Page 108 of Take Me Home
‘Actually,’ Laurie said, ‘I had a go at tweaking the recipe. See what you think.’
Hattie took a cautious sip, followed by a reckless swig. ‘Finally! One of you women have learned that old recipes that leave a bad taste in your mouth are a waste of a beautiful life. A tweak here and there is often for the better.’
I swiftly changed into my Riverbend-blue dress. All the Gals wore the same colour, but individual styles to suit our shapes and taste. Mine fell just above my ankle, with a flowing skirt and lots of ruches, giving it a Greek-goddess vibe. I swept up my hair and added one of White Rose Floristry’s fresh-flower clips, a light touch of make-up, and was ready to try the new, improved cocktail myself.
An hour later, we took a slow, energy-conserving stroll to meet Gideon outside the chapel. Being a gentleman, he kissed Hattie and assured her how divine she looked, before turning towards me with an enchanting grin.
‘Just when I keep thinking you can’t get any more beautiful.’
‘You don’t scrub up too badly yourself.’
We waited for a few minutes while one of Aidan’s daughters took some photographs. The couple had wanted to keep the occasion small, and so we were all chipping in here and there.
I gave Gideon’s hand one last squeeze before we took our positions.
‘Holding up okay?’ I asked. The only thing marring this celebration was the absence of his other mother. Agnes had peacefully passed away in November, and grieving the loss of a mother while adjusting to life with another one hadn’t been without its complications.
‘I don’t know how she’d have handled all this,’ he admitted. ‘In some ways, it’s probably for the best that she’s not here to see me give Hattie away. But on the other hand…’
‘You’ll never stop missing her. Especially on days like this.’
He nodded, bending down to give me another peck on the cheek before we accompanied one of the best women we knew down the aisle.
* * *
The rest of the day was perfect. I had loved the exuberance of Hattie’s birthday party, when Riverbend overflowed with celebration. However, there was a lot to be said for an intimate group of friends and family who knew each other’s quirks and stories, and were able to relax and make themselves at home, no stress or fuss necessary.
We ate, drank and pushed the living-room furniture to one side to make room for dancing. Hattie slipped upstairs with her new husband for a restorative nap once the sun had set in the early evening, and Gideon suggested we take the dogs out for a quick run while she rested.
I donned a fancy white coat I’d bought just for the occasion, leaving my hair uncovered but adding a scarf and gloves to keep the cold at bay and changing into my trainers.
At first, I’d assumed we were randomly ambling across the grounds to nowhere in particular, but we soon started making our way towards the rose garden.
‘Is Deirdre having any luck finding somewhere to live?’ Gideon asked, his hand in mine.
‘Not yet. It’s so frustrating that after spending all that time transforming her house into how she likes it, the landlord has decided to move back in. She’s got another couple of weeks on the contract. If it comes to it, she can crash with Kalani and Tye for a while.’
‘It would make more sense for her to move here,’ Gideon said, pausing by the rose-garden door. ‘She might not love living so close to work, but it’s got a lot of advantages. I was wondering how she’d feel about moving into Riverbend’s guest suite.’
‘Well, if she did that, what about you?’
Gideon opened the door and stood back, allowing me to enter first.
‘I might have come up with a solution to that. Oh, and don’t worry about stealing Hattie’s thunder. It was her idea to do this today.’
‘Oh!’
I stopped, two steps inside the door. I’d walked into a fairy tale. The rose garden had been transformed. Tiny lights had been strung up across the trellises and wound around the larger bushes. Underneath one of the arches was a small table, with an ice bucket containing champagne, and two glasses. Gideon moved past me, walking backwards until he reached the table, where he swiftly dropped to one knee, pulling a ring from his coat pocket.
‘I had a fancy speech planned, but I can’t remember any of it.’
‘I…’ I couldn’t speak for a moment. Too overjoyed to cry. Too stunned to breathe. I’d known for a long time that this was the person I was meant to be with. I had no doubt that he knew that, too.
But still. A proposal. Maybe I wasn’t too happy to cry, after all.
‘I don’t need fancy. I just want you.’
‘Okay, well, then. I’ll keep it simple. Will you marry me, Sophie Potter?’
I practically ran up to where he was kneeling, almost toppling us both over as I flung myself into his arms. I waited until we’d both righted ourselves, wrapping both arms around his neck and looking him straight in his eyes.
‘Yes. I will.’
Because, after everything, that was all that needed to be said.
