Epilogue
I’d always known that at some point I’d meet Milo’s son. However, I’d never anticipated that – at the same time – he would meet mine.
For a moment the three of us had regarded each other in stunned silence. Milo had been the first to move. He’d reached for the remote and switched off the telly. For a moment, everyone had tried speaking at once. It had been quite a commotion.
Bit by bit – and with the aid of a stiff sharpener – the three of us had pieced together everything that had led up to this moment.
Jacob Joshua Soren – Jake to his friends, and fondly named JJ by Milo – had not been on a mate’s stag do. Nor had he partaken in any laddish gallivanting. That story had been contrived. A cover so as not to hurt his Pop’s feelings about what he was really doing.
Jake had taken himself off to Crete to meet his biological father – my first boyfriend, Nicholas – and discover his genetic roots.
Jake hadn’t wanted to complicate things by taking Polly along. He’d gone on to explain that, much as he felt Polly was the girl for him, he had to find out his roots before committing to her.
Now Jake had that knowledge and his heart was complete. He apologised to Milo for not confiding in him but said it had been something he’d had to do for himself.
Milo had blown out his cheeks and looked flabbergasted. But he wasn’t the only one.
‘Sorry,’ I said eventually, my brows knitting together. ‘Call me dense, but I’m not joining all the dots.’ I looked at Milo in confusion. ‘You told me that you and your ex-wife never had children.’
‘Correct,’ Milo nodded. ‘Martha and I adopted JJ when his parents died. His parents were Jerad and Sue. Jerad was my brother. You remember me telling you he was much older than me. Well, my deceased brother and sister-in-law were JJ’s parents.’
‘But’ – I shook my head in confusion – ‘Sue can’t have been JJ’s… Jake’s… mother because I am Jake’s mother.’
‘Tilly, there’s obviously one key thing I forgot to mention about my late brother and his wife.’
‘Omigod,’ I paled as realisation dawned. ‘Your brother and sister-in-law adopted Jake.’
Milo’s face softened.
‘Yes, they did. They couldn’t have kids, and made the decision to adopt. They got lucky. Very lucky. After several false starts and lots of heartache, they adopted a baby boy. I was so happy for them.’ Milo’s face lit up at the memory. ‘They couldn’t wait to show off Jacob Joshua Soren, and I couldn’t wait to be a doting uncle. And I was. Fate can play some amazing cards. It can also play some terrible ones. A few years later, I lost Jerad and Sue.’ Milo’s eyes briefly swam. When he next spoke his voice was hoarse. ‘But I gained a son. Fate has played a hand in your life too. You lost your son, but now you’ve found him again.’
It was at that point the three of us gave way to tears. So many emotions. So many scenarios. But only one ending. A happy one.
In the months that followed, I mused at Hetty Cartwright’s knack of making predictions that somehow came true. Not forgetting another time. The day I’d stood with my dog and intoned to the universe all my hopes and dreams. Namely, to live in the village of Starlight Croft. Or, more specifically, a cottage named after the diamonds that glittered in a midnight sky.
It was strange how life sometimes delivered what we wanted but not in the way we’d expected.
Meanwhile, Jake’s relationship with Polly had gone from strength to strength. They’d initially moved into the garden studio while house hunting. I’d been delighted to have my precious son literally on the doorstep. Milo and I had been even more thrilled when Polly had revealed she was pregnant.
‘Dear God,’ Milo proclaimed in mock horror. ‘I’m sleeping with a grandma.’
I’d gulped back tears when Polly and Jake had broken the news to us. In a few months’ time, I’d be holding a newborn in my arms, but this time I’d have the joy of watching that child grow up.
My parents were delighted that I’d found happiness with Milo and were stunned about Jake. It had stirred up the past. But, as we’d all agreed, you couldn’t change the past, but you could do something about the future.
Mum and Dad had eventually met their grandson. Many tears had been shed, but tears of joy. They’d both agreed that they couldn’t wait to be great-grandparents.
Meanwhile, at Home and Hearth, and true to Oracle Hetty’s prediction, Lisa’s relationship with Juan collapsed. Nor did colleague Candace’s secret fling with Leslie, our boss, work out.
Candace was infuriated that Leslie wouldn’t leave his wife for her. She abruptly left Home and Hearth to work for a competitor.
However, it transpired that Leslie’s wife was having her own illicit romance – with the gardener no less. Leslie apparently walked in on them both in the greenhouse. He claimed that there were scattered seeds and upturned flower trays everywhere. He later said that the difference between Miracle Gro and sex in a greenhouse was not mulch .
Leslie, aware that Lisa was nursing a broken heart, issued an impromptu invitation asking if she fancied going out to dinner. Strangely love went on to blossom between a most unlikely couple. Lisa made it clear to Leslie that she could never be his supplier of sugar tits, although she does sometimes surprise him with a homemade Victoria sponge. Leslie told Lisa that was fine, because life is what you cake of it .
And finally, just when I thought things couldn’t get any better, Milo went down on one knee in the Starlight Arms. Landlady Cilla was overjoyed when I accepted Milo’s proposal. She wants us to have our wedding reception at Starlight Hall ensuring her pub supplies all the celebratory champagne.
However, rumours prevail about the village hall’s future – the main one being that it’s going up for sale on the open market. This, in turn, has attracted the attention of a builder who, according to Cilla, is sex on legs .
But that’s another story…
THE END