‘You’re an idiot,’ she said, awe and shock tinting her words.
‘An idiot in love,’ he retorted. ‘April Elizabeth Statham, nee Wagstaff, will you do Orla and I the honour of becoming an O’Leary, and promise to keep us in check forever more?’
‘I don’t want to be in check! I like spots!’ Orla boomed, affronted by an image of them all dressed like a Burberry advert presumably. She definitely got her dress sense from her mother, April thought to herself, smiling.
‘No check, Orla, slip of the tongue. Go see Martha, eh? Tell her the pancakes are on!’
Orla grabbed Pinky from her room, leaving the pair of them in limbo. Cillian on one knee looking adorably vulnerable, April rooted to the spot. She came running back out, backpack on her shoulders, Pinky sticking out and staring dead-eyed at them both.
‘Good luck, Daddy, make her stay forever!’ she urged as she belted out of the doors. ‘Nana Martha, Nana Martha, Daddy’s doing it! He’s asking April to marry us all!’ Her voice retreated as she moved further from the chalet.
‘Wow.’ April breathed a nervous half laugh out. She was shaking with nerves, and she clasped her hands together to root herself to the floor. To tether her to the moment. ‘No pressure there then.’
Cillian’s green eyes flashed as he laughed softly.
‘No pressure at all. We do things our way, as always.’ He looked down at the beautiful diamond ring in the little black box, and his mouth turned up into a half-smile. ‘I just fight for what I want to keep. For who I love.’ He took the ring out of the box slowly, placing the container open on the floor beside him. The ring flashed in the early morning sun in the window, casting off tiny prisms of light around them. ‘This,’ he said, his words like velvet to her ears, ‘means that you belong to me, like I belong to you, and Orla. We were meant to be a family, April, and I love you so much, I feel like being your husband is my final fight in life. I want you, forever. Just you.’
April felt a single tear trickle down her cheek, and she left it there unchecked.
‘What about kids though? You love Orla so much, but is that really enough?’
‘You are enough April, don’t you get that?’ He sighed, ruffling his hair in frustration. ‘I love Orla, but she’s not just mine. You brought us here, and she is a different kid now. She loves you so much, and I know you love her too. She’s our daughter, ours and Tina’s. She’s the luckiest girl in the world, and she takes after her dad. Because if you say yes, I promise you, April, I will be the best husband you ever asked for. I’ll be the husband you deserved the first time, and I’ll love you forever. Whether we’re a family of three or thirty-three, it’s us. This—’ he pointed between them both, and pulled out a hankie from his pocket, passing it to her ‘—is my world.’
April wiped her eyes on the handkerchief that smelled like him, and looked into the nervous eyes of the man she adored.
‘Yes,’ she said, starting to laugh with happiness. ‘Cillian, I love you both. So it’s yes.’
‘Yes?’ Cillian checked, shock and bemusement evident on his face. ‘Yes, for real?’
April held out her bare left hand, wiggling her fingers at him.
‘Yes!’ She laughed.
‘Wow,’ he said, reaching for her hand and kissing it from wrist to fingertip. ‘I thought you’d put up a bit of a fight. Paddy got me kneepads and a cup for my jewels.’
April rolled her eyes, and Cillian blushed.
‘I’m not kidding,’ he said bashfully, rapping his knuckles on his groin area. April gasped when she heard a series of knocks. ‘See, safe and sound.’
April shook her head at him, and he kissed her hand again. His eyes turning serious, he slowly placed the ring on her finger.
‘It fits,’ he breathed, his face lit up with happiness. ‘This ring is from a long line of O’Learys. My ma sent it over for me. She’s going to want to come over very soon, I warn you now.’
Before she had a chance to panic, he had bounded forward and she suddenly found herself laid in his arms as he half ran to the front door. Shielding her from the doorframe, he walked out onto the porch and roared like Tarzan.
‘Oooooohhh-wi-oooooooo-wi-ooooooo!’
‘Stop it you daft pillock, I’m not Jane,’ she laughed, squirming to get out of his arms. He held her tighter, brushing his lips on hers and making her stop dead to kiss him back.
‘I don’t care. I’m happy.’ He was grinning like an idiot, and April knew she looked just the same.
‘So Tarzan,’ Martha’s voice called out. ‘Are you going to carry the poor woman off into the trees or what?’
The pair of them looked across and saw Orla munching on a piece of toast, covered in chocolate spread that April and Cillian didn’t let her have for breakfast. Martha and George were sitting together on a new love seat that George had bought her, arm in arm.
‘She said yes!’ Cillian shouted, jiggling up and down with excitement. April squealed in his arms.
‘Cillian, you’re going to drop me!’
He twirled her close to the ground, showing off before standing again and hugging her tighter.
‘Shut up, woman, you’re as light as a feather.’ He dropped another hungry kiss on her lips before pulling away. ‘We have to stop, or we’ll never get any work done.’
She waggled her eyebrows at him, leaning into his neck innocently before running her tongue along his skin. He growled a little, and she laughed.
‘Lunchtime,’ she said. ‘We can celebrate our engagement
