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But today isn’t about that arsehole, and I refuse to give him one more second of my time. Today is about claiming the woman I love and having her claim me in return.
* * *
Thirty minutes later,we emerge from the registry office as Mr and Mrs Hardy to the cheers of our guests.
I lift Grace’s hand to my mouth and kiss the simple gold wedding band that matches mine. “Come on. I want to show something.”
Keeping hold of her hand, I tug her toward the car park at the back of the building. Her eyes widen as she sees the decommissioned ambulance, a 1984 Ford Transit with green chequered stripes along the sides wrapped in an enormous gold bow.
Grace turns to look at me in shock. “What …?”
“I thought it could be our project. It needs stripping out, but we can convert it into a camper. Do some of that travelling you always dreamed about.”
A tear slips down Grace’s cheek, and she throws her arms around my neck. “Thank you. I love you so much.”
I hold her close, feeling her heart beating against mine. “I love you too, Mrs Hardy. Now and always.”
* * *
Keep readingfor an excerpt from Carnival Pleasures, Maddie & Jacob’s story.
Bonus Content
Carnival Pleasures Chapter One
Jacob
I’ve returned to London to be with my parents on the anniversary of my sister’s death when my friends convince me to cut loose and have some fun at the Notting Hill Carnival in London. I should be with my family, but I can’t turn down the chance to see my lifelong best friend, Maddie—the woman I’ve been in love with for as long as I can remember. I’ve accepted my place in “the friend zone” where she’s concerned, but when an opportunity to show her my true feelings arises, I grab it with both hands, both lips, and my whole heart.
Maddie
As a nurse, I work long hours. So, when my roommate persuades me to swap my scrubs for a glamorous gown and beautiful mask at the Notting Hill Carnival, I take the opportunity to relax and have fun. Sharing a hot kiss with another masked reveller is unexpected and exciting, but there’s something about the sinfully sexy stranger that feels…oddly familiar.
I’m pulled from his arms by the crowd just as I realize that my sexy stranger is none other than Jacob, my best friend I haven’t seen in almost three years. Circumstances have kept us apart, but Jacob and I share a special bond. I held him while he grieved the loss of his sister. I've shared some of my innermost fears and secrets with him. And now that I’ve kissed him, I want to tell him another secret—my feelings for him are far from platonic. But can I risk losing the best friend I’ve ever had for a chance at forever?
Maddie
Cold sweat drips over my brow, sticking my fringe to my forehead as I bolt up in bed. My breathing is laboured, a heavy wheeze as I try to calm down. Reaching for the water I keep on my bedside cabinet, I knock the alarm to the floor, and the glow from the clockface bounces over my bedroom walls.
One thing I can see.I tell myself, trying to focus my mind.
My eyes drop to the alarm clock. I gulp down the water.
Two things I can smell.
The clothes softener I use and…my own sweat?
Yuck.
I close my eyes and take a deep breath, already feeling calmer.
Three things I can feel.
The cold pint glass, the bedsheets, and…
I reach out with my free hand until my fingers wrap around the stuffed red elephant Jacob won for me at a fair when we were kids.
Huffy.
