Bella looked at her watch again, Isaac definitely said to meet him by the fountain in the park at seven that night. They were supposed to be going somewhere to celebrate their six-month anniversary but he was already fifteen minutes late.

She tightened her scarf around her. They were experiencing a pretty mild October but once the sun went down it got quite chilly in the evenings.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket and she quickly retrieved it, wondering if it was Isaac telling her he was late.

To her surprise it was the Easter egg hunt app, updated with a new egg. Bella frowned in confusion. The Great British Egg Chase had launched to massive success, with children and families all over the country enjoying searching for virtual eggs hidden in the real world. It had raised over twenty thousand pounds for the Umbrella Foundation and they were going to launch another one in the lead-up to Christmas, searching for Santa and his many elves and reindeer. Although the egg hunt game was still live, the interest had dropped off significantly once the Easter holidays were out the way and the prizes of real chocolate had come to an end. Though many people had still been playing it for a few months after Easter, the fad had faded and the last time the app had been downloaded had been two or three months before. Why then had a new egg been added?

She looked around for Isaac and then, seeing that she was still alone, she walked a little way towards the new egg. The phone turned to the augmented-reality screen as she approached and she could see the egg sitting on a park bench.

This egg was made from autumn leaves so Bella selected the rake from the tool box and raked the leaves apart. Out popped a scroll which unravelled and she read the message.

She smiled. This was just for her. What was he up to?

She checked the big map and saw there was another egg at the stile which marked the start of the footpath over the hills.

She hurried ahead and waited for the augmented reality to kick in so she could see the egg. An egg appeared on the screen, sitting next to the stile. The egg was wrapped in a holey blanket with a woolly hat on, much as Isaac had been dressed the first time she had met him. She laughed but she wasn’t sure how to break open an egg that was wrapped in a blanket.

She scanned through the tools and found a new one that had been added that merely said ‘kindness’.

She selected the tool and then clicked on the egg. The blanket and hat disappeared and the egg was left with only a towel around its lower half. Isaac had given the top half washboard abs.

Bella laughed loudly.

The egg popped open and another scroll appeared.

Bella giggled at another bad egg pun.

She looked back at the map and saw there was another one halfway along the path up over the hills. She wouldn’t ordinarily walk over the hills in the dark, mostly because she wouldn’t be able to see where she was going and would most likely fall down a rabbit hole, but the path was lit up with lanterns guiding the way with little pools of gold. Isaac had put a lot of thought into this.

She walked up and over the hills, following the lanterns, and she realised that the egg was sitting under the tree where they had shared that incredible kiss in the rain. The egg was made from fire and she quickly selected water from the tool box and poured water over the egg, dousing the flames. She swallowed as she realised these eggs were representative of their relationship and this was to represent the fire where Isaac had lost his home, but also the night they had made love for the first time.

Inside was another scroll.

She smiled again. When she clicked on the map she saw the next egg was in Blueberry Bay. Lanterns lit the way as she followed the path down the hill towards the sea.

She walked past the area where Isaac’s old house had been. The insurance company had finally paid out but Isaac had decided that he didn’t want his house rebuilt on the same land as his old house, saying it felt tainted somehow, so he’d sold the land and bought a lovely big house overlooking Blueberry Bay. Surprisingly, after three months she had moved in with him. More surprisingly was that it didn’t feel quick or scary. It felt right and as she was spending practically every night at his house anyway it made sense.

She walked through the trees and on to the beach in Blueberry Bay and smiled at the moon glinting over the sea. It was so beautiful here that she barely noticed when the app shifted into the augmented-reality screen. She tore her eyes from the view to look at the egg. It glowed silvery white like the moon and great arcs of silver were coming from it. Just like the moonbow they had seen that night. It reflected onto the water, creating a perfect circle which looked like a pearl ring.

How could she crack open an egg that was made from the moon?

‘You won’t be able to open that egg,’ Isaac said from behind her. She whirled round to look at him as he emerged from the shadows, dressed in jeans, a long charcoal woollen coat and the beanie hat he had been wearing the first night they’d met. ‘Why don’t you open this one instead?’ He handed her a silvery egg that was hinged in the middle.

Bella laughed. ‘You said no presents, that we were just going to go out somewhere for a meal.’

‘I lied.’

‘Some things never change.’

Isaac laughed. ‘Just open it.’

Bella giggled and then cracked open the silvery egg. Nestled against the black velvet inside was a platinum pearl ring, the pearl held in place by tiny diamond leaves that curled around it. Her heart stopped beating and then started pounding furiously when Isaac sank to one knee in front of her.

He took her hand. ‘Bella, my life changed six months ago when I camped outside your house. I never thought I could trust anyone enough to let them in, but you have turned my world upside down in the best possible way. I love you so much, more than I ever imagined possible, and you would make me the happiest man alive if you would marry me and be my wife.’

Bella had no words at all. Tears filled her eyes.

Isaac’s hand tightened around hers, clearly scared she was going to run away.

‘I know this seems fast but I know what is in my heart. I know this wonderful thing between us is forever. We don’t even have to get married straight away, we can wait as long as you want, but just say yes and I will spend the rest of my life trying to make you as completely and utterly happy as you make me.’

Bella sank to her knees in front of him and reached up and kissed him. He wrapped his coat around her and pulled her tight against him. The thought of forever with this man was not scary in the slightest. She pulled back to look at him.

‘How about we get married at Christmas?’

He broke into a big smile. ‘Is that a yes?’

Bella laughed and took the beautiful ring out of the box. Isaac took it from her and slid it onto her finger. Excitement bubbled through her. ‘I love you, Isaac Scott. You broke down my walls and you showed me what love really is. I have never felt so safe, so adored as I am when I’m with you. So yes, I will marry you and as soon as possible. I cannot wait to start my life as your wife.’

Isaac kissed her again and she had never felt so complete before. She pulled back, running her hands behind his neck.

‘I might have a present for you too,’ Bella said.

‘You do?’

‘Why don’t we skip dinner, go home and I’ll let you unwrap it.’

He grinned. ‘That sounds like a perfect plan.’