Читать книгу No Ordinary Wedding Planner: Fighting against the odds to help others make their dreams come true - Naomi Thomas - Страница 5

Over the next few weeks Graham and I saw each other at every opportunity. It all felt too good to be true – I was falling for him in a big way, and quickly. At that time I was due to go on holiday with my family to celebrate my dad’s 60th birthday but the thought of spending time away from Graham was almost too much to bear.

One morning I was taking a bath when I found a strange lump in my right breast. It was the size of a pea, and definitely not something I had felt before. I had undergone breast reduction surgery three years previously and was at first quite certain that it was related – perhaps a stitch that had not dissolved properly, or a lump of scar tissue. On closer inspection, though, I realised that the lump was in an area that hadn’t been stitched. In that moment, and without any idea why, I was very concerned.

I made a mental note to call the doctor as soon as the surgery opened on Monday morning. The lump played on my mind all day though so, when I got home that evening, I texted Graham in the hopes of offloading some of my worry. His auntie had died of breast cancer and he had previously been involved with a girl who had sadly died from ovarian cancer, so he quite rightly insisted that I get everything checked out just to be safe.

As soon as I could, I made myself a doctor’s appointment and headed to the surgery with trepidation. My GP was a lovely man, and, although he was endlessly reassuring, he took the lump seriously, advising me to monitor it for a week in case it was connected to my monthly cycle or other hormonal changes. If it was still there the following week I was to return without delay and I’d be referred for further tests.

Later that week I was due to fly to Goa for my dad’s birthday trip. While I knew I was going to miss Graham terribly, I knew it would be good to have a distraction from my worry. I hadn’t told anyone else about the lump – it seemed unnecessary to worry them in the run up to our holiday.

The first day of our holiday arrived. The thought of leaving Graham was gut-wrenching – we had been together just seven weeks, but our feet hadn’t yet had time to touch the ground. We were falling head over heels in love with each other at breakneck speed.

With my dad’s celebrations and thoughts of Graham whizzing through my mind I reluctantly boarded the plane. During the holiday Graham and I kept in constant contact with each other, but it was hard not having him there with me – especially as he was the only one who knew about my lump. I eventually confided in my mum and her friend, and they did their best to reassure me despite their concern. Mum’s best friend’s son was battling cancer at the time and, aged just 40, the prognosis didn’t look good at all for him. It was so hard to see someone we cared about facing such a terrible illness.

That week couldn’t go quickly enough, and I was beside myself with excitement as we headed home. I couldn’t wait to touch down in Gatwick, and rang Graham as soon as we landed. We promised that we would never spend a moment away from each other again – it was all very dramatic, but felt so right. Bright and early the next day, I headed for Graham’s – he had just moved and I couldn’t wait to be his first houseguest. Seeing him again was fantastic and I realised there and then that I never wanted to be away from this man again. He looked more gorgeous than ever and we couldn’t stop holding each other.

That afternoon we headed into town. Graham had some errands to run and we decided to enjoy lunch together while we were out. I remember that afternoon as though it were yesterday; we walked through Exeter’s main shopping centre, holding hands and chatting, until suddenly Graham stopped.

‘I need to go in there,’ he said, pointing in the direction of a jewellers’ shop on the High Street. I asked him what he needed to go in there for and he began to look nervous.

‘A ring.’ My mind started racing.

‘A ring? What sort of ring?’

‘An engagement ring.’ It took a moment for Graham’s words to sink in, yet nothing before had ever felt so right. So we went into the jewellers, hand in hand, and chose a beautiful engagement ring. In that moment I couldn’t have been happier – we were on cloud nine, and I finally felt as if my life was heading in the right direction.