Hannah

 

A month later, when he has a few days off, Kieran takes me to down to Durham so I can meet Josh. We have dinner at Josh’s house with his mother, Kate. That feels weird at first, but Kate is such an open, friendly person that before long we are laughing as if we are the best of friends.

“I'm so happy Kieran found someone,” she says. “He's a good guy. One of the best. I have been nagging him to stop fooling around for years. Of course, the irony is that the moment I find someone, the guy I decide to marry turns out to be a total bastard. But that's life for you. The one that floats your boat is not always the one that's good for you.”

Josh rolls his eyes.

“Parents, huh, Josh? If only you could choose them, but you're stuck with us,” Kieran says.

“It could be worse,” Josh says, and we all laugh.

*

“I like them both,” I say to Kieran after we say our goodbyes, both Kate and Josh kissing my cheek as if I was one of them.

“Yes. I always said to Kate that it was a pity we would drive each other mad if we spent more than a few days in the same house, or I could have married her. She's a good mother though. I know that much.”

“Josh is a credit to you both.”

“He's going to join the fire department when he leaves school.”

“He admires you.”

“I told him not to do it on my account. I'll be proud of him whatever he does, whether he becomes a firefighter or not.”

We've already checked into a little boutique hotel Kieran found a few miles away. He usually stays with Kate and Josh when he comes to visit, but not this time. When I heard how Kieran usually stayed at their house when he came to see Josh, I wasn't sure about it, but now I've met them I totally understand how it is between him and Kate and I don't mind at all.

“So, do you want to do anything before bed?” Kieran asks me.

“No. I’m all yours.” I smile at him.

“I have something I want to do,” he says.

“What's that?”

“I want to tell you how much you mean to me. You getting along with Josh and Kate is like the icing on the cake. I loved you before, but now I love you all the more.”

“You love me?”

“I do. And now you're going to tell me that you couldn't love me because I'm old as the hills and just not lovable, aren't you?”

“No. I'm not going to tell you that. I'm going to tell you this.” I whisper in his ear, “I love you, Kieran Forrest. I think I’ve loved you since the night you broke into my room.”

And he whispers back, “If that's the case, Hannah Palmer, you had better marry me, because nothing less will do.”

He pulls his lips away from my ear and we're both grinning at each other like a pair of Cheshire cats.

“Guess who I'm putting first on the guest list,” he says.

“I don't know, your parents? Vanessa? Josh? Mike?”

“After Josh and Mike, and my parents and Vanessa.”

I look at him puzzled. I haven't met all of his friends yet. it has all been so quick. But I couldn't be more certain that I want to marry this man.

“Traffic Teddy,” he says. “He has to be there.”

“Of course, a wedding is not a wedding without Traffic Teddy.” I laugh. “You're out of your mind. I still can't believe you made me wear that thing.”

“I had to do something to hide your curves. You were too tempting. We were going to visit a primary school, and I kept thinking of how you looked the night I got you out of bed. I thought it would stop me wanting you, but not even a bright yellow fur covering worked for that.”

“In that case, there's no hope. We have no antidote. You're doomed to stay with me forever.”

“Thank fuck for that. But I'd just better check if you still have the same effect on me.” He pulls off my dress leaving me in my underwear.

“Nope, I'm still besotted,” he says. “I think I'm just going to have to kiss you everywhere and make sure you're real because since I met you, there's magic in the air.”

“You've just got to believe it's real,” I tell him. “To keep the magic alive.”

“Oh, I believe. There's nothing more real this side of Loch Ness. Or the other side, for that matter.”