All he had to do was reach out.
‘I’m traditional,’ he said. ‘So I’ll be the one to do the asking.’ He dropped down on one knee and took her hand. ‘You barrelled into my life on a horrendous day, and you brought the sunshine with you even though it was stoating. Since I’ve met you, I’ve seen the world with different eyes and I might even think now the Loch Ness Monster is possible. You taught me to wish on a falling star. I made one wish with you—a wish that came true—so I’m hoping the second one I made will come true, too.’ He dragged in a breath.
‘A wish I barely admitted even to myself. I don’t remember what it’s like to be part of a family because it was so long ago. But I do know my mum would’ve adored you as much as I do. And I want a family. A family of my own. A family of you and our baby. You’ve a heart the size of the world, Georgie, and you make the world a better place. You make my world a better place. I love you. Will you marry me, Georgina Jones, be my love for the rest of our days? You, and our baby?’
She leaned down to kiss him. ‘Yes. I’d be honoured. I’m absolutely not going to promise to obey you,’ she warned, ‘but I’ll love you, I’ll honour you and I’ll cherish you until the end of my days. I don’t care where or when we get married, and we have plenty of time to sort out where we live. I’m thinking anywhere that has a decent-sized garden for Truffle and the baby and incredibly good fences Truffle can’t dig under.’ She coughed. ‘But there is one thing that’s less negotiable.’
‘One thing? What’s that?’ He held his breath. What did she want?
Her face went pink. ‘I’d rather like you to marry me in a kilt. The one you wore the night we made our baby.’
The heat in her expression made his blood sizzle. ‘I think I can manage that.’ He paused and gave her a look that he hoped made her blood sizzle, too. ‘Provided you take it off me on our wedding night.’
‘That’s guaranteed,’ she said. ‘But those buckles looked a bit tricky. I might need some practice.’
‘Just as I need some practice in telling you I love you,’ he said. ‘I think lessons should start now, Dr McGregor-to-be. I love you.’
‘I love you, too.’
‘Good. Let’s make a start on those buckles,’ he said, getting to his feet and scooping her up.
‘Hang on. I thought you said carrying me up the spiral staircase was a bad idea?’ she said as he strode towards the middle of the room.
‘That was then. Now you’re my family—and I know I’m not going to drop you, because you believe in me. With you, I’m not going to fail at anything. You’re my world, Georgie, and I love you.’ He kissed her. ‘I really, really love you.’
She kissed him back. ‘For now and for always.’
Look out for the next story in the Changing Shifts duet
Family for the Children’s Doc
by Scarlet Wilson
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All available now!
Keep reading for an excerpt from Family for the Children’s Doc by Scarlet Wilson.
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Family for the Children’s Doc
by Scarlet Wilson
PROLOGUE
CLARA CONNOLLY SMILED and tried to keep the awkward expression plastered on her face as she watched her ex, Harry, affectionately put his arm around the waist of Gerta, his latest girlfriend, and brush a kiss at the side of her temple as they walked into one of the lifts together.
She could sense a few sets of curious eyes turn towards her in the busy main foyer of St Christopher’s Hospital in Edinburgh; hence the plastered smile on her face. She wasn’t quite sure what message she was trying to send. Indifference? Happiness? The truth was either would do. She’d only dated Harry for a few months—and he certainly hadn’t been the love of her life. He’d been more like a pleasant passing phase. In a way she was glad he’d met someone who made his heart leap up and down. And even gladder that he’d managed to tell her, before the rest of the world found out.
That was the trouble with dating someone from work. The constant possibility of running into each other when the relationship ended. And while she was happy enough for Harry and Gerta, it reminded her that the ticking of her biological clock had started to amplify in her head. She pressed her lips together, letting the smile slip from her face as she waited for the next lift to arrive and take her up to the paediatric ward. It was weird. She was only thirty. But just about everyone she knew had met their ‘happy ever after’ by now. Clara just seemed to flit from one unfulfilling relationship to another. No big drama. No heartache. Just a general feeling of...emptiness.
It wasn’t as if there was no one in her life. She had her best friend Ryan—who was just as unlucky in love as she was. She had a good group of friends, most of whom were now married, pregnant or with at least one child. It amplified her feelings. She had her own place—a cottage in a village on the outskirts of Edinburgh, surrounded by gorgeous farmland and countryside. It was usually her saving grace after a busy shift, but in the last few weeks she’d become more conscious of the space around her, and
