“You all look great too,” I say, looking at their summery outfits.
I normally love warm weather, and summer has always been my favorite season, but given the bump and the painful water retention in my legs, I’d much rather it was autumn. Or winter. Ideally, winter in the Antarctic.
Although I guess a baby shower in the Antarctic wouldn’t be much fun.
“Sounds like you started without us,” Ruby says with a smile. She must mean the music in the garden, which we can hear from here.
“Ophelia was dancing around the garden first thing. She wanted me to join in, but I was exhausted after a couple of minutes,” I say. “So I said I’d rather supervise them setting up the buffet—there’s a three-layer cake and about a million cake pops.”
“I love cake pops!” says Ember happily. She holds up an enormous parcel, wrapped in polka-dot paper, and looks inquiringly at me. “Where do you want the presents?”
“Follow me,” I say. I’m about to lead her through to the garden when James grabs my arm to hold me back. I let go of Graham’s hand and look at him in confusion.
“We brought a surprise guest with us,” he says.
The first thing that comes into my head is:Please, not Dad.
My next thought is that James knows me better than anyone and he wouldn’t do that to me.
He takes a step toward the door and opens it again. Someone walks toward the house. Someone that I’ve never seen in jeans and a casual shirt before in my life.
“Percy!” I exclaim, stepping closer to my ex-chauffeur.
“It’s good to see you looking so well, Miss Beaufort,” he replies formally. But he hugs me back, and I realize how familiar his smell is to me. It’s the scent of leather seats and the same aftershave he’s worn all my life. After a moment, we move apart.
“Your brother invited me,” Percy explains. “I hope you don’t mind.”
“Mind?” I ask incredulously. “This is such a lovely surprise!”
I usher him into the house. “Percy, this is my boyfriend, Graham. Graham, this is Percy.” As I introduce them, they shake hands.
“Ophelia will flip when she sees you,” I say in excitement, gesturing over my shoulder. “Shall we go outside?”
The others nod, so I link hands with Graham again. We walk down the hall to the conservatory and step through its wide-open doors into the garden.
“Oh, wow,” I hear Lin murmur behind me.
“Now you really see what I meant about the colors,” I say over my shoulder, watching the others as they look around.
There’s a long garden table in the middle of the lawn, with a green runner down the middle of it. Clustered above it are loads of pastel helium balloons, anchored to cheerful little lanterns to stop them flying away. The buffet has been set up at the side ofthe house. There are mini terra-cotta flowerpots filled with flowers or cactuses, and in between them are drinks and a whole array of starters that have been making my mouth water for hours. The whole garden is bedecked with lanterns, balloons, and streamers.
Ophelia spots us from the other end of the garden and immediately runs over. She’s wearing a floral summer dress, and her red hair is up in a loose knot. “Hi, everyone!”
Her eyes widen as they rest on Percy. She seems to hesitate for a moment, but then she goes to give him a hug. “Thisisa surprise.”
“Hello, Ophelia,” says Percy quietly, adding something in an even lower voice that I don’t catch because just then the doorbell rings again.
“Will you come?” I ask Graham, and he nods. “Help yourselves to stuff from the buffet,” I tell the others. “We’ll be right back.”
Graham and I walk through the conservatory and back down the hall to the door. Before I can press down on the handle, Graham takes my wrist. I look questioningly up at him, and before I know what’s happening, he bends down and kisses me gently. Automatically, I close my eyes and lean into him, my body practically melting into him. After a moment, he pulls away and looks me in the eyes, a slight smile on his lips.
“What was that for?” I ask hoarsely.
He shakes his head. “Just because.”
They’re such simple words, yet they make my heart skip a beat. It never used to be possible for us to be able to do things just because.
But now the world’s at our feet.
