Page 96 of Dr. CEO (The Doctors)

A week after that, all our friends and family gather on the grounds of Crompton for a celebration. We erected a huge marquee, complete with a dance floor and tables for lunch. Despite it being September, we’ve had a burst of sunshine this weekend and Kate insisted all the sides of the marquee be removed so we could see the grounds better.

The tent overlooks the lake, down to the woods—my and Kate’s favorite vista. Flowers festoon the inside of the marquee, winding around supports and dripping off the roof. It’s beautiful. There’s no other place we could have possibly wanted to celebrate.

There’s no aisle, no ceremony, no bridesmaids or groomsmen. Just sunshine, champagne, food, music, dancing and laughter.

It’s unconventional, but fits us both perfectly.

“You look so beautiful,” I say to my bride, who’s dressed in a beaded white gown and a crown of flowers picked fresh from Crompton’s gardens. We sway on the dance floor together. “Like a flower fairy.”

She grins up at me and fiddles with the pink rose in my lapel she picked from the gardens herself this morning. “How much have you had to drink?”

“You are magical,” I insist.

“Who would have thought you would have turned into such a sappy marshmallow?”

“That’s what you’ve done to me.” I kiss her on the forehead.

Beck and Stella are across from us on the dance floor. He stepped on her toe and she’s laughing at him. Kate follows my gaze. “You wondering whether you’ll be treading on my toes after a few years together?”

“No,” I reply. “I don’t plan to dance after tonight.”

She laughs and I can’t help but smile at her because seeing her happy is my greatest achievement.

“We should arrange dinner with them,” she says. “I really like Stella.”

“Yeah, let’s do that. I also want to hear Beck’s story of how they met. Apparently it started with blackmail.”

“All’s well that ends well, I suppose.” She leads me off the dance floor toward Granny, who’s grinning up at us both.

“You make a very fine-looking couple,” she says. Kate is pulled away by someone and I take a seat next to Granny.

“She’s too good for me,” I say.

“She’d say the same about you. That’s why you’re perfect for each other.” She pats my knee. “You just need to make sure you look after each other.”

“It’s my most important job. Looking after her, making sure she’s happy and feels my love. I don’t care about much else. Loving her has given me perspective.”

“You’ll have your ups and downs,” Granny says. “You just need to remind yourself it’s a long game.”

“You think she’s really okay about coming to New York?” I ask. I’m going over to close down my office there. I want to tell the staff in person. I’m offering them other jobs, but some of them would have to relocate. There’s no point having an office there when my home is with Kate, in England.

“She’s fine if she says she’s fine. You’ll be there, and so will I.”

“I hope you’ll always travel with us.”

“Now and then I will, until these old bones refuse to cooperate.” She pauses and shakes her head. “Seeing Kate so happy has lifted a weight off my shoulders I didn’t realize I’d been carrying. The worry has gone now. For so many years, I blamed myself. I didn’t know what I could do to make her feel okay again.”

“She adores you,” I say. “You did everything right.”

“No one does everything right. But now I see her and I’m so happy—but also relieved—things slotted into place for her. Just do me a favor? So much of her life has been about hiding for Kate. Let her explore her own needs a little. She loves you, and I’m so pleased she’s going to be traveling with you on business. She also needs something for herself.”

“I agree,” I say, just as Kate returns and plonks herself on my lap. “Did you tell Granny about the application you made yesterday?”

Kate glances at me then Granny.

“I think she’d like to know,” I say.

“I don’t know if it will come to anything,” she says, “but I reapplied to Cambridge. I emailed my old tutor to tell him and he replied to say he was happy to support my application. If I get in, I’ll start next year.”

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