She had wanted this for a very long time. It felt like she’d been searching for the prince who could make it happen since she’d seen her first Disney fairy tale. But the dream was so blindingly clear now.
Too clear.
Because she was looking at the person who had the power to make that dream come true.
And maybe she would get over it eventually but, right now, Tilly felt absolutely certain that there would never be anyone else that she could want as much as she wantedthisman.
Maddie rubbed her nose against Tilly’s chest and snuggled closer, her head getting heavier as she made the cutest little snuffling sounds. Within minutes, she went limp and Sophie carefully extracted her from Tilly’s arms and carried her up to her bed. When she came downstairs it was time to properly admire the desserts in their box, and Luc opened the champagne.
* * *
Their hosts toasted their reunion with Tilly, welcomed Angus to his new life in Provence for however long it would be and then chatted casually about the good things in their lives that deserved celebration. Sophie and Luc talked about how much they were loving parenthood. Tilly told them about the cowboy proposal in Èze, boots and all. Angus listened and smiled but found his thoughts drifting.
To the way Tilly had looked at him, as she was holding baby Maddie in her arms. That longing in her eyes for what was missing in her life.
He could feel it too. So clearly, he could quite easily imagine a Tilly in the future, standing there holdingtheirbaby. But would she still look as if she was yearning for something she didn’t have? She deserved to have the kind of passion and romance in her life that she believed was so important – given by someone who believed in it as much as she did, not someone who was just putting on a performance. Acting a part.
Sophie asked him about his work.
‘What does a risk consultant actuallydo?’
‘Rather a lot of boring stuff, like gathering the right people and making plans. An awful lot of time in front of a computer screen and endless meetings.’ It was the kind of automaticresponse that Angus had given Tilly when she’d asked the same question.
But she’d made him believe he wasn’t a boring person, hadn’t she? She made him feel… taller. Funnier. Kinder. Desirable.
As if he could be anything at all – as long as he believed in it.
As if he was worthy of being trulyloved.
‘Sometimes not so boring,’ he added, with a smile. ‘I’ve got a situation at the moment that’s on quite a dramatic knife-edge.’
Not that he could say anything about the more intense meetings he’d had in the last couple of days. The trial had finally been halted. An MRI on the first patient had shown abnormalities consistent with diffuse swelling in his brain, and when he had a seizure the following day and was admitted to the intensive care unit nobody had argued with Angus that any further dosing of other patients was both unethical and indefensible.
Tilly gave him a look that he could only describe as conspiratorial.
‘Talking about dramatic things,’ she said. ‘Angus and I walked up the Baou des Blancs the other day and I’ve decided that that’s where I want to do the photo shoot, Luc. It’s perfect.’
‘Really?’ Luc looked surprised. ‘I mean, it’s got a fabulous view that is definitely recognisable as the South of France but it doesn’t exactly scream romance, does it?’
‘That’s the whole point,’ Tilly said. ‘This is about diversifying. Tapping into new markets for people who don’t do the romantic nonsense with the sparkles and fairy lights.’
Both Tilly and Sophie flicked a glance towards Angus. Had Tilly told her that he was the most unromantic man on earth? Did she know that it designated him as never being anything more than a friend?
‘Show Angus some of your photos,’ she said to Luc. ‘I’ve told him about the bride with the wedding dress on fire but I didn’ttell him about that wedding we all did on Cap d’Antibes. You’ve got a photo on your phone, yes? Of the lightning shot?’
‘I can do better than that.’ Luc walked towards a single desk near the front door and picked up a large, thin folder. ‘I brought my portfolio to show a prospective client while I’m here. I keep a copy in there.’
It was the most remarkable photograph Angus had ever seen.
Breathtaking.
A bride and groom standing on jagged rocks, the veil about to be ripped away by a vicious wind, a black, angry sea and the even more jagged forks of lightning behind and above them. Mother Nature’s fury, but the couple seemed oblivious to it, aware only of each other and their love as they shared a kiss.
‘Extraordinary,’ he murmured.
‘Pure luck,’ Luc said.
‘All hell broke loose after that split second,’ Sophie put in. ‘It could have been a complete catastrophe.’
