Chapter 56
Thankfully, her heart didn’t give out, and twenty minutes later it was done. Felicity and James were husband and wife. It felt like a dream. Perhaps it always would feel that way. Perhaps that was always the intention.
As the registrar declared their knot officially tied, Rita and Jim wrapped their arms around them, and the rest of the guests leapt from their seats, cheering and shouting with joy.
Felicity’s heart swelled in her chest at the sound.
As Felicity and James turned to walk back down the makeshift aisle, avoiding the discreet pile of donkey droppings on the way, James held up a hand.
He was fighting a losing battle but eventually…
eventually they began to quieten down enough for him to speak.
‘I have one more announcement. Well, two announcements really. One is that there’s absolutely loads of food and drink in the next room, Christmas-themed of course and no, not made by me, you’ll be pleased to hear, but by a wonderful catering company who didn’t seem to mind coming out on Boxing Day – so please be nice to them, everyone. And help yourselves.’
‘And secondly,’ he said, giving Felicity’s hand a squeeze. ‘Damn, I should have said this one first,’ he added as the volume of the murmuring in the room went up considerably. ‘Never mention food first, rookie mistake.’
Sure enough, people were already drifting away into the next room.
James and Felicity stood there for a moment wondering if anyone was even going to stay for the second thing.
A few folk lingered at the back, but it was clear they were just being polite and secretly couldn’t wait for the buffet.
James turned to Felicity and smiled down at her.
‘This one’s really for you anyway,’ he said, then leant and whispered in her ear. His breath made her whole body tingle.
‘I didn’t catch that,’ she said, mainly just to make him do it again.
‘I said, how would you feel if I said this was our new home?’ he whispered, a little louder this time. Felicity blinked at him.
‘I’m sorry, Mr Brooks, could you say that again?’
He let out a low chuckle.
‘“Mr Brooks”. I like that. I said, how would you feel if we lived here?’
Felicity let out a high-pitched squeal and threw herself into his arms.
‘Are you kidding me?’ she said, as he lifted her up and held her close.
‘No, I’m not kidding. I mean, unless you don’t like the idea in which case I am absolutely one hundred per cent kidding. Because, you know, I get that it might be weird.’
Felicity looked at him, looked deep in his blue eyes and wondered how she ever got so lucky.
‘It’s not weird. It’s perfect,’ she said. And she meant it. She hadn’t realised until now just how perfect it would be. Like her life had come full circle, but this time she intended to live it to the full.
‘Oh, thank God for that because I’ve already paid the deposit,’ said James, with a breathy laugh.
‘What? How the hell did you afford it?’
‘I had some savings. Okay, I had a lot of savings. Turns out it pays to be a very poor imitation James Bond.’
Felicity squealed again.
A polite cough came from someone in the doorway. ‘So sorry to interrupt but it’s time to cut the cake,’ said a man in an apron, presumably one of the caterers.
‘There’s a cake?’ said Felicity, impressed.
‘It’s made of doughnuts,’ said James, a little sheepishly.
‘Even better,’ said Felicity with a smile. ‘God, I’m going to get so fat being married to you. Get ready for Cankle City, Mr Cowley.’
At this, James beamed. ‘We’ll be there in a moment,’ he said, and the man nodded and backed away. James turned to Felicity, who was still in his arms. ‘Now excuse me while I kiss my wife,’ he said, and she threw her arms around his neck and he kissed her until she saw stars.
‘I love you, Mr Penguin Man,’ she said when she came back up for air, her entire body fizzing and popping with excitement and longing. She wondered vaguely if there were any beds upstairs. Perhaps James had sorted that too. Her face and neck flushed crimson at the thought.
‘I love you, Mrs Penguin Man,’ said James, brushing her hair from her face and placing her gently back down on the floor.
‘I’m Mrs Penguin Man,’ said Felicity, her eyes filling with tears.
‘You are. You always were,’ said James with a grin. ‘But you can still be Crazy Cat Lady too.’
‘That’s why Sophie couldn’t cat-sit for us,’ said Felicity, as realisation dawned.
‘That’s why. But don’t worry, we can bring them with us when we come. It’s all arranged.’
‘This is why you went away?’
‘This is why.’
‘You didn’t go to Manchester?’
‘I didn’t go to Manchester. Sorry about the whole lying thing. I was putting up bunting for three bloody days straight. I mean, how much bunting does one wedding need anyway?’
‘I think you’re forgiven. I bloody love bunting.’
She reached up, pulled his head down to hers and kissed him, then breathed against his lips. ‘Thank you for this incredible day, and Happy Christmas.’ Her voice was wavering. ‘Oh, and by the way, I dropped egg down myself while I was getting ready.’
James roared with laughter. ‘Of course you did.’
‘Of course I did. Sorry. Can’t expect me to ignore a fry-up, can you?’
‘Happy Christmas, and thank you,’ he said hoarsely.
‘For what? I did literally nothing.’
James laughed again and kissed her forehead.
‘You really have no idea, do you? Just by turning up today, just by agreeing to marry me, you’ve given me everything,’ he said.
‘You’ve given me a home. Scratch that, actually.
You are my home. You’re everything, Felicity Brooks. Or should I say, Felicity Cowley?’
Felicity’s heart was about to burst right out of her chest, for real this time.
‘Say it again,’ she whispered, awestruck.
James beamed at her again. ‘Felicity Cowley.’
‘I love it.’
‘Me too.’
And right there and then Felicity knew the truth, once and for all. That home was not a place, but a person. This person. Her incredible, wonderful Penguin Man. Her James.
Her husband.
Her home.
Her family.
Felicity’s face was aching from smiling. Her hand hovered lightly over her stomach, then quickly dropped down to her side.
Her secret news could wait just one more day.
THE END