Sophie Pembroke - Summer Of Love

Edward made her a grown up, and that was a good thing.

‘And did he give you this ring?’ Alex asked, interrupting her thoughts.

The ring, however, was still a sore spot.

‘Unfortunately.’ He frowned at her answer, and she felt compelled to explain, ‘I’m a jewellery designer.’

Alex winced. ‘Ah. He didn’t think you’d want to design your own?’

‘No.’ She really needed to stop sounding so bitter about that. She shook her head. ‘It’s okay. I understand. He wanted to have a ring to give me when I said yes, and wanted to choose it himself. It’s romantic.’

‘If you say so. Anyway, that aside, and this is the crucial bit: when he asked, and when he gave you this ring – did you say yes?’

No real way out of that one. ‘Yes. But…’

‘No buts. What, are you going to be one of those couples who get engaged but never get around to getting married?’

What would be so wrong with that? Why not just carry on the way things are, happy and content. Why does it have to be a big thing?

But then Lily thought about the way her mother was already planning the perfect day in her head, and the catalogues of invitation samples Edward had started leaving around the flat. It was a big thing to them. ‘Apparently not.’

‘Why would you want to be?’ Alex’s eyes were wide and disbelieving.

Oh, honestly. Talk about a double standard. ‘Don’t tell me you wouldn’t be sprinting the other way if someone told you that you had to get married this summer. The way Cora tells it, you’ve been running around with every single woman in the Greater London area for the last decade.’

‘Maybe I’m ready to settle down.’ The words were casual, but Alex’s eyes were serious.

‘Really? That’s why you moved home?’ Of course it was. Why else would he leave the bright lights and bonuses of the City? God, she was an idiot. Lily bit the inside of her lip. The way Cora talked about Alex’s life in London, it would be a pretty huge lifestyle change for him. She wondered if he’d make it stick. ‘Sorry, then. I’m just… I look at Cora, and how happy she is to be marrying Rhys, and I think… maybe I’m not cut out for marriage.’

‘Maybe you’re not marrying the right man.’

It wasn’t as if she hadn’t had the thought herself once or twice, in the dark of the night when the bad thoughts come, but hearing it in Alex’s calm, unconcerned voice made something sharp stick in Lily’s lungs. ‘That’s not it. He’s… Edward and I have been together since I was nineteen. He’s everything I ever wanted. I love him. And we’re happy . I just don’t see why that has to change.’

Alex threw up his hands in mock self-defence. ‘Sorry. What do I know? Back in town permanently less than a week, remember? I’m sure you know what you’re doing.’

But while his words sounded good, his eyes still said, Who are you trying to kid? ‘So, where is he today?’

‘He had to work.’ Jerking up off the bed, Lily headed for the door. ‘Sorry, I think I hear Cora calling me.’ Never mind that Cora was probably still having her ear bent by Evelyn; Alex didn’t know that. And Lily needed to be somewhere else, quite desperately. Somewhere where people wanted her to marry Edward. Not with someone who just made the restlessness rise up and try to break free. ‘Good to see you again, Alex.’

She didn’t look back as she shut the door behind her.

* * * *

Alex leant back on his elbows as he watched Lily’s blonde head disappear behind the door. Who was she trying to kid? No way she wanted to get married to this guy. So why was she going along with it? Sure, maybe she loved him like she said, but if she had cold feet about the engagement why didn’t she just say so? Just tell him what she needed.

What had happened to the Lily he remembered? The one who’d fight anything she didn’t like, tooth and nail? Maybe he’d never known her well when they were younger, but back then you only had to spend a few minutes in the same room with her to know that Lily never backed down from a fight, stood up for what she felt and demanded what she needed.

So, what had changed? The woman who’d sat beside him on the bed hadn’t seemed to feel anything at all except vague unease. Uncertainty. She’d seemed… lost, in her own life.

Well, even if Lily hadn’t talked to Edward about her concerns, Alex would bet she’d have spoken to Cora. Those two had talked about everything, endlessly, since they were little.

Jumping to his feet, Alex was halfway to the door, ready to go and demand some answers from his cousin, when another thought occurred. Why did he care? What did it matter to him if Lily got married or not?

It didn’t, of course.

It was just… He believed in marriage. He believed that it mattered, that it wasn’t something to be rushed into. Once he found the right person, he knew he’d be ready to commit for life.

His parents had, and they had gone on strong for almost forty years. And his brother, Gareth, he’d married the love of his life, given Alex two perfect nephews, and settled back to enjoy life.

It wasn’t that Alex was a romantic idiot or anything. He just thought marriage should be taken seriously.

Lily obviously felt differently if she planned to go ahead with marrying some idiot who didn’t even let her design her own ring. Not that it was his problem, or any of his business. But for the sake of the sanctity of marriage…

Maybe Alex should do what he could to help her see that settling for a life that wasn’t her dream was a really stupid idea. Just like his dad had helped him.

Decision made, Alex made his way to re-join the party. But when he reached the door, he found Rhys standing outside, looking confused.

‘Was that Lily?’ he asked, looking back towards the stairs where, presumably, Lily had escaped.

‘Yeah, we were catching up,’ Alex said.

Rhys raised his eyebrows. ‘Well, that explains why Cora was looking for her. Word to the wise, mate. She’s very, very taken.’

‘I know,’ Alex said, a little stung at the implication. He might have a bit of a history, but he was very strict about only getting involved with single women. ‘Like I say, we were just catching up. Been a long ten years.’

‘Yeah.’ Rhys studied him with a steady gaze. ‘Look, it’s none of my business anyway. But you know what your cousin’s like. She gets these ideas, however ridiculous, and then she decides to meddle. For my sake, save me from the meddling? It’s crazy enough here with all the wedding stuff. I swear, Cora hasn’t had a single thought that doesn’t have to do with the wedding in months. She’s probably only worried about you and Lily in case it upsets her table plan.’

Alex grinned. ‘Sure thing.’ After all, what did it matter to him who Lily Thomas married anyway?

Chapter Two

Lily fished the teabag out of her mug, regretting the three glasses of champagne she’d had after her conversation with Alex the day before. Drinking in the afternoon – especially anything with bubbles – was always a sure-fire way to a banging headache. She’d gone to bed early, before Edward even made it home from whatever work had called him into the office on a Sunday afternoon, then woken up in the early hours and stared at the ceiling until the alarm went off, unable to stop the thoughts swirling around her brain.

So now she was exhausted, fed up, and they were out of milk. Black tea was no way to start a difficult day.

Edward appeared in the doorway, his short blond hair still damp from his shower, his tie not yet straightened. That was her job, of course. Lily narrowed her eyes and wondered what would happen if she sent him to work with a crooked tie.