Eighteen months later…

 

“Do I look OK?”

Faith smiled and looped her arms around Zane’s waist from behind. “You look gorgeous. Stop fussing with your tie.”

“You know I hate wearing a tie.”

“I do know, but the occasion demands it. And you do look very good in it.”

Faith stepped back and did a little twirl. “What about me? Will I do?”

Zane looked her up and down appreciatively. “Absolutely. What time is it again? Maybe we’ve got ten minutes before we have to be at the Centre?”

Faith laughed and kissed him.

“Tempting as a whole ten minutes of passion sounds, I think we’d better get going or we’ll be in trouble.”

The parking area at Carrdale was packed as Zane negotiated his way through the cars towards his reserved spot in the Staff Only area at the back of the Centre.

Karo spotted them and waved. “Hi, guys! Wow, don’t you two look amazing!”

Faith smiled. She hadn’t expected to like Karo, not after the things she’d heard about her. When Matt had arrived back from Austria that Christmas with a wife in tow, Faith had worried things would be difficult all round. Would Karo continue to mess with Matt’s heart and ruin things for him at Carrdale? How would the four of them get on, having to work in close proximity?

But things had turned out fine. To Faith’s surprise, she and Karo got on very well. This was helped by the fact Karo and Matt had sorted things out and were now happy and totally committed to each other. A few months after Karo had appeared in Derbyshire with Matt, they had announced she was two months pregnant with their first child.

Motherhood suited Karo. She’d become a real Earth Mother, taking to the role like the proverbial duck to water. Matt was also proving to be a great dad for their son Jacob. As well as becoming a mother, Karo had also been busy investing some of her family money into expanding the Carrdale Centre.

They had received so many enquiries about weddings that they’d taken the plunge and purchased a wedding yurt, having acquired all of the necessary licences to hold weddings at the Centre. Not just the receptions, but the ceremonies as well. Karo now ran the weddings side of the business. She was an excellent multi-tasker and scarily super-efficient.

Today was the first wedding at Carrdale. As if running the wedding business and looking after Jacob wasn’t already enough to keep her fully occupied, Karo was also now pregnant again. Their second child was due to put in an appearance in around six months’ time.

“So, everything is in hand as I promised it would be.” Karo consulted her clipboard as she spoke. “Matt’s down at the waterfall, if you want to go and do any last-minute checks?”

“I trust you entirely, Karo, and leave everything in your capable hands. But I do need to go and have a word with Matt, so I’ll head down there.” Zane turned to Faith. “Catch you later?”

“Sure. I’ll see you in a bit.”

Faith linked an arm through Karo’s. “How are you doing? You must be exhausted sorting all of this. All OK?”

“I’m fine!” Karo nodded. “Honestly.”

“Still, why don’t you have a sit down? You’ve been working so hard on getting all of this organised. And that’s tiring enough in itself, without being pregnant at the same time.”

The new, calmed-down version of Karo took a seat in the wedding yurt.

Within one month of Matt and Karo getting back from Austria, they had purchased an old farmhouse and an acre of land a few miles outside Carleton. Unsurprisingly, Emily had gone ballistic when she’d found out that Matt was married. So, sensibly, he had moved out of the cottage in record time, even though his rental contract didn’t expire for another couple of months. He and Karo had instead taken on a short-term rental in a village a few miles from Carleton whilst they looked for somewhere to buy.

Karo soon had their new place swarming with builders and interior designers. Within six months, the farmhouse had been transformed from totally run-down to totally stunning. Of course, there had been the additional incentive for Karo to create her dream home with Matt in super-quick time. Less than two months after they’d moved in, she gave birth to their first child.

There were two wedding options at the Centre. If the weather was OK and people wanted to get married outdoors, there was a special wooden platform down near the waterfall. If the weather wasn’t playing ball and people wanted an indoor venue, but still wanted something a little different, they had the large wedding yurt. The chef at the Royal had recently left to set up a catering business with his wife, and after meetings and menu discussions they had become the caterers for the big events at Carrdale.

With Matt and Zane working all hours with the activity side of things, Karo had taken on every aspect of the wedding and event side of the business, from sourcing quotes and researching yurts to keeping a tight grip on the finances. All this whilst looking after little Jacob. She was like a one-woman whirlwind. On a couple of occasions Faith and Zane had babysat whilst Karo and Matt had a night out, and Faith knew what a bundle of energy Jacob was – he could make you feel exhausted within five minutes.

Faith had been patient with Zane and had delighted in how he’d gradually relaxed into their relationship. He’d stopped trying to be Mr Perfect all the time and started to just be himself. There had been times when it was so good between them Faith had felt overwhelmed with how much she loved him. At other times, she’d seen the little flashes of insecurity creep back, and had seen his eyes betray the fear of losing her, the fear of being hurt all over again.

When that had happened, she’d been swift to reassure him she wasn’t going anywhere and that she truly loved him. And, slowly, he’d come to believe it. He still hadn’t been in touch with his mother, but he had talked about the possibility of ringing her. Faith knew that even that had been a huge step for him to take. Afterwards she’d noticed yet another change in him, as if finally he might be starting to forgive his mother for what she’d done. In turn, she felt him become more at ease with their own relationship.

His mother Anna was happy with Colin, the man she’d left her marriage for. His father was living happily with Helene in Scotland.

It was beginning to look as though Zane was finally allowing himself to be at peace with what had happened. Both his parents had moved on, forgiven each other, and let go of the past.

It was high time he did too.

 

Down by the waterfall Faith appeared at Zane’s side and slipped a hand into his.

“All set?”

“Yes. Totally.” He nodded. “Doesn’t the place look great?”

Faith smiled. The sun was shining. The wooden decked area down near the waterfall was festooned with flowers. Rows of chairs were arranged facing not just the river but also the towering cliffs behind it. In front of all that stood the altar, shaded from the sun by the cream fabric arbour.

It was time for the first wedding at Carrdale.

 

When it had happened she’d been stunned and delighted. She’d been picturing a future with Zane, but had been in no rush for them to formalise things. When he’d proposed she’d taken less than a second to answer. She’d been sure she wanted to marry him. She’d known for quite some time.

The first people they’d told had been Karo and Matt. They’d gone shopping for an engagement ring for Faith, and because she’d wanted to get something for Zane too, to show her commitment to him, they’d chosen a watch designed for climbers. It included a compass, an altimeter, and various other gadgets Zane had been delighted with.

On the way back they’d called at Matt and Karo’s farmhouse to tell them their news. Matt had said, about time too, and Karo had gone to fetch some bubbly to toast their celebration.

 

The wedding was over, the sun continued to shine, and the happy couple were now enjoying their first dance.

“That will be us soon,” Zane whispered to Faith as they wandered onto the dance floor with the bride and groom, amongst the other couples, to enjoy a slow dance of their own.

Faith smiled. “Four months.”

The wedding had been timed to be at the end of the wedding season at Carrdale, so that Karo could organise everything before going on maternity leave.

“Four months,” Zane sighed. “It seems so far off.”

“Things were just too hectic at the Centre to fit it in before then,” Faith answered. “You’ve got weddings booked for every weekend right through the main season. It’s been amazing.”

“I’ve changed my mind,” Zane said as he spun Faith in a gentle twirl and then pulled her back into his arms.

“About what?” Faith asked, frowning and easing away to look him in the eye.

“The wedding,” he said. “Our wedding.”

Faith pulled away. “Are you telling me you don’t want to get married?”

“No,” he answered, pulling her back into his arms. “I’m telling you I don’t want to wait another four months. The weekends might be booked up for weddings here for the rest of the summer, but we can get married earlier if we do it on a Friday. We just need to arrange all the necessary bits and pieces, and with Karo on the case I think we should be able to sort things pretty quickly.”

“You’re serious, aren’t you?” she asked.

“Totally.” He looked calm and relaxed. “So? What do you say? Want to make an honest man of me sometime in the next month or so?”

“Yes.” She nodded. “I do. Totally.”

 

 

The End... well, the beginning really!

 

 

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PLUS

I’ve included an extract from Moving On, a beautiful romance set in a Scottish castle, for you at the back of Knowing You!