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She peeled off her clothes and quickly stepped into the old claw-footed tub and pulled the curtain, obscuring her from his sight.
‘The sex thing?’
He pulled the curtain back and she gasped a protest, turning her back on him.
‘Becca, I’ve seen it all and touched most of it. I can manage to look at your face when I’m talking to you and considering the importance of what we’re talking about, I think face to face is necessary.’
Water ran down her body and he acknowledged it wasn’t quite as easy to ignore as he’d made out. Fortunately for his sanity, she’d turned back around, sluicing the water over her head ready to wash it and he was able to fix his gaze on her face.
‘First of all, what makes you think I don’t have to worry about the sex thing?’
Her hair was a mass of white froth as she scrubbed it. ‘You know you can, you know, do it. That should give you confidence in other situations.’
He leaned against the wall beside the head of the bath. ‘Are you suggesting I should go and do the whole princess thing to test your theory?’
‘No.’ She spluttered as soap went into her eyes and mouth and he reached up and redirected the shower head.
‘You’re forgetting the key ingredient. Trust. There aren’t too many women in the world I trust enough to risk making a fool of myself in bed.’
Becca switched off the shower and buried her face in a towel. ‘Who are these other women?’
‘No-one that need concern you. I don’t risk relationships with colleagues on principle.’
‘Why would you trust me? You didn’t when it came to Dan.’
Morgan shifted so she wasn’t directly in his line of sight while she dried herself. ‘I’ve thought a lot about my feelings back then. Before I knew the truth, I realised the anger was misdirected. Once I was older and my headspace cleared, I realised I was holding a sixteen-year-old to a standard many adults struggle with. My anger was more about losing your friendship. I blamed you for not being my friend far more than for being with Dan. I needed you and you weren’t there. When I was coming home, I think I subconsciously hoped to reconnect. Believing you were with Dan activated all the resentment again. I’m sorry.’
‘You believed it easily. Both times.’
‘You aren’t the only person who wonders if they’re good enough. I’ve disappointed my parents, my teachers and my girlfriend. You, in case you were wondering. Dan had an advantage I didn’t have. He was in your life all the time. I was away at university and I spent far too much time worrying about whether you’d give up on me because I was never there.’
Becca stood wide eyed; the towel draped down her front. ‘You should have known it was never going to happen. I’d been crushing on you forever and if the other boys were interested, I certainly wasn’t. Dan … well you understand about him now, I hope.’
‘Is it still about the teenage crush?’
‘No. I love grown-up Morgan more.’
He blinked away the emotion and held out a hand. ‘You’ve turned into an amazing woman, Becca Walters.’
With a soft gasp, she flung herself at him, rocking him back on his heels. Holding her tight he tilted her chin up. ‘Rebecca Walters. You’re the only woman I’ve ever loved. Will you marry me and make us a family?’
‘Yes. Yes. Forever and eternity.’
Epilogue
Becca smoothed down the fabric of her dress as she stood at the door of the church. Grace had demonstrated her commitment to this marriage by bringing out the wedding dress worn by the Maiden girl who’d married a Cavanaugh after the First World War.
It was a lovely thing with a three-quarter length silk slip, silk chiffon overlay with long sleeves trimmed with fine lace and tiny knots of ribbon at the collar and cuffs. It had once been white, but the years had turned it into a pale milk coffee colour which suited Becca far more than stark white would have done.
The veil had long been lost, but Thackery twisted her a crown of spring flowers arranged to sit high on her forehead and trailed a length of coffee-coloured satin ribbon from the bow at the back.
Her make-up was immaculate for the era, understated but enhancing her eyes and making her lips lush and inviting, courtesy of Marcia Kavocik who had a vast knowledge of vintage make-up styles. Thackery and Win organised it as a surprise and Becca was grateful. Marcia was lovely, helping her overcome the dread of making a fool of herself in front of half the town.
Keeping a low profile had become second nature over the years, which made being the centre of attention at a wedding kind of her worst nightmare.
Thackery somehow found top hat and tails with an ivory shirt and cravat for the ceremony where he was giving her away. His hair was up in a bun and hidden by the hat, though he wouldn’t be able to keep it on in the church. Along with Morgan’s matching gear, it would look fabulous in the wedding photos.
Edward was in a similar outfit, without the jacket and hat at his request, a waistcoat dressing up the ivory shirt and trousers. Gabby was in her element, a frilly dress in an apricot that didn’t clash as much with her hair as her favourite shade of pink.
