“Yes,” I said.
“So…”
“Yes,” I repeated. “I told you when I walked in here, didn’t I?”
She looked up at me. “Are you really serious about that?”
“I am, Eddy.”
“Are you sure?”
“What kind of question is that?” I asked.
“How are we going to make it work?”
“What is there to figure out? The house and everything can be sorted out. We can restore the house and I can pay for the property upkeep.”
“That’s not what I meant. I meant us,” she said.
“What about us?”
She moved so she was leaning away and looking down at me. “Things are complicated, Niall. What about Riley?”
“He’s our child. What’s the problem?”
“It’s as simple as that, is it?”
“We get married and I adopt him. Do I have to adopt him? He is mine.”
“Yes, but Russell is on the birth certificate.”
“We can change it. My lawyers will handle it. Nobody has to know the truth. As soon as it’s done, Riley becomes the legal heir.”
“That’s it?” she asked.
“That’s it. What were you expecting?”
“What about your family?”
I scoffed. “I’ve never given a toss what they think before this point, why would I start now?”
“I can't believe it.”
“The reason I even came back home was because my father wanted to play matchmaker.”
“No, it’s not that. Well, it is, a little but I just can’t believe it. That night when we met, all those years ago I never thought anything like this would come of it, you know? I thought you were just a fit guy who turned out to be kind as well. My newlywed husband turned out to be such a disappointment that I thought meeting you was just a way to get back at him in some way. He had given me up so easily, you know, it hurt my feelings but I didn’t think you’d have such an effect on me. To be honest, I haven’t stopped thinking about that night.”
“The same thing happened to me.”
She touched my chest. “That night meant so much more than just a romp to get back at Russell. That was when Riley was conceived.”
I felt myself smiling. “I never stopped thinking about you. It was part of the reason I couldn’t marry Lisbeth. I was in love with someone else.”
“In love?” she asked.
I nodded. “I love you.”
“I know. You told me. I just wanted you to say it again. I love you too,” she said, smiling.
“Seeing you again was like… I thought I was hallucinating. I knew I couldn’t let you get away again.”
She settled on the bed again. “I’m not going anywhere,” she said. Oh no, she could go, as long as I was with her. As long as she always came back. As long as wherever she was, everyone knew that she was mine. I wanted to laugh thinking about it, not because it was funny, just because I was so happy. The rest of my life with her? I couldn’t wait to do it. I wanted a family of my own making and now I had one. I had wanted Eddy for five years and now I had her.
Just then, Eddy was scrambling off the bed.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Riley’s coming,” she said. I heard footsteps outside the door. “Hurry. Get dressed.” I clambered off the bed, searching for my boxers. “Quick, unless you want to explain to a four-year-old why you’re naked.” I pulled them on as the door opened, laughing.
“I have a lot to learn,” I said.
“Mummy?” Riley said. He rushed into the room into his mother’s waiting arms. I wanted to remember that scene forever. They were perfect and they were mine, both of them.
Epilogue: Edwina
I looked at my reflection in the mirror. Yep, that was definitely me. With professional hair and makeup, and a dress that was worth a few thousand pounds, I looked hot. It wasn't even my first time in a wedding dress, but I looked great. I turned around slowly to face Missy.
“So?” I asked her. She had tears in her eyes. “Oh, don't you start.”
She sniffed. “I'm sorry, it's just that you look so beautiful. You look amazing, really.”
“You saw me in my last wedding dress too, you know.”
“I did, but that marriage was to an awful man who didn't love you and treated you like trash throughout your marriage. As far as I'm concerned, it didn't count. Besides, Niall sprung more money for the dress so it’s nicer.”
I laughed. Missy was the biggest detractor of my first marriage to Russell. She hadn't trusted him from the start, and she was right not to. All of that seemed so far in the past now wearing a wedding dress again. To be honest, I didn't know whether I would ever get to walk down the aisle again. When I said my vows, I meant them, but then death did part me and Russell. Even after his death, I wasn't sure that I even wanted to remarry, let alone date. Right after Russell died, I wasn't looking for anyone. Niall quite literally bowled me over with his reappearance. Seriously, I didn’t stand a chance against him with our history.
The dress was objectively nicer than the first wedding dress that I wore. It was off white, you know because white is for virgins. It had a sweetheart neckline, a cinched waist, and a billowy, flowy skirt. With the train and the veil, I looked like something out of a fairy tale. We were at the estate. We had both decided that that was where we wanted to get married, no-frills. It was either here or a destination wedding. The idea was to have the smallest group possible in attendance.
In the past three months, the estate had gone through a complete overhaul. The grounds were back to their former glory, even better. The
