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I was sorry—I knew how hard it was, but Vincent had taken it in his stride. According to him, they hadn’t been happy for a long time, and he knew it was coming as soon as he turned eighteen. Dad was dating again, albeit casually, and he looked happier than he had in years.
It wasn’t only my family that had mended some trauma, either. After Freya’s wedding, Angus had realised how horribly he’d treated Katie over the years and had set about to make amends with his daughter-in-law. It was very much a work-in-progress for them. I didn’t know if they’d ever have the kind of relationship they could have once had, but they had a lot more in common than he’d once thought. Needless to say, trips to Scotland were no longer a chore for the Glenroch family, but something to look forward to—and that included me, too.
Amber had moved out two months ago. Because she’d never paid rent, only split the utilities and groceries with me, she’d finally saved up enough for a deposit on her own house. That had always been the goal, and we’d spent hours upon hours poring over houses for sale while William talked us down from dream houses to ones that were actually in her budget.
We’d still set the prices from highest to lowest, just in case. House hunting was more fun if you could look at weird, expensive mansions that were terribly decorated.
For the first time in my adult life, I lived alone, and I was kind of enjoying it. It was freeing to have a space that belonged solely to me, and I was seriously considering getting a cat.
William and I had spoken about living together, but we weren’t rushing it. He spent three or four nights a week at my house anyway, and he was happy at his parents’ place. It wasn’t like they were cramped—they had a whole estate they intended for Freya to one day inherit, and he practically had a whole wing of the house to himself.
That didn’t stop him cooking in my kitchen, though.
Our relationship had swept me back into the society life I’d long tried to ignore. My house was like another world from all the glitz and glamour of upper-class functions and weddings, and I suspected we both liked retreating to the normalcy of my little cul-de-sac just outside Oxleigh.
We’d taken it slow and stripped it back at first. Dates, getting to know each other, just seeing where it went, and neither of us could pinpoint a day or time where we’d changed from just dating to something serious.
We didn’t need to.
What I did know was that throwing caution to the wind and taking a chance on him was the best thing I’d ever done. Even though those seven days in Scotland had been so short in the grand scheme of things, they’d been so intense that our feelings had grown at a different pace, and since then, we’d spent a lot of time with our friends, reminiscing about our childhoods, and I’d unlocked so many memories my brain had kept squirrelled away.
Letting him into my life was the best decision I’d ever made.
I loved him. Entirely. With everything I had and was.
I’d once said I didn’t believe in soulmates, but if I did, I knew William was mine. I was a better, more forgiving and gracious person because he was in my life, and I was the proud owner of a PhD right now because of the support and love he and his family had so freely given me.
And Granny… Well, she was Granny. She’d never change, although she had gone from black mascara to brown and finally admitted that Marcie was her life partner.
Girlfriend was too juvenile, she’d said.
I’d never expected to attend a Pride march with my grandmother, I can tell you that much.
I just needed her to leave the rainbow bikini top at home next time.
I was passed from person to person, receiving all the hugs and cheek kisses peppered with congratulations. I was riding a complete high, and before I knew it, I was being bundled into a car and pulled out at a pub to celebrate.
The next hour was a blur of champagne and, weirdly, shots. I didn’t think I’d ever see the Duke and Duchess of Glenroch doing shots with my grandmother, and I certainly didn’t expect Granny to lick salt off the back of my father’s hand.
That was the point I had to excuse myself to take a breather outside. It was getting too weird in there.
William followed me, chuckling.
“You saw that, right?” I asked, sitting down on one of the picnic benches. “I’m not in some weird adrenaline high and seeing things, am I?”
He sat next to me, wrapping his arm around me, and shook his head. “Nope. We really did just witness Granny licking salt from the back of your dad’s hand.”
“Okay, good. That was all such a whirlwind I was starting to think I was going crazy.”
“It did happen fast, didn’t it?” He tucked me against his side. “Do you want to sit out here for a bit?”
“Please,” I said, resting my head on his shoulder. “I can’t believe I did it. It’s over.”
“I’m so proud of you,” he said softly, kissing the top of my head. “You’ve worked so hard for this.”
Not to toot my own horn, but I really, really had.
“I feel a bit lost now,” I admitted. “Like, I don’t know what to do. It’s been my life for so long, and now I have nothing to do.”
