Chapter Twelve #3
‘It’s true I lost part of my memory for a short time, but I regained it without telling anyone.
Jago, bless him, wanted to be with you, and my fall and my concussion gave him the perfect excuse to convince you to come to Wildewood with him.
I was so convinced it would give you both time to fall in love all over again, but I shouldn’t have meddled.
’ She made a regretful little moue with her mouth and continued.
‘I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you both.
I’m furious with Maxwell for what he did to break you up.
You’re the first person Jago has ever fallen for, and it’s so tragic you’re not together.
I was hoping my birthday weekend would fix everything, but I have a feeling I’ve only made things worse. ’
Mollie reached for Elsie’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.
‘You didn’t do anything wrong. It was sweet of you to try, but Jago isn’t in love with me.
He has never told me he loved me, not the first time around, nor the second.
He just wants a marriage partner without being in love with her.
I can’t be with him unless I truly believe he loves me.
I have craved being loved my whole life. ’
‘Oh, my dear girl,’ Elsie said with tears glimmering in her eyes.
‘You sound just like me as a young woman. I settled for financial security with Maxwell and devoted my life to our son James to make up for what I lacked from my husband. But then darling James was taken from me, and I couldn’t think of leaving Maxwell, even though I was so miserably unhappy.
But raising Jago and Jack and Jonas gave my life a purpose.
I know this sounds deluded of me, but Maxwell does love each of us in his way.
He was never taught to be open with his feelings.
He finds emotions very threatening because his father was exactly the same.
He punished Maxwell for showing any sign of weakness, which in those days meant showing any sort of emotion or vulnerability.
And he particularly finds deep love terrifying and thinks it’s more of an obsession than true love.
I’ve tried to break the cycle, but I’m afraid each of the boys struggle with being emotionally available. ’
‘I can’t settle for that sort of marriage,’ Mollie said. ‘I love Jago with all my heart, but I don’t want to be always looking over my shoulder, wondering when he is going to find someone else. I need full commitment. I need to be loved in return.’
‘Of course you do. Everyone does. Jago was hit so hard by losing his parents. Jack was always a tough kid, resilient and strong-willed, and he seemed to cope so much better, although who really knows what mark it’s left.
Jago was more sensitive and emotional, but of course, after the accident, he shut down completely.
Jonas was too young to really remember much, although he must remember it on some level.
Even before James and Alice were killed, Jonas was always a serious little boy.
They say trauma changes the architecture of children’s brains, and I can well believe it.
Those darling boys all changed after losing their parents. ’
‘I’m so sorry. They were so lucky to have you as their grandmother.’
Elsie gave a wistful smile. ‘I’d feel even luckier if you were my granddaughter-in-law. But I’ve done enough meddling. I can only be there for you in any way you need.’
‘Thank you. You’re so kind.’
There was a sharp knock at the door.
‘Oh, that will be the champagne I ordered earlier.’ Elsie’s expression looked chagrined. ‘Perhaps you’d better answer the door and cancel it. I gave Harriet the night off so you and I could spend time together alone.’
Mollie rose to her feet and went across to open the door to the room service staff.
But when she opened the door, she saw Jago standing there holding a bottle of champagne and three glasses on a tray.
Mollie stared at him, her mouth falling open in shock, her heart leaping to her throat.
‘What are you doing here?’ she asked in a tone laced with surprise and a tiny sprinkling of hope.
‘I’m joining my two most favourite people in the world for dinner,’ Jago said. ‘Sorry I’m late. Three weeks late, to be precise.’ There was a smile in his eyes, and his mouth was curved in a way that made her heart swell with renewed hope and a flood of joy.
Mollie stepped back to allow him in. ‘Is your grandmother in on this visit?’
‘No. But I’m happy she’s here to witness my proposal.’
‘Proposal?’ Mollie blinked at him. ‘I gave you my answer three weeks ago.’
Jago closed the door with his foot and walked farther into the suite. ‘Third time lucky, as they say. Hi, Gran.’ He put the tray on a side table and then turned to bend down to kiss his grandmother. ‘You don’t mind me gatecrashing your dinner with my future bride?’
‘Not at all, my darling boy,’ Elsie said, eyes shining brighter than the crystal chandeliers in the suite.
Jago turned to Mollie and took both of her hands in his. ‘Will you forgive me for taking this long to realise I love you with all my heart and soul?’
Mollie’s eyes stung with the threat of tears. Happy, joyous tears. ‘You’re the first person to ever say that to me.’
‘I know, and I’m kicking myself for not saying it two years ago, let alone three weeks back. Will you marry me, my one true love? Please say yes . I love, love, love you and want to spend the rest of my life proving it to you.’
Mollie couldn’t hold her tears back any longer. She threw herself into his waiting arms, relishing how tightly they came around to hold her close to his thudding heart. The heart that had finally unlocked to let her in. ‘I love you too, so much, more than I can ever say.’
Jago tilted up her chin so her gaze met his.
‘I can’t wait to be married to you. I’ve missed you so much.
I can’t believe I’ve been so blind to my own emotions, but I’ve always locked them away, so terrified of allowing myself to feel anything for anyone in case they were ripped away from me.
But stupidly, I allowed that to happen two years ago.
I realise now if I had told you what I felt for you, things might have panned out differently.
You would have trusted me and come to me when my grandfather manipulated things to get you to go away.
Can you forgive me? I don’t deserve it, I know.
I can’t believe what an arrogant prick I’ve been, asking you to marry me two years ago and not even mentioning how I felt about you.
But I’d locked my heart away so long ago, I could hardly recognise my own feelings.
But they’re real, my love, so very real.
I love you and want you by my side forever. ’
Mollie hugged him again, leaning her cheek on his broad chest, finally feeling safe and loved and treasured.
She had waited her whole life for this moment, and it was a dream come true that it was Jago who had made her feel so loved and wanted.
‘I probably shouldn’t have put so much emphasis on you saying the words.
Your actions were there all the time, but I didn’t think they were enough. ’
Jago lifted her chin once more. ‘I promise to spend my lifetime showing you how much I love you.’ He bent down and pressed a lingering kiss to her mouth, sweeping her away on a cloud of happiness that was unrivalled in her experience of life to date.
‘Is anyone going to open this champagne?’ Elsie piped up with a smile in her voice.
Jago laughed and released Mollie to do the honours with the champagne. ‘Sorry to keep you waiting, Gran, but I had important business to see to.’
‘Don’t mind me,’ Elsie said with a fairy godmother twinkle in her eyes. ‘Let’s have a quick toast to your and Mollie’s future, and then I’ll retire to bed and you can go to Mollie’s room and finish your so-called business.’
Mollie could feel a blush blooming on her cheeks, but she was thrilled that Elsie was the first to congratulate them.
Jago poured three glasses of the bubbling champagne and handed her one, and then one to his grandmother, before holding his against Mollie’s and his gran’s. ‘To love and being loved.’
‘To love and being loved,’ Mollie and Elsie echoed and sipped from their from flutes.
‘There’s one other proposal I have for you,’ Jago said. ‘This hotel is one of my investment properties, and I’ve just finished refurbishing it. It’s only been open a few weeks.’
‘Elsie just told me about that a few minutes ago,’ Mollie said then gave him a searching look. ‘Were you behind the Cinderella ticket?’
Jago’s eyes glinted. ‘Do I look like Prince Charming to you?’
‘Yes,’ Mollie laughed. ‘You’re my Prince Charming.
’ She was still having trouble believing this was happening, that all her dreams were coming true.
She wanted to pinch herself, but she didn’t want to let go of Jago.
It was so wonderful to be held in his arms and know she was there to stay there forever.
‘Are you enjoying the skin care conference?’ he asked.
‘Very much so. It’s one of the best training seminars I’ve ever been to.’
‘Well, the proposal I have, my fourth at last count, is for you to take over the management of the day spa in this hotel. Are you interested?’
Mollie gulped back a sob of undiluted joy. ‘Are you serious?’
‘Perfectly serious.’ Jago bent his head to press another loving kiss to Mollie’s mouth, finally easing back to gaze down at her with his dark blue eyes gleaming with happiness.
‘As much as I’d love to marry you tomorrow, I think we should wait until Jonas gets back from his top-secret mission.
Do you mind waiting another few weeks until we hear from him? ’
Mollie smiled up at him, her heart almost bursting with joy. ‘I’ll try and be patient.’
‘That reminds me.’ He released her momentarily to take out a ring box from inside his jacket pocket. He prised it open and slipped the sapphire-and-diamond engagement ring on her left ring finger.
‘Is it real?’ Mollie asked with a cheeky smile.
‘As real as my love,’ Jago said and bent his head to kiss her once more.
‘ Ahem ,’ Elsie said after a long moment.
Jago and Mollie pulled apart to smile at her. ‘Sorry, Gran. Are we boring you?’ Jago asked with a grin.
‘Not at all, my darling boy, but I think I need to finish my tipple and then let you two lovebirds have some privacy, don’t you?’ Elsie’s smile was teasing but also full of happiness that shone as brightly as the ring on Mollie’s finger.
Mollie slipped out of Jago’s hold to press a soft kiss on Elsie’s cheek. ‘Thank you for your part in bringing us back together. You are my fairy godmother.’
Jago put his arm around Mollie’s waist and smiled down at his grandmother. ‘You had me completely fooled, but Jack was on to you from the start.’
‘Yes, well, Jack is nobody’s fool, but I couldn’t bear to see you so unhappy, darling,’ Elsie said. ‘But it all turned out brilliantly in the end.’
Jago wrapped his arms around Mollie once more. ‘Yes, it did.’ And he lowered his mouth to kiss her once more.
* * * * *
Read on for an extract from KING’S EMERGENCY WIFE by Lucy King