Читать книгу The Mills & Boon Sparkling Christmas Collection - Kate Hardy - Страница 27

Chapter Sixteen

‘Have a good day!’ Eva called after Jamie who was looking slightly subdued and bleary-eyed as he trudged over to his friends, ready to go to school. ‘Come on, Hamish,’ Eva sighed heading in the opposite direction to the beach. Jamie hadn’t looked too impressed when she’d woken him this morning, not that Eva could blame him. First day back at school in January wasn’t something most children would relish but at least she knew he’d had a good holiday.

Christmas had been spent in Edinburgh and Jamie and Eva had been introduced to George. Eva had taken to him immediately. A widower, he was friendly, relaxed, and at pains to show he wasn’t trying to bulldoze his way into their family. Fortunately for Hamish, he was also dog lover, which helped sway Helen into allowing Hamish into the house. Christmas at her mother’s house was never going to be a noisy, chaotic family affair but it was all reassuringly familiar. The decorations were stylish but sparse, the beautifully wrapped presents were handed out one by one, and the dinner was traditional but rather formal.

After their meal, Eva had made the coffee with Helen in the kitchen, agreeing a date to go tile shopping while Jamie played Monopoly with Sarah and George. Jamie’s holiday had been a whirl of activity, Eva taxiing him about to friends’ houses or trips to the cinema. She’d found herself with a free afternoon after depositing Jamie and some friends at a paintballing party. She’d driven to the shops intent on some rare retail therapy but ended up wandering aimlessly, the crowds only making her feel more alone.

New Year’s Eve had been spent at Heather’s, which definitely was a noisy and chaotic family affair. Eva had taken her phone out to the garden before midnight to speak to Sarah, raising a glass to her over the phone. She was flying to Holland the next afternoon to meet Jon and Eva had gulped back tears of happiness for her sister.

Eva had looked up to the sky to see if she could make out the constellation Ben had shown her but her tears were falling freely and she couldn’t see anything. Perhaps it was the unique perspective that New Year’s Eve can bring or maybe it was gazing at the night sky wondering if Ben was doing the same, but standing alone in the garden, something provided Eva with a clarity of thinking. She had wiped her eyes, topped up her glass, and rejoined the party knowing what she needed to do.

Eva unhooked Hamish’s lead when she reached the beach and watched as he went running off to explore the new scents of the day. She had discovered if she walked him until he was so exhausted he simply didn’t have the energy to misbehave. She knew it wasn’t exactly a proper training method but it seemed to be working and came with the added advantage of killing time.

They passed one other dog walker and in the distance Eva could see a runner but not many were braving the beach today. January always held a certain bleakness Eva thought and it was reflected perfectly in the weather today. Charcoal swirls of clouds scudded across the sky and the wind from the east was making it bitterly cold. Eva huddled deeper into her jacket. Small waves washed up on the shore and then trickled back into the sea and she laughed at Hamish with his little coat on, staying well away from the water. ‘Too cold for you, boy.’

The runner had closed the distance between them and it was Hamish who recognized him first, his tail whipping frantically from side to side as he raced towards Ben. Eva frowned, certain she hadn’t seen Ben’s car, and she was hardly likely to miss it given that she had been painfully aware of his empty driveway since he had left.

She carried on walking watching as Ben slowed his pace and stopped to greet Hamish who was squirming with delight. He was kitted out in dark layers for running and a hat pulled down over his ears. His dark gaze fixed on Eva as she approached and she could see his chest moving as he recovered his breathing. The sight of him made her own heart beat wildly and she could quite happily have thrown herself into his arms pretty much the way Hamish was doing now.

‘Hi, Eva. How have you been?’

There was a brief smile but uncertainty in his eyes. It was almost like seeing him for the first time again, only now she knew just how much she loved him and the stakes were much higher. She faltered – what if he felt differently now?

‘I’m fine, thanks.’

She’d imagined this conversation a hundred times over the past few days. In her head the words had flowed easily but now she felt clumsy, her mouth unable to form the words she needed to say. Instead she cast her eyes down, studying a pretty pink shell lying on the sand.

‘How was your Christmas?’ he asked, still sounding slightly out of breath from his run.

‘Good. Jamie had a great time anyway.’ She kept her attention on the shell, scuffing it with the toe of her boot before she looked up at him. ‘What about you – how was London?’ Eva wondered if that sounded as petulant to Ben as it did to her own ears and thought she saw the tiniest flicker of amusement in his eyes before he replied.

‘London was busy and noisy, just as I expected it to be. But I had a few things to do, saw a few old friends – I got back yesterday.’

‘I didn’t notice your car in the driveway,’ she remarked.

‘I sold it in London so I got a flight back.’ He shrugged. ‘It wasn’t really me. I thought I might look for something else.’

Eva nodded mutely just as a huge black cloud suddenly stole all the light and she felt a sudden chill.

‘I’d better call Hamish back.’ She tried to sound confident but knew there was every chance Hamish would have other ideas. True to form, Hamish totally ignored her and after a couple of failed attempts, Ben offered assistance.

‘Would you like me to have a go?’

Eva shrugged. ‘Sure.’

Ben placed two fingers in his mouth and gave an ear-splitting whistle. Hamish stopped in his tracks. ‘Here, boy!’

Eva watched in disbelief as Hamish trotted over, the very model of obedience, and looked up adoringly at Ben.

‘I don’t believe it!’ Eva rolled her eyes. She clasped the lead to his collar just as a deluge of frozen rock-like hailstones started pelting down from the dark sky.

‘We should get back.’ They walked in silence, Eva aware of Ben’s hand on the small of her back as he guided them away from the beach. By the time they reached the row of houses, Eva’s face was stinging with cold and she was shivering although she was sure she couldn’t attribute that all to the weather. They came to Ben’s house first and Hamish scuttled up his path. Ben turned questioningly to Eva and saw her shaking.

‘You’re frozen; we’d better get you inside.’

In the hall they shook themselves out and Ben gestured for Eva to go through to the living room while he made something hot to drink. Eva took off her boots, feeling suddenly more relaxed as she walked into the familiar room, almost a sense of belonging enveloping her.

A few brochures sitting on the coffee table caught her attention and she instantly recognized them as estate agent brochures and she felt her heart drop. She skimmed the glossy pages of properties being sold in St Andrews, the clever angles showing the staged interiors to their best advantage. Ben came in carrying two mugs and she turned to him, holding up the brochures with a questioning eyebrow.

‘Why do you have these?’ she asked, attempting to sound casual, dreading what the answer might be.

‘Oh, right. I went to see an estate agent when I came back yesterday – he gave me these.’ He handed her a mug and then lit the fire, which cast a warm glow around the room.

‘Are – are you thinking of selling?’ Eva swallowed.

He shrugged. ‘I thought I should at least do the exercise. If I did sell and look for a smaller place, I wanted to see what was out there and how easy it would be to sell this place.’

Eva bit her lip, taking her mug over to the window, composing herself before turning to face Ben. ‘I’ve heard January isn’t a good time to sell.’

Ben’s mug stopped halfway to his mouth and he stared at Eva for a moment before his expression changed. ‘Really?’ he said, continuing with his drink. ‘The estate agent seemed to think it was the perfect time to sell.’

‘Well he would, wouldn’t he? You know what estate agents are like – they always find a way of pitching it. You can’t trust them.’

‘Is that right?’ he mused.

Eva nodded. ‘Uh-huh, definitely,’ she confirmed. ‘And at the very least you should probably get the kitchen done – kitchens really help to sell a house.’

Ben quirked an eyebrow. ‘I don’t know, that sounds like a lot of work. I’d need to find the right person for the job and I know how difficult that can be.’

Eva felt her heart thumping as she walked across the room to Ben. Slowly she placed her untouched tea down on the table and stood in front of him and looked into his eyes.

‘Stay,’ she said, her voice almost a whisper. Ben fixed her with a look, his eyes never leaving hers.

‘Say that again,’ he said quietly.

Feeling suddenly brave she moved closer to him so they were almost touching and tiptoed so that her mouth was close to Ben’s ear.

‘Stay,’ she repeated. ‘Stay with me and Jamie and Hamish. I want you to be part of our family, Ben.’ He pulled back just enough so his eyes could search her face.

‘Last time we spoke you didn’t seem to think that was such a good idea.’

‘I know. But I got it wrong. I panicked – I can see that now. I’ve done such a good job of protecting myself, of convincing myself that I can manage on my own, it was difficult to let go of that. But I’ve had time to think and I don’t want to live in fear any more. I can’t control every little thing about Jamie’s life. I’ve missed you so much … I love you so much. I want to take this chance to be happy with you.’

Time seemed to stop as Ben stood silently and Eva could hear her own heart thundering in her chest. ‘Aren’t you … going to say anything?’ She swallowed.

Ben stared at her for a long moment and then held out his hand. ‘Will Hamish be all right here on his own?’ he asked, the gruffness in his voice and the expression on his face sending a shock of heat through her body.

Eva glanced at Hamish who she could swear was smiling. ‘I think he’ll be okay for a little while,’ she stammered before taking Ben’s hand.

A little while turned into a long while and Hamish was stretched out in a deep sleep in front of the fire when Ben and Eva padded back downstairs hand in hand. Eva ambled over to the window and gazed out to the familiar setting, except that everything looked shiny and new somehow. The dark clouds were starting to drift away and Eva shook her head slightly, thinking of all the stormy weather recently, wondering where it had all come from. But the worst of it seemed to be over, she thought, seeing the patches of blue sky beginning to appear on the horizon.

She turned to look at Ben who was sitting on the sofa watching her. Eva thought he looked how she felt: a bit dazed and deliriously happy. He patted the space beside him and Eva tucked herself in close beside him, feeling the warmth and strength of his body beside her as he wrapped an arm around her.

‘So does that mean you’re staying?’

‘I’m definitely staying.’ He smiled, planting a kiss on the side of her head. Eva sighed happily, letting her body sink further into his arms.

‘It’s still a big house for one person though,’ she mused.

‘Yeah, I’ve been thinking about that.’

‘And?’

‘And that’s where you come in.’

‘Oh?’

‘I was kind of hoping you’d like to decorate it …’

Eva swivelled round to face him, her eyes shining. ‘I’d love to decorate it! I have a million ideas …’

‘I’m counting on it.’ Ben smiled. ‘And I was hoping it could become our family home, Eva. For you, me, and Jamie. And Hamish of course.’

‘We move in here?’

‘Only if you wanted, when you were ready.’ His voice sounded tentative now, his beautiful dark eyes studying her face so intently that in that moment Eva knew she trusted Ben totally, knew that he would love and cherish their new family as much as she would. Because that’s what they would be, a family. She met his gaze, feeling a rush of happiness.

‘I’m ready … we’re ready.’ She smiled. There was so much to think about and she paused as she tried to process the thoughts tumbling about her head, the feel of Ben’s fingers running through her hair almost making it impossible to think at all.

‘You’ve gone quiet,’ Ben said.

‘I was thinking about the guest house, how I’d be able to still run it.’

‘Well, I’ve given that some thought too.’

‘You have been doing a lot of thinking.’ She grinned.

‘I wondered … how you’d feel about running your house as self-catering accommodation. That way you’d still have your business but you’d have more time for other projects – you have such a talent for interiors I thought you might be interested in taking an interior design course.’

Eva was beginning to feel wonderfully dizzy, hardly believing Ben had thought of all that for her.

‘I’ve also decided to rent out my old London home again but it’s going to need a total makeover, if you were interested. But of course, these are only ideas I’ve had – it’s entirely up to you.’ He took her hand and brought it to his mouth, kissing it softly. ‘I just want you to be happy, Eva.’

‘I am happy and I love all your ideas.’ She smiled. ‘Sounds like I’m going to be busy then …’

‘Not too busy for a honeymoon at some point, I hope?’

Eva felt a joyous smile spread across her mouth, warmth and happiness flooding into her very being. She buried her face in his neck, feeling safe and warm and lovely. She couldn’t wait to tell Moira and Donald that she’d be moving in – they would love that as much as she did.

Ben cupped Eva’s face in his hands and looked lovingly at her. ‘You once said to me home is about knowing you don’t want to be anywhere else. For me, home is wherever you are, Eva.’

‘In that case,’ she said kissing him, ‘welcome home.’