Chapter Thirty-Six
Eight months later
Ellie’s steps echoed on the tiled entrance of her new home, her comically large suitcase wobbling precariously beside her. The rooms were unfurnished, the autumn air sweeping through the open front door and into the house breathing new life into every room.
Ellie sucked in a deep breath.
‘Hello,’ she whispered to the house.
Alex followed with his own suitcase from Martin’s cab a few seconds later. That was all they had. A king-sized bed was arriving in a few hours, followed by a sofa the following day. But somehow their lack of furniture only added to the charm of moving in together.
They couldn’t wait – as soon as they’d received the keys in their hot, greedy hands they’d grabbed their suitcases and run.
They’d only brought their clothes. Everything else would be fresh and new.
Except for her dress mannequin, which would be brought over by Mark during the week – when he had a minute.
The shop was flourishing now that it had been associated with the famous King wedding, and ‘fusion’ had been all the rage this wedding season.
Nanna and Mark had created a signature ‘King bouquet’ that had been doing exceedingly well the past couple of months.
You could even add a full-size personalised balloon to it – if you fancied that horror show.
Despite Mark’s misguided love of awful balloons, Jones Floristry and Gifts remained safe and profitable for at least another generation.
Ironically, Mark hadn’t even needed her flat deposit in the end, and her mum didn’t need it either.
She had started counselling to work on her emotional issues, and moved into the flat Alex had originally bought for Ellie, and her newfound independence was giving her the confidence that Ellie had found so freeing herself.
Maybe I should use the deposit money to build my Curvy-Couture brand?
Jessica had been right about plus-size actresses being desperate for award ceremony clothes.
She’d already had two requests for dresses since Alex’s mum had championed her designs to most of Hollywood and photos of Ellie at the wedding – nice ones – had circulated, prompting readers to ask where she’d found such a flattering design.
She’d even requested that Ellie make her next dress for the Oscars, which was incredibly flattering, if daunting.
She wasn’t sure how she was going to fit it in with her nurse mentor training, but it was a happy predicament to be in.
She thrived on change and being busy, and so did Alex, who was flourishing in his resident director role.
He had also become a mentor, and his productions specifically showcased new and developing talent, combining the inexperienced cast with one big name that would drive ticket sales.
Isaac – now on Broadway – was the first in a long line of actors who would benefit from Alex’s industry knowledge and contacts.
The latest production, Boudica with Francesca Tatiana, was greatly anticipated to be a roaring success; there were even rumours of an Olivier Award, and it hadn’t even finished rehearsals yet. Now, other big-name actors were queuing up for the prestige of being the big lead in one of Alex’s shows.
However, tonight she’d planned a lovely quiet night in with Alex. Just the two of them getting to know their new house. Sitting on the floor, eating fish and chips out of the paper… She couldn’t have imagined a more perfect start to their new life together, and Alex agreed wholeheartedly.
The holiday hadn’t ended after all.
Ellie had moved in with Alex into his rented apartment within a few weeks of their official real dating – which might have raised eyebrows at the time, but it had made perfect sense to them, and they’d been proven right.
There were still privacy issues, though the press cared less about them with each month that passed.
Now, they had moved together into the Spitalfields house, where they’d had their first kiss… Not many couples could claim that.
Barbs had worked her magic, quickly securing them the house that they’d both fallen in love with but had dismissed as an impossible dream.
The only downside had been that they’d had to wait for the family currently living there to find a place of their own, which had delayed them several months – but Alex and Ellie were willing to wait.
They were together, and this was their perfect home. Their perfect life.
Alex’s suitcase thudded next to hers and then he shut the door with a soft click. His arm wrapped around her shoulders and he gave her a light squeeze. She tipped her head up and their lips met in a sweet pressing of each other’s mouths and hearts.
‘I still can’t believe we’ve got it,’ she said.
They’d both had restless nights praying that the sale would still go through.
It truly was their dream house; Ellie would be close to her family – but not too close – Alex loved the private and tucked-away location, and it offered them the family home they both craved.
Her heart was so filled with joy she feared it might burst. ‘Let’s have a walk around. Reacquaint ourselves with the old girl.’
Hand in hand, they walked through the house, inspecting the strange dust patches and discoloured paint that held shadows of the house’s former occupants, like ghosts in a photograph.
But somehow it wasn’t unpleasant; it showed them the endless possibilities that awaited them.
They would build their own life here, create their own history and make their mark on its walls.
They chatted as they walked.
‘Let’s paint this room blue.’
‘What about one of those big Welsh dressers here?’
‘How about a desk by the window?’
Claiming each room as their own, laughing with bewilderment at the odd pieces of furniture or pictures left by the previous owners, who according to the note ‘hoped they had a use for them’.
More likely, a ploy to get rid of their last-minute junk.
Alex and Ellie didn’t mind; they even decided to keep one crazy picture of a parrot with a cigar in the downstairs loo as a memento of the day.
Ellie’s chest tightened as they approached the nursery. She remembered Alex’s statement that he wasn’t ready when they’d last been here.
‘We could paint it grey or white. Make it into my sewing room,’ she suggested as they stood in the doorway.
Alex entered the room with one confident step and an easy smile. ‘No, it’s better as a nursery, don’t you think? When you’re ready, of course.’
Ellie cleared her throat, feeling as if the floor were tilting.
She tightened her hold on his hand and followed him inside.
‘I don’t want you to rush into anything, especially anything you’re unsure about.
I love you. I can wait until you’re ready, and if that’s never then I’d still rather have you. ’
He chuckled, wrapping his arms around her waist. ‘I think you misunderstood me before. I wasn’t ready to face living in a family home alone. After Savannah, the idea depressed me.’
Her insecurity reared its ugly head and whispered dark thoughts in her ear. But with Alex, she wasn’t afraid to take those dark thoughts and push them into the light. ‘I’m not a consolation prize?’ she asked.
His hands smoothed down her spine to cup her bottom and pull her close against him. ‘This is what I want. With you, and only you. I love you, Eliza Dorothy Jones, you are everything to me. Everything I will ever need and more.’
She giggled at the use of her full name. She used to hate the cliché of living in a flower shop with Eliza as a first name. But Alex thought it the most perfect name in the world, and who was she to argue with perfection? ‘I love you. So much.’
He bent his head and kissed her thoroughly until her heart was racing. So different from their chaste kiss months ago on the roof. Ellie vowed to kiss Alex deeply in every room of their new home.
‘Shouldn’t we wait for the bed to arrive?’ she giggled when he started to peel off her clothes – although her own eager fingers had already made up her mind.
‘No,’ replied Alex, chucking his t-shirt on the floor with a slap. ‘When have we ever needed a bed?’
Ellie laughed. ‘What about our dating rules? PG kisses only… no tongues… no sex.’ She ran her fingers slowly up the wall of his chest.
‘Fuck that,’ he growled, cupping her face and tasting her mouth with a kiss that was anything but chaste.
The truth was, they didn’t need a bed or rules or even the world’s approval. They had each other, and that would always be more than enough.