It was Pip’s turn to dip his head, an embarrassed grin spreading across his face as he couldn’t resist dropping a hand to grip the back of his neck.
‘I think you’re lovelier,’ he mumbled, one side of his mouth quirking up.
We sat there, the silence between us charged as a sea storm. A gust of wind rustled the canopy of leaves, and somewhere in the orchard, a wood pigeon cooed.
‘We agreed not to have a holiday romance,’ he said, having to stop and clear his throat before carrying on. ‘I know everything is still up in the air, but, given that we’re both hoping you’ll stay… would it be out of order if I kissed you?’
If my cheeks had grown any hotter, they’d have started a wildfire. I gave the bravest nod I could manage, which turned out to be not brave enough, as Pip still eyed me, waiting.
Unable to trust my voice, I instead leant forwards until he realised what I was doing, and tipped his head to meet mine.
I hadn’t been sure about whether New Emmie would regret this, six days ago.
Now, what felt like half a lifetime later, I was certain that my only regret would be if I got on a plane without having kissed Pip Hawkins.
Our lips touched, and for a couple of seconds, we hovered there, in this moment between Before and After, the contact between us as gentle as the whisper of distant waves.
Then, with a rough sigh, Pip slid one hand around my back, pulling me closer, and as the pressure increased, our mouths fitting perfectly together, we tumbled into what I knew, with absolute certainty, was love.
30
The beech branches were swathed in shadows when the repeated murmurs of, ‘We have to get back,’ and ‘Your family will be wondering where you are,’ could no longer be swatted away with a breathless, ‘I don’t care, they can see me any time,’ or, ‘I’ve been waiting forever to hold you, anything else can wait.’
‘Okay,’ Pip said, pulling away and examining my face as though it would be the last time he could look at me, before pulling in for one more soft peck. ‘Let’s go. You can kiss me tomorrow. I won’t make you miss the best part of an island wedding.’
We clambered back down, Pip wrapping an arm around me as we strolled back, the twilight sending chills across my feverish skin.
I hesitated as we approached the Old Barn, the rhythm of the live band pulsating through the darkness.
‘I said there were a couple of things I needed to sort out.’ I unwound myself from his arm. ‘Is it okay if we keep this to ourselves until I’ve done that?’
I half expected Pip to shake his head, bewildered. Was there such a thing as a Siskin secret? To my relief, he nodded, gave mea light kiss on the top of my head, and said that he’d nip to the bathroom and check on the dogs, giving me time to find a seat and a drink before he followed me in.
Instead of a seat or a drink, I found Gabe, leading Rosemary onto the dance floor, where Richard’s band were striking up a folksy tune.
‘Emmie.’ He beamed at me. ‘Are you joining us for an island reel?’
‘Maybe later.’ I leant closer so I didn’t have to shout. ‘I know it’s not really the time, but in case I don’t get a chance tomorrow, are you still able to show me that information we’d talked about?’
Gabe squinted for a moment, wading through the wine and whisky in his system before he realised what I meant. ‘Ah, of course. The information. About the things. Of course. Absolutely. Although, I’ve promised my wonderful wife a dance. How about I find you as soon as it’s finished?’
We agreed that I’d go and see if the kitchen still needed tidying up, and he’d find me there in a few minutes.
Wandering back to the farmhouse, I started to busy myself stacking serving platters and scraping leftover pastry crusts into the bin, unable to resist slipping a couple to the dogs, sitting patiently beside it as if offering the perfect alternative to condemning any food waste to landfill. The waiting staff were responsible for clearing up, but I was restless, my head buzzing with love and wonder at the events of the day so far, alongside the thrill and apprehension about how it would end.
As I collected a pile of dirty glasses near to the office door, I overheard Pip talking to somebody. Unable to resist leaning closer, I then caught the clear reply.
My heart stuttered like a panicked bird trapped inside my ribcage.
Celine.
‘I’ve seen the way you look at her, Pip. Please don’t deny it. You at least owe me the respect of being honest.’
‘I’m not sure I owe you anything,’ he replied cautiously. ‘In the two years since we broke up, I’ve always been honest about not wanting to get back together.’
‘I know that. But I wanted to be Mrs Pip for a very long time. You can’t blame me for holding out hope that you might change your mind.’
‘I haven’t, and I won’t. Now, if there’s nothing else, I need to get back to the wedding.’
