His brain stopped dead. He’d met someone who...? Who he hadn’t managed to have the What do you think about us and the future? conversation with yet. He looked down at the invite again. RSVP by... Oops. The date had long since passed.
He picked up his phone and sent a text message to David, who replied a few minutes later.
About bloody time. Alyssa’s having a nervous breakdown at the amount of people who haven’t RSVP’d. You’ve just got yourself off the hit list by the skin of your teeth. Can’t wait to see you!
He smiled. The last few days had been a bit odd between him and Clara. It was as if she was always waiting to say something, but just couldn’t get there. The pessimistic part of him wondered if it might be telling him they needed to cool things down as she’d be leaving soon. But the optimist in him hoped she might say she wanted to stay.
Maybe this invite would give her the push either way. It would be the first formal event they’d attend as a couple. Joshua glanced down at the venue. A beautiful hotel towards Essex set in large grounds. The invite included a number for guests to call to book a room to stay overnight if they wished. He dialled it immediately, hoping because he’d left it so late they wouldn’t be assigned the broom cupboard under the stairs.
By the time he’d replaced the phone, plans had fallen into place in his head. He’d invite Clara to this wedding—he knew she was free this weekend. If she accepted, then he’d use the opportunity to have the conversation with her that had been stalling these past few weeks. It was time. He felt good about it. He wanted to be honest with her. He wanted to be able to consider a future with her, and with Hannah.
He couldn’t ignore the fact that she was always the first person he wanted to talk to—the first person he wanted to see. He couldn’t pretend that his heart didn’t skip a couple of beats like a crazy teenager when he saw her laugh, or he noticed the wicked twinkle in her eyes.
After a few years in hiding, his heart felt ready to take the next step. To trust someone again. To try and make a go of this relationship and take pleasure in imagining where it might go. Maybe things wouldn’t work out, but he was certain he wanted to try. And the only person he wanted to try with was Clara.
* * *
It had been an odd kind of day. The wedding had been sprung on her. When Joshua had told her Hannah was spending the weekend with her grandparents she’d hoped they would do something together. A wedding was a little unexpected, and she couldn’t pretend that she wasn’t a bit nervous. Nervous enough to take herself off to some exclusive boutique recommended by a particularly stylish fellow doctor and try on the contents of the whole shop.
An hour earlier she’d met Joshua’s parents as they’d waved Hannah off. If his parents had been surprised to see her they hadn’t shown it for a second. Linda and Alastair were warm and welcoming, both giving her hugs and appearing genuinely happy to meet her. But, more importantly, it was clear they absolutely doted on their granddaughter. It was equally clear that Hannah had them both wrapped around her little finger. It was interesting to see Joshua interact with his parents. It was obvious they were immensely proud of both of their children, and the resemblance between Joshua and his father had been obvious. They both had tall slim frames and a similar gait. But his mannerisms mirrored his mother’s, from the way he sometimes talked with his hands to the way he inclined his head a little while listening to someone, and that made Clara smile in amusement.
By the time they’d waved Hannah off, Clara only had forty minutes to get ready before they had to leave to drive to the wedding.
She’d thrown some things into an overnight bag but, because no one could ever predict what the traffic would be like in London, she’d decided just to wear her outfit for the wedding.
It took ten minutes to put her make-up on and get ready. She carried her fascinator in the cute little box it had been packaged in, rather than perch it on her head for the journey. She was just spraying some perfume and touching up her lipstick when Joshua came into the apartment. ‘Knock, knock,’ came the deep voice. ‘Want me to grab your bag?’
‘It’s by the door,’ she said as she stuffed her lipstick into her matching clutch bag.
The women in the shop had been very entertaining. They’d played music and brought out champagne while she’d tried on dresses. With each dress they’d managed to magic matching shoes, jewellery and fascinators to try on. But they hadn’t been overbearing. ‘Oh, no!’ one of them had exclaimed as she’d stepped out in a silver sequin design. ‘That colour wipes you out.’
The design of a tomato-red dress had been vetoed too. And it had actually felt like shopping with friends. Now she understood why her colleague had recommended this place. They gave her confidence that, whatever she left with, she wasn’t going to look like some kind of fool who’d been duped into buying something unsuitable.
It wasn’t her normal kind of thing. But she hadn’t wanted it to be. This weekend already felt special. She couldn’t pretend she didn’t want to make a good impression with Joshua’s friends.
She took a deep breath and stepped out the bathroom. ‘How do I look?’
He was bending over, picking up her carry-on-size suitcase, and he glanced over his shoulder and promptly dropped the suitcase on his foot.
He straightened, giving her a good view of his dark navy suit, white shirt and pink tie. She’d handed it to him last night with a wink. ‘Just making sure we’ll match.’
From the expression on his face, the larger than usual balance she’d paid had been money well spent.
‘You look stunning,’ he said simply as he stepped forward, shaking his head a little. He held out one hand. ‘Am I allowed to touch as long as I don’t spoil anything?’
She glanced down. Her mid-pink sleeveless silk dress was the sleekest item she’d ever owned. From the deep cowl neck, it clung to every curve, skimming her hips and falling straight to the floor. Only the three-inch heels kept it from touching the ground.
‘What’s the point of looking but not touching?’ she teased.
His hands grasped her firmly as he took her by surprise and bent her backwards as he kissed her. She laughed, grabbing a hold of his shoulders. ‘Aren’t we supposed to save this for the dance floor later?’ she said breathily.
‘I couldn’t wait that long,’ he said as he trailed kisses down the side of her throat.
‘You’ll make us late for the wedding,’ she giggled.
He sighed and tilted her upwards again. ‘Spoilsport.’
She shrugged and dusted imaginary dust from his shoulders. ‘You don’t scrub up too badly yourself.’
He held her for a few more seconds and she could see something flitting across his eyes. Her heart missed a couple of beats. But then he leaned forward and spoke quietly into her ear. ‘Let’s just have fun this weekend. Deal?’
Relief flooded through her. For half a second then she’d been worried. But then, she’d been thinking herself about the conversations they needed to have and wondering when it would be appropriate. The thought of forgetting about all that and just having fun sounded like heaven.
‘Deal,’ she agreed as she dropped a kiss on his cheek, leaving a hint of lipstick there. She could have lifted her fingers to smudge it away, but she liked it. That almost invisible mark on his cheek. A sign that he was hers.
* * *
They made it to the Essex wedding venue with ten minutes to spare, thanks to the diversions and hideous London traffic. Any plans he might have had to sit for a while, enjoying a glass of wine before the wedding were well and truly blown.
By the time they’d put their bags in the room and Clara had put some magnificent creation on her head they were almost out of time.
‘Wait,’ he said as she put her hand on the door.
‘What is it? Have I got lipstick on my teeth?’ She squinted over at the mirror.
He laughed.
‘No. I arranged to get something delivered.’ He glanced around the room, spying a cardboard box in a cool spot. He walked over and lifted the lid, smiling when he saw what was inside.
Clara appeared at his shoulder. ‘What’s in there?’ She gave a little gasp and he could swear he could hear the smile in her voice. ‘You bought me a corsage?’
She sounded kind of stunned. ‘Of course I bought you a corsage.’ He lifted the delicate ringlet of flowers for her wrist. ‘After you gave me the tie last night, I phoned the hotel to see if they could arrange a buttonhole for me, and a corsage for you in the colour you’d specified.’
He held up the tiny roses that exactly matched her dress, encased in some greenery and entwined around a pearl corsage for her wrist.
‘It’s beautiful,’ Clara sighed. She twisted her wrist one way and then the other, admiring it, before reaching in and taking out his matching buttonhole. His was a single large rose in exactly the same shade of pink. ‘Let me.’ She smiled as she fastened it onto his suit.
‘We’re a matching pair,’ he said quietly, catching sight of them both in the mirror. His heart squeezed in his chest. This was it. This was what he wanted. A partnership.
Her hand came up to his chest as she turned to see where he was looking.
It was like a moment in time. To the outside world they looked like the perfect couple. Her in her slim, sleek pink dress with shining hair, sparkling eyes and leaning into him. He, in turn, in his smart suit, matching buttonhole, with his arms wrapped around her waist. Both smiling.
People could look. Mention how matched they were. Both paediatricians. Both hard workers.