‘You’re not the ghost of a man anymore.’
‘No. At least, I’m planning on working towards being everything you need. Because, you deserve the best of everything.’
‘So do you. I want to be part of the best of everything with you.’
‘Ditto,’ he said, laughter filling his voice until she grabbed his face and kissed it from his lips. And as he returned her kiss and stole her breath away, she knew, just knew, that the blazing fear that had marked both their lives was never going to touch them again and from here on in, it was only going to be blazing passion, blazing love, blazing a new trail of family and happiness together.
Chapter 31
‘I now pronounce you husband and husband. You may kiss your spouse.’
Prita whooped and threw the rose petals she’d been carrying in a basket over the man who had been her best friend, then her husband and was now her best friend married to the man of his dreams. A big hand came over her shoulder and grabbed up rose petals and threw more at the happy, beaming, kissing couple and she looked up at Flynn. Her husband. The man of her dreams.
He was smiling almost as much as she was, so happy for the man who had become his friend over the last year. He was so good like that. He’d had his own hard journey to navigate, but he’d been there for her and Chandra as they’d navigated the divorce and the disappointment from their respective families.
Not her father—Diarmuid was happy she was finally in a relationship like the one he’d had with her mother. As was her Taaii Ameera and Taauu Sashi. They’d known all along why she’d married Chandra and hadn’t said a word, and they’d supported her this last year, sticking up for her with the rest of her mother’s family who were still stuck a little too much in the past.
Her papa had been right about her mother’s little sister and her husband. She was so sorry now she’d made things so difficult for them over the years. But she’d spent the last year trying to make amends, and was so glad she had. Even to the point that when Chandra had asked her to be his Maid of Honour and to wear the traditional sari—something she’d never done before, not even for their wedding—she’d called Ameera and asked if she would mind if she came down and bought a sari in her sari shop.
Flynn and Nat and Carter and Aaron had travelled down to Melbourne with her to meet up with her aunt and she’d learned things about her heritage that day she’d never bothered to learn before as her aunt shared memories and stories about the saris she sold and the reasons for some of the designs on them. Nat had been so blown away, she’d decided she had to buy a sari for the wedding as well, and they’d laughed as they’d tried on one after another and Ameera had shown them how to wear them and keep them from falling off. They’d finished off the day by going out to her Taauu Sashi’s restaurant for dinner—the first time Carter had ever eaten Indian food and it had been such a delight to see him in the kitchen with her uncle, learning about the Tandoori oven and the special spices they used.
She looked around to see Ameera and Sashi on the other side of the aisle, beaming at the happy couple. They’d come up here days ago to put on a traditional feast for everyone to start the wedding weekend and were staying in the newly rebuilt cottage. They’d taken over Barb’s kitchen to prepare the feast on the condition that Sashi taught them all how to make korma and chicken tikka and pakora and lamb saag with naan and saffron rice. The feast had been a long, loud and happy affair and Barb announced afterwards, when the henna artists her aunt had engaged were painting the henna designs on all their hands and feet, that she was determined to add some of the dishes to her menu. Taauu Sashi had said he was happy to come up at any time to give her more lessons.
She smiled across at Ameera who waved back and then turned to speak with Diarmuid before he headed up to the stage to play the wedding song for the happy couple.
Her father laughed and kissed her aunt on the cheek and then ran up on stage and began to play.
It filled her heart with so much joy. She didn’t know why she’d denied this from her life for so long. It felt right to finally be embracing her heritage, and imagined for a moment that her mother was here with them, looking on, happy and at peace that some of her family were together and happy once more.
She just hoped that in the future, Chandra could build a bridge with his family too. After the divorce had gone through, Chandra had come out to them, telling them he was marrying the man he loved. It hadn’t gone well. He’d been so brave, braver than she thought he could be—he later said he’d been inspired by her and Flynn—but their rejection had hurt him so badly. She hoped that they’d come around. They loved their son. She knew they did. She just hoped it would eventually prove to be enough.
The one good thing though is that it inspired an entire change in him, to the point that he and Vivaan had moved up here to start a new business together and were now renting rooms in her newly rebuilt practice to run their massage and yoga studio from. Her little GP practice was expanding and she couldn’t be prouder or more pleased.
‘You look sad.’
She glanced up at Flynn. ‘I’m not. I just wish Chandra didn’t
