Page 106 of Moonlight Kisses at Willow Tree Hall

And then it was just Lily and Jack, alone in the orchard.

‘What a day,’ she said, rubbing her aching neck and shoulders.

‘Absolutely,’ said Jack. He stared up at the sky.

She followed his gaze and they both looked up at the huge moon above them, surrounded by stars sparkling in the night sky.

‘It’s so beautiful,’ said Lily.

‘I Googled harvest moons after your grandad told me about them,’ Jack told her. ‘As well as allowing us to harvest late at night, it’s also a symbol for new beginnings. A fresh start after the harvest when everything old is taken away and life begins anew.’

‘That’s very poetic,’ she teased.

But Jack was very serious when he looked down at her.

‘Talking of new beginnings,’ he began. ‘There’s something I need to tell you.’

She grew worried at his solemn face. ‘What is it?’

He took a deep breath. ‘The prom.’

Lily shook her head. ‘Not now,’ she told him. ‘It’s been such a nice day.’

‘Just let me tell you what happened,’ he said, taking her by the hands so he was standing in front of her.

She stood silent, waiting.

‘I had actually planned to take you to the prom,’ he began. ‘Honestly, that’s the truth. But, early that afternoon, my birth dad got in touch.’

‘He did?’ Lily was shocked.

Jack sighed. ‘He tracked me down. I was so ready to trust him. So convinced that he would want to rebuild a relationship between us. But I was wrong. So wrong.’

‘What did he say?’ asked Lily.

‘He just wanted money,’ Jack told her in a dull tone. ‘He’d seen the nice, large home my adoptive parents had and figured I would be able to share the wealth around. I told him where to go, of course.’

Lily stood and waited for him to carry on.

‘I tried to put it behind me. Carry on with our plans for the evening. But, by the time I got to your house, I was really angry. I was so mixed up that I ended up taking it out on the wrong person.’

Lily gulped as he reached out to stroke her face. ‘I was so cross with the unfairness of it all. It was like all the bitterness just spilled out of me and you ended up on the receiving end. I’m so sorry.’

She reached up to hold his hand in hers briefly against her cheek. She couldn’t be mad at him any longer.

‘Where did you go afterwards?’ asked Lily. She had always wanted to know what had happened to him next.

Jack hung his head, as if in shame. ‘I went home and shouted at my adoptive parents as well. I was so riled up. Then I got straight on my motorbike and took off. I didn’t stop until I needed to fill up with petrol, and by that stage I was at Dover.’

‘Dover?’

‘I went around Europe. It was the summer and I’d finished my apprenticeship, so I just took off. When I came back, I heard about the accident and wanted to find you, to tell you how sorry I was that I wasn’t there to help. But I was so ashamed and it was so late. Too late for apologies.’ He suddenly looked up at her. ‘That was wrong of me. It’s never too late to say sorry. So I’m sorry that I wasn’t there for you all. Forgive me.’

She stared up at him: at the face that was older and yet the pain was still raw, etched into the soft lines.

She let go of his hand to reach up to stroke his cheek. He trapped her hand with his and held it against his warm skin. Just like she had done with his.

‘I should have told you,’ he said, his voice raw with emotion. ‘You were the only one I’d ever let close and I pushed you away…’