punched the air.
She felt elated as they headed back inside and it was in no small part down to him. The contrast between Will and Gavin couldn’t be greater, she mused. With Gavin, everything had seemed such a struggle, he’d constantly made her choose between her love life and her family, that she couldn’t have both. Will made her feel as if she could achieve anything; life felt easy.
Maybe, just maybe, she thought, sneaking a look at his handsome face, this could be her chance to have it all.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Dear Merry,
It was lovely to bump into you again on Saturday at the Christmas Fair. We seem to be making a habit of it, don’t we!
Sorry I didn’t come back to show you pictures of tiny deer, but it turned out there weren’t any. It was just a ruse on Will’s part. He wanted to stop me from talking to you before I said something that I might regret. He was right: it was the wrong time and place. But I still want to tell you, so I’ve decided to put it down in a letter instead so that you can read it in your own time and decide what to do without me breathing down your neck.
OK, here goes.
I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve tried to put pen to paper. I have so much I want to tell you and I hope that this will come as good news and not bad. Each time I’ve met you, I’ve come away feeling like you’re the sort of person I could be friends with. Which is great, but it ups the stakes too.
I’m being mysterious and it’s not intentional, but it’s hard to know which bit to write first.
I’ll start with me. I grew up in Bakewell with my mum, Tina. Ever since I was small, I have wanted to be part of a bigger family. My best friend Izzy has two sisters and I’ve always been envious of the fun she has with them and theway they rally round each other like a private cheerleading club. My parents had a rocky on-off relationship. I was an accident, and although (as you’ve seen) Mum and I have a great bond, she didn’t want any more kids – certainly not with my dad at any rate, who was in and out of my life when I was younger.
When I moved my dad, Ray, into Springwood House, I found out that he’d been keeping a tin with various mementoes from his life. There was a photograph of him holding a baby at Christmastime, and I’ve enclosed a copy of it inside this envelope. I assumed the baby was me – she looks like me and why else would my dad be holding a baby and sharing such a happy moment?
When I showed my mum, she got upset. You see, the baby isn’t me and she didn’t have a clue who it was, but she knew the picture must have been taken around the time that she found out she was pregnant.
Dad’s dementia is getting worse and half the time I don’t know whether to believe the things he says. But recently he told me that his ex-girlfriend, Sam, had a baby and that he was the father. He also told me that he had loved Sam very much. I’ve told my mum about this, and she remembers the name of the girlfriend Dad had before her – Sam Shaw.
The day I realised that somewhere in the world I have a half-sister was one of the best days of my entire life. And a bit of digging on the internet has brought me to you. I couldn’t believe that you were someone I had already met and liked.
Merry, I think there’s a good chance that the baby in this photograph might be you. If it isn’t, then I’m sorry to have troubled you. But if it, is I can’t tell you how happy I am to have found you.
I completely understand that this might not be what you want in your life right now, or maybe ever. And I apologise if this letter has caused you any upset, it truly is not what I intend.
I’m putting my mobile number at the bottom of this letter. If you’d like to get in touch to talk, then please do. If you’d rather not contact me, I won’t bother you again, and either way, I wish you a very happy Christmas and the best of luck with your wedding.
Warmest wishes,
Emily Meadows x
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Emily
13 DECEMBER
It was Sunday night and Wetherley town centre was deserted. Emily slowly walked past Merry and Bright to double-check that there was no one in.
Her hand closed around the letter in her pocket as she reached the end of the row of shops. She turned and retraced her steps, peering in again. Definitely, one hundred per cent empty.
She took a deep breath, and headed directly for the shop door. She checked left and right to make sure nobody was watching and carefully opened the letter flap and pushed the letter through.
And then she walked away as fast as she could. She rounded the corner, raced along the side street and opened the passenger door of Will’s car.
‘Mission complete,’ she said, exhaling with relief.
‘Did it go OK?’ he asked.
