Terms Of Their Costa Rican Temptation

‘Oh, Skye,’ her mum cried from behind her, tears of joy glistening in her eyes. ‘I never thought...’ Skye watched as Mariam Soames pressed her lips together, holding back the words as Star reached for her mother’s hands and Summer placed her head on Mariam’s shoulder.

All four women knew the end of that sentence. Knew how close they’d come to not having this moment. So much had happened in the last year, highs, lows, fraught battles and hard-won victories, each one bringing them to a love and happiness that they never could have expected. Skye turned and was instantly wrapped in the loving embrace of the women she shared her life with.

‘If you start crying...’ Star warned through her own tears.

‘It will ruin your eyeliner and that took me almost ten minutes to get right,’ finished Summer, with the same sheen of tears as her sister and mother.

‘You know weddings are supposed to be happy, right?’ Skye chided. ‘And that you’re not supposed to cry until the end?’

‘But it’s—’

‘So romantic,’ Skye, Summer and Mariam Soames finished for Star, before they all descended into gentle giggles.

There was a knock on the door and Xander, Benoit’s best man, called out the time, alerting the girls to the fact that the ceremony was to start shortly. Skye ushered them all from the room with a smile, just wanting a moment to herself. With promises that she’d be down in a minute, she turned back to the mirror and took in the glow in her cheeks, the shine to her hair—a nice boon from her pregnancy—and the glint of the citrine ring on her finger the most magical of all. In some ways, it was even more special than the diamond necklace that hung from her neck, dropping low into the V of the bodice of her wedding dress. One third of the Soames jewels, the other two with her sisters, making it feel—as it always had done—as if some things were meant to be.

Life had changed so much in the last year. The moment Skye had returned to England with Benoit and been reunited with her sisters, to hear the accounts of their own fantastic journeys, her mother had been rushed into treatments that had dramatically changed everything. It had not been easy and, a year on, the only thing they knew the future held for certain was hope. And that wouldn’t have been possible without Catherine Soames.loz!

During that time, Skye ha

d grown in confidence, had let go of the responsibilities she had placed upon herself and started to embrace her inner thrill-seeker, all of which had been down to her future husband—even if he did regret showing her how to ride a motorbike. She had fallen in love with the Dordogne and her French was improving every day, which was invaluable as they now split their time between England and France. But the love, the certainty and security she had found with Benoit was something she marvelled at the most, never imagining how powerful a thing it was to love and be loved without measure.

And, no matter how long she lived, she would never forget that she wouldn’t have met Benoit without the Soames jewels. Wouldn’t have rushed headlong into an adventure that—she now knew—had only just begun when she slipped into an unlocked car. And she hadn’t been the only one, as Star’s part in finding the Soames’ jewels had been just as magical and exciting as her own, but that was a story for another time.

Downstairs, more than two hundred guests were taking their seats on the white chairs with large white bows on the beautiful green lawn in front of the wildflower arbour beneath which she would declare her love for Benoit. She bit down on her bottom lip when she thought on the fact that her father wasn’t amongst them. It didn’t hurt as much as it would have a year ago, but she wouldn’t deny herself the moment to honour that feeling, before letting it go.

Frowning, she felt something draw her to the window and she had learned in the last year to pay attention to her instincts. With a smile already pulling at her lips, she pulled the curtain across her body to cover her dress, conscious of the superstition about wedding gowns and thankful that she had. Down on the grassy bank, as people made their way towards their seats, stood Benoit, staring up as if they’d arranged to meet like this.

He looked at her with wonder, as if he’d never seen anything more beautiful than her, as if he’d never stop looking at her. She watched as he covered his heart with his hand and then pressed it to his mouth. She would swear until her last day that she felt his lips against hers in that moment. But, in truth, they didn’t need words, they didn’t need touches, or kisses—they were, of course, welcome and wonderful—but unnecessary because she felt more than his kiss. She felt his soul entwine with hers, making her more than just herself, making them greater together. Skye no longer feared being herself, no longer feared past hurts or future pains because, whatever storm would come, they would survive it.

Because they would always go with love.