Page 121 of Moonlight Kisses at Willow Tree Hall

He was silent for a moment. The time dragged and Lily was convinced that he would still turn away from her.

Then he reached out and pulled her into his arms, enveloping her with such love that she could feel the tears spring to her eyes.

‘I thought I’d lost you,’ she heard him say, as he pressed his mouth against her hair.

She lifted her head as the tears ran down her cheeks. ‘You’ll never think that again,’ she replied. ‘I love you. I really do.’

‘And I love you, Lily Harper.’

He closed the gap between them and kissed her, gently at first before it developed into a deeper embrace. And it felt as good as it had always done.

When they finally drew apart, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close to her once more. She felt safe. She felt as if she were home.

‘For the record,’ she told him. ‘I would drive that motorbike anywhere in the world so that I could find you and tell you how much I love you.’

He nuzzled her neck with his lips. ‘For the record, I’m not letting you out of my sight. Ever.’ He drew back to look at her. ‘By the way, you owe me a new gearbox for the bike,’ he said, smiling softly.

But his eyes were warm as she reached up to bring his head back down to hers again.

Then the only sound was the wind in the trees as it softly moved the clouds away from the moon, leaving the stars sparkling high above them.

49

‘We’ll be back by the time the new trees arrive,’ said Jack.

‘Don’t worry,’ Sam told him, laughing. ‘I certainly won’t be doing any digging whilst you’re away.’

‘More’s the pity,’ said Jack.

The orchard had become his responsibility over the winter and the plan was to replace some of the ancient gnarled trees that hadn’t produced any fruit the previous year. In addition, he was planning to build a new distillery to create Willow Tree Hall’s very own range of cider that autumn.

He felt quite at peace with himself. It was a bit like the nature and nurture saying, Arthur had told him the other day. Take care of something and you’ll start to take care of yourself as well.

He was no longer bored but looked forward to work, especially as every day was different. He could be wiring up the electrics one day, trying out cider recipes the next. Now that he no longer needed the constant validation of money and wealth, he could take his time and enjoyed each new day.

He had also spent the past six months carefully nurturing a closer bond with his parents. Slowly but surely, their relationship was changing for the better. With Lily’s encouragement, he rang his parents on a frequent basis and they often met up for dinner, as well as hosting their anniversary party.

When the time was right, they were going to make wonderful grandparents, he thought with a smile to himself. He had plans to buy Lily an engagement ring whilst they toured Europe over the next couple of weeks. It was time to make it official.

He was ready to finally let go of the past. It wouldn’t repeat itself. He and Lily would make a home full of children, laughter and love.

Since she had moved in, Lily had transformed the place so that it felt cosier. He especially liked the framed family photographs that had been placed on the fireplace and shelves. It felt warmed and lived in. Just like a home should be.

But he knew that it was having Lily beside him that had changed the place the most. And she had changed him too.

He would spend the rest of his life trying to repay her.

*

Annie balanced baby Eddie on her hip. ‘I really can cope, you know.’

‘I’ve left emergency numbers on the fridge,’ Lily carried on, ignoring her. ‘The diary is up to date with bookings as well.’

‘You’ve told me all this before,’ said Annie, smiling. ‘Now go. Enjoy yourselves. It’s only for a fortnight.’

Lily gave her and the baby a kiss. She knew she had to be careful not to slip back into her controlling ways, and worked very hard to try and stay relaxed. In fact, she had even deleted her Life To-Do List a few months previously.

After all, she thought, glancing over at Jack, she had everything that she had always wanted.