Canada Square (Love in London #3) (30 page)
Read Canada Square (Love in London #3) Online
Authors: Carrie Elks
I still don’t understand his edginess, but I nod anyway. “They’re just having a couple of photos taken. We won’t have to wait long, I promise.”
“I don’t mind about that,” he tells me. “There’s just something I wanted to do.”
Before I get to ask what, Alex and Lara emerge from the church, looking like rock and roll royalty as they walk down the stairs. My brother is wearing a tight-fitting grey suit with a skinny black tie, while Lara is resplendent in a cream lace dress.
The next twenty minutes are filled with more photographs. We’re herded into a variety of formations, and I notice Callum getting increasingly agitated. He’s not usually this nervous, and I’m starting to wonder if he dislikes my family.
My suspicions are only heightened when I see Alex catch Callum’s eye, raising his eyebrows in a challenge. Callum shakes his head slowly, as if telling him to back off, causing the nagging worry in my gut to grow.
“Is everything alright with you and Alex?” I whisper as we get in line for the big family photo.
“Why wouldn’t it be?” He sounds almost suspicious.
“I don’t know,” I reply. “He just looked at you strangely.”
“Babe, there’s nothing to fret about. He didn’t look at me funny, he barely looked at me at all. He’s too busy posing for photographs.”
I say nothing, but stay on high alert, trying to catch them squaring up to each other again. The thought of the two men in my life not liking each other isn’t something I’ve ever considered.
“What happened last night?” I whisper between photographs. My cheeks are starting to ache from too many fake smiles.
“What do you mean?”
“Between you and Alex. Did you have words?”
He cups my face with his hands, dragging his thumbs across my cheekbones. “Babe, there’s absolutely nothing to worry about. I’m not looking at your brother weirdly; I’ve not had words with him. You’re seeing something that’s not there.”
“If you say so,” I huff, determined to corner them both later. I’ll make them friends even if I have to force them to talk.
When the photographs are all taken, people start to head back to their cars, making their way to Hoxton Square where Alex has hired a bar for the afternoon celebration. Instead of calling a taxi, Callum grabs my hand, and pulls me over to a pretty corner of the churchyard where roses are growing against a dry stone wall.
My brows dip as I try to work out what’s going on, and brace myself for his confession. Instead he smiles, and my almost-petrified heart starts to beat again.
“I did talk to your brother last night,” he says. “But only to ask him a question.”
“What question?”
“I know it’s old fashioned, but I’m a traditional kind of guy. I wanted his blessing before I asked you to marry me.”
Everything stops. My pulse seems to slow, the blood hardly moving in my veins. All I can hear is the rustling of the leaves as the light wind lifts them in her dance.
“What?” It’s all I can say. I’m dumbstruck.
“I know you’re still young, and we don’t have to get married for a while. But I’d be the happiest man in the world if you’d agree to be my wife.” He slides his hand into his pocket and pulls out a small, black box. When he lifts the lid, there’s a gorgeous pear-cut solitaire nestled in a velvet cushion, the diamond catching a glint from the sun. “If you don’t like it we can exchange it,” he says. “That’s if you agree to wear it at all.”
I realise I haven’t answered. The tears stinging at my eyes spill over, coursing down my cheeks, but the biggest grin forms on my lips. “Of course I’ll wear it,” I tell him. “It’s beautiful.”
“Like you,” he whispers, sliding the ring onto my finger. “The most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen.”
He drops down to one knee, bringing me with him until I’m sitting on his thigh, our faces inches apart. He wipes the tears from my cheeks, and then holds me closer, until our mouths are touching.
“Amy Ferguson,” he whispers. “It sounds good.”
“Callum Cartwright,” I reply. “That’s not so good.”
“Ferguson-Cartwright?”.
“Cartwright-Ferguson?” I retort. “It’s classier.”
He kisses me firmly, his warm lips moving against mine as his hands cup my neck, thumbs brushing my skin.
“I don’t care what you call me,” I say breathlessly, the moment we pull away. “As long as you keep doing that.”
His smile is almost as broad as his accent. “Miss Cartwright, I think you’ve found the one thing we agree on.”
THE END
Thank you so much for reading Canada Square. I hope you enjoyed following Amy and Callum’s journey as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Scoliosis is a condition which I know a bit about, as my daughter was diagnosed with it at the age of 15. Unlike Amy, my daughter underwent spinal fusion surgery to straighten her back, and I’m pleased to say she is now doing very well. For more information on Scoliosis, The Scoliosis Association and the National Scoliosis Foundation are good places to start.
If you enjoyed this book, I’d be so grateful if you could write a review. These are lifelines for independent authors, and can help readers find the right book for them.
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Carrie xx
ALSO BY CARRIE ELKS
Coming Down (Love in London #1)
Broken Chords (Love in London #2)
Fix You
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ALSO IN THE LOVE IN LONDON SERIES
Coming Down (Niall and Beth’s Story)
A burning passion that cannot be ignored…
Nine years ago Beth Lawrence was a pretty, fun-loving college student, and the apple of her parents’ eye. That was before she met Niall Joseph, a gorgeous Irish art student who for one hot summer turned her world upside down.
Almost a decade later, Beth is living in London and desperately trying to forget her past. But then Niall walks back into her life, reigniting a desire that threatens to engulf them both.
Faced with a choice between her reliable, steady life and the unexpected joy that Niall offers, Beth finds herself torn. Can they remain just good friends, or is their connection too strong to be ignored?
Broken Chords (Alex and Lara’s Story)
When happy-ever-after is only the beginning…
Lara Cartwright thinks she has it all. Married to a sexy rock star, with a new baby and a burgeoning career, she should be happy, shouldn’t she? But life isn’t a fairy tale and Lara’s perfect world is slowly falling apart.
Alex Cartwright is talented, tattooed and passionate. A family man, he adores his wife and baby, but can’t shake off his need for success. When his band is offered a lucrative tour of the US, the distance growing between him and Lara isn’t only measured in miles. As their baby falls seriously ill, Lara finds herself wondering if Alex really cares for them at all.
Emotional and absorbing, Broken Chords is a story of desire, redemption and the crazy notion that love can still conquer all.
Carrie Elks lives near London, England and writes contemporary romance with a dash of intrigue. At the age of twenty-one she left college with a political degree, a healthy overdraft and a soon-to-be husband. She loves to travel and meet new people, and has lived in the USA and Switzerland as well as the UK. When she isn't reading or writing, she can usually be found baking, drinking wine or working out how to combine the two.
Acknowledgements
Thank you to Lucia, Meire, Kate and Claire for pre-reading this book. Your feedback is always invaluable, I hope you know how much I appreciate you.
Ash, thank you for your time, patience and encouragement.
All my love to my friends both online and offline—writers, readers, bloggers. I love the romance community, and the way we all support each other. I love seeing you all whether it be on twitter, Facebook, or in real life at signings, and hope to meet so many more of you soon.
Finally, lots of love to my family; you guys are my rock. I couldn’t do this without you. I wouldn’t want to.