Page 122 of From Now On

‘Hey you.’ He kisses Pippa.

Again, he feels eyes on him. He lets go of Pippa and turns a slow circle. Through the swarm of happy holidaymakers he notices a man stalking away, a guitar strapped to his back. His gait is familiar, but the sun is bright and everything is shadowed.

Charlie shields his eyes and studies the retreating figure. The man has one hand to his face; is he scratching an itch, wiping away tears?

Is it him?

We believe what we want to believe.

For a few seconds Charlie watches him as he hurries towards the outskirts of town, growing smaller.

Family is a choice.

Charlie turns back to the others. ‘Last one to reach the sea is a loser,’he says. He hesitates before he moves, giving Nina, Duke and Pippa the chance to pass him, but it’s Billie, despite her ageing years, who hurtles down the steps first, barking in excitement as her paws sink into the sand.

Pippa and Nina kick off their flip-flops, hitch up their sundresses and hurtle towards the sparkling waves. Duke sprints past them, forming an L-shape on his forehead. Charlie slows, stops, watches as one by one they splash into the ocean, kicking up a spray of water, Nina and Pippa shrieking that it’s cold, Duke grabbing his sister around the waist, threatening to dunk her under. Billie turns happy circles, her fur sodden. Charlie places his hand on his chest, feeling each beat of his joyous heart.

‘Come on!’ Pippa runs to him, wraps her arms around his neck and presses her salty lips against his. She takes his hand and presses it against her stomach. ‘The sequel,’ she whispers in his ear.

Charlie doesn’t understand.

‘You know? The woman in the shop said she couldn’t wait to find out what happens next, and neither could I. I… I went to Boots and bought a pregnancy test. I had a feeling but… this—’ she lays both her hands on top of his ‘—this is what happens next.’

‘Charlie, you’re the loser!’ Duke shouts and before Charlie can gather his thoughts, gather his words, Pippa is leading him into the sea. He can’t stop smiling.

Charlie is the last one to splash in the waves, but he feels he is the winner as he watches them all. His happily ever after.

He is a brother. A husband. Soon to be a father.

There are many different kinds of love.

Right here, right now, he feels them all.

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