Epilogue
CORNWALL, THE FOLLOWING CHRISTMAS
I stand at the end of the aisle, feeling a sudden rush of nerves. It looks like an awfully long way to the altar, and everyone is staring at us. What if I trip over my dress, or break a heel?
I glance at the rows of people inside the church, the familiar faces and the friends.
Bernadette and Brian. Cara and her new baby boy.
Maggie, now completely recovered. My mum and Ethan, here visiting.
And right at the front, looking impossibly handsome in his tailored navy blue suit, Liam.
His eyes meet mine and he gives me a little smile, and a wink that promises me that everything will be okay.
I immediately feel better about everything in the entire world.
My dad glances down at me, my arm linked into his, and gives me a beaming smile. ‘You look beautiful today, Eleanor – utterly radiant. Very rude of you to steal my thunder, you know.’
‘I think you’ll find the thunder belongs entirely to Sandra today, Dad, and it will be impossible to steal. Now come on, let’s make a respectable man of you.’
He nods, looking very slightly overwhelmed, and we slowly stroll up the aisle.
I am an unconventional choice of best man, but I am happy to play the part.
We arrive at the altar, and within a few minutes, the bridal music begins.
Everyone, including us, turns around to see the bride making her own way towards us.
Sandra has her crazy curls pinned up, and looks stunning in a blush-pink dress.
Her eyes find my father’s, and the two of them look blissfully happy.
My dad ended up staying on at the St Tilda Inn as the manager.
Liam technically owns it, and he’s invested in a lot of improvements, but my dad still runs the place – with Sandra by his side.
She’s as good a hostess as he is host, and they have formed the perfect partnership in all aspects of their life.
He popped the question over the summer, and I couldn’t be more thrilled as I watch them take their vows.
It really is never too late to find love.
After the service, there is a celebration back at the inn – because if it’s not broken, why fix it? The two of them are heading off on a mini-break to a stately home hotel called Bancroft Manor in the Cotswolds tomorrow, but tonight, it’s all about the party.
The place is packed, and Maggie has outdone herself on the catering.
She seems much happier now she does less hours at the café – mainly due to her new co-owner, yours truly.
I always hoped I could make a living from doing something I loved, and it turns out that I can.
The café is always bustling, and the bakery business is booming.
Professionally, things couldn’t be going better.
I watch as Alex and Alice tear up the dance floor in their posh togs, joined by Cara’s boys and their other little cousins.
I see the Byrnes sprawled out over several tables.
I see friends old and new. I spot Bella, who still seems to prefer stealing drinks even though she is now old enough to legally buy them.
She sees me watching her, and holds up the remains of a pint of Guinness in a mock salute.
Liam is across the room from me, chatting to Sandra’s brother, but I feel the connection between us just as strongly as if he was right next to me.
We live together at Rosings now, the whole bunch of us, and I couldn’t be happier.
He looks up and over, as though he has sensed me looking at him.
He smiles, and it is a smile that is only for me.
He mouths the words ‘I love you’, and I feel a blush spread over my cheeks. The man still has that effect on me.
Cara appears at my side, and offers me a glass of Champagne. She looks from me to her brother, and shakes her head, silky red tresses swaying over her shoulders.
‘Look at you two,’ she says. ‘Love’s young dream, the pair of you. It’s sickening, so it is.’
I know she doesn’t mean that. She was almost as pleased as I was when Liam and I got back together. She offers me the Champagne flute, but I shake my head.
‘No thanks,’ I reply, giving her a wicked grin. ‘I’m off the sauce.’
She stares at me for a few seconds, dumbfounded, then seems to put the pieces together. My hand is resting on my belly, and her eyes fill with tears.
She wraps me up in a hug, and whispers: ‘Congratulations! I told you it wasn’t too late didn’t I?’
‘You did,’ I whisper back. ‘But don’t tell anybody else just yet.’
She makes a vow of silence, but I’m not entirely sure I believe her. She looks way too excited as she makes her way through the throng and back to Ben and the baby.
Liam joins me, and slides an arm around my shoulder. He drops a kiss on my cheek, and says: ‘You okay?’
‘Yes. Just looking at all those kids on the dance floor, and wondering how we’re going to cope with having four in the house.’
‘We’re going to cope just fine. We can teach them to jump off cliffs, and skateboard, and smoke and drink to excess. We’ll be the model parents.’
‘Oh God,’ I say, throwing my mind forward a few years. ‘What if they’re like us when they’re teenagers?’
‘Then we’ll deal with it. But for now, could I tempt you to a dance? I’ve made a special request with the DJ…’
Just then, the music begins – and Fairytale of New York fills the room. I laugh as we are swept into the middle of the room, jumping and yelling and feeding off the energy that is all around us.
New York never held many fairytales for me. St Tilda, though? That’s a whole different matter. St Tilda is where I began, and now I am back – living my happy ending.
*
If you loved Ellie and Liam’s magical Christmas reunion in the heart of Cornwall, then make sure to check out Debbie Johnson’s A Very Irish Christmas for another laugh-out-loud holiday romance filled with festive sparkle!
Get it here, or read on for an exclusive extract!