Chapter 65
sixty-five
PARKER
“Are we ready then?” Briggs asked.
He looked down the table at the other committee members. I watched their poker faces nervously. I defended for forty-five minutes, ten of which were spent watching a statistician tangle with Briggs over a methodological issue. The committee was an odd bedfellows situation, and the best approach was to let people argue to buy time to breathe.
I looked at Astrid. She smiled back encouragingly. All I wanted was to pass, give her a great big kiss, and sweep her off to our next adventure. Up north, I had a job. I’d signed my contract. We’d move in a couple of months. Briggs would, too. Today, after my defence was finished, we would catch a charter north to look at houses. Astrid booked everything to sweep me off.
My mother and sisters and the rest of the gang were in attendance. Niall was bored to tears but attended in solidarity. Amara came, too. It felt good to see so many supportive people. Because Dad wasn’t there, it was bittersweet. I wished somehow he knew I’d finally finished what I started. And, now? It was time for Astrid to finish what she started .
Heads nodded. It was time to debate my fate.
Astrid took my hand. Since we were about to escape this place, we no longer had to hide it. I’d given up fighting it. She flustered me. And, anyway, Briggs was still her advisor, and I’d be around him if I were around her.
“You did great,” Astrid assured. “Beautifully.”
“I have no idea what that was,” Mother sighed. “What now?”
“They come to a conclusion and say he passed,” Astrid said.
She was a first-year, but she was thoroughly indoctrinated into academic life. Astrid spoke as if she’d done this forever.
“I hope they say I passed.”
I paced. Astrid let me go, trying to make nice with my mother. I had to give it to her for trying. Mum let out all hell on us both when I told her I was moving with Astrid to Scotland. She thought my decision was flippant, but I could imagine no other way to keep myself happy. I wanted Astrid and this academic life right now. I needed that before I went back, settled, and had children. I owed it to myself—and Astrid. We were still new and figuring life out. There would be time for everything else eventually.
Briggs popped his head out. “We’re ready for you, Dr Westfall.”
At first, I didn’t understand why that was notable until Astrid shrieked excitedly.
“Congratulations and welcome,” Briggs extended his hand. “You passed.”
Amazed, I shook his hand back. “Thank you, sir. Thank you?—”
“You are very deserving,” Briggs said.
Inside the room, we signed the obligatory forms. My degree would be officially conferred in July, but I was effectively done. Astrid gave me a massive kiss, which probably surprised all the other academics who knew us. Again, it was unlike us to make a fuss. I didn’t care.
“I’m so damn proud of you,” Astrid said. “So fucking happy for you!”
“I know,” I said.
“Now what?” Briggs asked. “When do you move? ”
“This summer—after Astrid finishes her last class,” I answered. “Once we’re assured life is good. We’ll move up and settle in.”
“You’re moving together?” Briggs smiled, surprised.
“It’s been a journey,” Astrid blushed.
“And at first, I thought you hated one another.” Briggs shook his head. “I assumed something was happening around the end of term last year when Parker was all too kind to you. Was your disdain just an act? You could have been honest.”
“Not at first,” I chuckled nervously. “We didn’t get on. We soon realised—as you said—we had a lot in common.”
Astrid smiled. “It was… a surprise to us most of all.”
“We’re about to hop a flight north to look at houses,” I said.
“Well, best of luck to you. I am glad you won’t be too far,” Briggs said. “I think I need to catch up with you all.”
“We will have you over for dinner,” Astrid said. “Once we get the house in order.”
We had champagne on the way north, enjoying a bit of quiet. I was glad to leave my mother and her criticisms. Our estate agent picked us up and was keen to show us a few properties in Edinburgh and St Andrews. I expected Astrid would prefer a lovely stone cottage with a pretty garden near a train station. It would make her life easier, after all.
Instead, she surprised me. We drove down a lane towards a beautiful Georgian stone house with a tree-lined private drive. We passed a barn, paddocks, and a horse school. Astrid’s face lit up as the car stopped.
“It’s a horse property?”
“Yes. Six hectares,” the agent said. “Lovely countryside. Private.”
“But where is the nearest station?” I asked. “And how far are we from Edinburgh?”
Someone had to be practical. Astrid’s mind was on horses, the garden, and a grand house, but we’d have to live with our commutes. I didn’t want her to have second thoughts the minute I bought the place. I worried she’d be disappointed .
“It’s about five kilometres to the village. Train to Edinburgh takes roughly fifty minutes. It’s about an hour’s drive to St Andrews.”
I didn’t mind that drive. I only taught a few days a week. I suspected Astrid would be in town more often. Unfazed, Astrid continued the tour. The place needed updating but had loads of charm. Or, at least, it charmed Astrid. I was harder to impress.
We stood, looking over the fields behind the house from the primary bedroom. The agent gave us space to chat. I sensed Astrid wanted this house, and I could do little to argue with her.
“There are updates we could make that would improve it,” Astrid said. “The kitchen and bathrooms. Some paint here or there. The floors are amazing. The parquet in the entry is beautiful. I love the staircase. The bedrooms are large, Parker. It’s perfect.”
I let out a long sigh. “It’s a start. But you’re talking about changing the most expensive parts of the house.”
“It’s only half-a-mil, Parker,” Astrid said as if that was nothing . “It’s a great deal. And we’ve got what? Five months to do the renovations.”
“They always take longer than you think,” I groaned.
“Parker, please,” she whinged. “I love this place.”
Astrid threw her arms around me, burying her face in my shirt and holding me tight. She looked up at me, chin on my chest. It was adorable. She knew it made me melt.
“For you,” I sighed. “I’d do nearly anything. But you realise this place is a pipe dream?”
“Why?”
“Because it’s out here in BFE,” I said.
“It’s private.”
“And you cannot drive.”
She kissed me slowly, buttering me up. “You’re an excellent teacher.”
I chuckled. “You’re fucking cute, but I still think it’s impractical.”
“Let’s go for it—be happy. I will have my horses. You can have your quiet life far from the hustle and bustle.”
Unable to resist, I settled the matter with a kiss.
“C’mon, you know you want to buy a house, Dr Westfall. ”
“Now, you’re just sucking up.”
“Well, is it working?”
I smiled. “Fine. You want the house. Let’s get it. I am helpless to resist you. But all renovation needs to be finished two weeks before we move here in August. You hear me?”
“I will keep it to a minimum,” Astrid promised.
“Then, we can buy the house.”
Astrid jumped up and down. “Thank you, Parker. I love you so much!”
“And I do, too—against my better judgement, Astrid,” I sighed. “If it makes you happy, we will be. And if we can be happy, I won’t look a gift horse in the mouth.”
“We will be happy. Build a life. Give it a shot, Parker.”
I took her face in my hands, taking in her delicate features, beautiful blue eyes, and pout on her lips. I kissed her forehead slowly, breathing in the comforting smell of her shampoo. This was all I wanted—all I needed. I didn’t need fanfare or a parade. I only needed this woman who always showed up for me and asked for very little. She’d have her stone house and her horses. I’d have a beautiful, quiet life and live happily ever after.