Her eyes welled with tears, and she bent forward to kiss him. ‘You really are the sweetest man.’
‘Actually, there’s something you missed.’
She frowned. ‘Really? What?’
‘There’s something around the neck of the perfume bottle. Look again.’
She glanced down and gasped. Unsure of how she hadn’t spotted it, she reached out. There, resting on the glass, was a silver-coloured band with the most stunning arrangement of stones she had ever seen. A larger clear stone was surrounded by eight smaller stones of the same clarity that were set into tiny, pointed arms forming a star shape. She removed the ring from bottle and lifted her chin to find Archie now repositioned, and on one knee.
‘It’s white gold, but they’re not diamonds, I hope that’s okay. I wanted something more unique, a little different. The stones are moissanite, which was originally discovered in a meteor crater. Can you believe that? It seemed perfect. Do you mind that they’re not diamonds?’ His loving gaze flickered uneasily, telling her he was nervous about her response and her heart melted further.
She shook her head, a little in shock as her eyes blurred with tears.
‘So… Caitlin Fraser… my starlight… I know this is probably crazy seeing as we’ve only been together for what feels like a matter of weeks. But we’ve known each other for so much longer. And this just feels right. I think… no, I know I’ve found my soulmate in you. And I don’t want to lose that… ever. Now, if this is too soon and you’re not ready, this ring can be a symbol of where I hope we’re going, but… if you decide you’re as crazy as me – which I really hope you are – then… Will you marry me?’
She lurched into his arms and kissed him as tears streamed down her flushed cheeks. ‘Yes! Of course, it’s yes. Absolutely 200 per cent yes!’
A loud squeak came from the doorway and Archie and Caitlin both turned to see their girls running towards them. They were quickly enveloped in a group embrace.
‘Am I to take it you’re happy, Grace? Sophie?’ Archie asked with hope in his eyes.
‘Yes!’ They both shouted simultaneously.
‘One hundred, billion, squillion, badillion, flabillion, yeses!’ Sophie added, just to be clear.
Archie pulled away and took the ring from Caitlin. She held out her left hand and beamed as he slipped the ring onto her finger. Then the group hug commenced once again.
* * *
The following morning, Caitlin snuggled up to Archie in his bed. She lifted her hand to watch the stones glint in the sliver of sunlight that crept in through a gap in the curtains.
Archie shuffled and took her hand in his. ‘So, what do you think? Long engagement? Short engagement? Huge wedding, small wedding? It’s entirely up to you,’ he told her as he pulled her even closer.
She manoeuvred herself to look down at him. ‘Are you one for big fancy weddings?’ She sincerely hoped not.
He pursed his lips. ‘Honestly? Not really, but if that’s what you want, then I’ll happily do that. I’d do anything to make you happy.’
Relief flooded her. ‘I’m really not into that idea either. I think it’s an awful lot of money and hassle to go through when you just want to start a new life with someone, you know? I’d rather just run away and get married, like the people who ran away in the eighteen hundreds and married in secret. I think that would be exciting. We could just take the girls and the dogs. It could be our special day.’
Archie sat upright and excitement glinted in his chocolate-brown eyes. ‘Gretna Green. Let’s do it! Just us. And as soon as possible, what do you think?’
‘I think absolutely!’ Since Archie’s proposal Caitlin hadn’t stopped smiling. She never imagined she could be so happy nor that the man she would fall for had been under her nose for years.
Archie leaned forward and kissed her passionately, her insides jellified as they always did and for a moment, she lost herself.
He pulled away. ‘I’ll phone them tomorrow and see what the procedure is.’
‘Perfect. We can stay in a dog-friendly hotel.’ Her internal butterflies loved the idea too as they set to performing a ceilidh.
Archie frowned. ‘Where should we live? Both our houses are big enough but… yours is attached to the bakery. My shop is just up the road, and the campsite isn’t attached to that, so…’
The butterfly ceilidh inside her kicked up a notch. Regardless of the speed at which this was all happening, the thought of moving in together and making a real family home excited her beyond words. ‘You could definitely move into my house. I’d be happy with that.’
‘Are you sure you wouldn’t rather find something we could start over in?’
Caitlin pursed her lips. ‘Perhaps a little further down the line maybe? If you’d rather we moved into your place…’
He slipped his hand into her hair. ‘I just want to be where you are. And to be honest, waking up to the smell of fresh baking every day is something I could definitely get used to.’
