Come Back To Me (44 page)

‘At damn last,’ my dad interrupts.

‘John,’ my mom reprimands with a smile.

Kit looks at me and again I get that butterfly flutter, a

feeling of something unfurling and blossoming inside me.

His eyes burn into mine and I suddenly flash back to the

first time we made love. The expression he wears now is

exactly the same as then, and I know just as I did then

that he’s all I’ll ever need.

‘We’re getting married,’ Kit announces with a grin.

Everyone immediately lets out excited squeals and Kit

has to struggle to be heard over the top of all the laughter

and clapping.

I glance nervously at my parents, unsure of their reac-

tion, memories of how my dad reacted to Jo and Riley’s

news racing through my mind. But he takes a step

towards me and pulls me instantly into a hug.

‘Congratulations,’ he says in a voice choked up with

emotion.

I squeeze him back hard, and then my mom too, who is

all kinds of excited and already trying to talk to me about

wedding dresses and flower arrangements.

We’re swept up in a celebratory round of embraces

and it isn’t until about forty minutes later that Kit and I get

a moment alone together again. He pulls me under the

flower-decked arch. Below us the waves are crashing onto

the beach. The sun is sinking low in the sky, painting

golden shadows across Kit’s face.

‘So Jessa Kingsley, soon to be Ryan, think you can

handle spending the rest of your life with me?’ he asks.

‘I think so,’ I say teasingly, biting back a smile.

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‘I love you so much,’ he says now, putting his arms

around me and pulling me against his chest. I feel his lips

in my hair. He strokes it behind one ear (it’s long again

now) and drops a kiss on my neck.

I shudder against him.

‘Are you mine?’ he murmurs.

‘Always,’ I answer as his lips find mine.

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Acknowledgements

This book would not have been written had it not been

for Venetia Gosling, the editor who signed my very first

book
Hunting Lila
and many more since then. I feel so

very lucky to have found such an amazing mentor and

champion.

Thanks too to Amanda, my agent, to whom I will

always be eternally grateful for her advice, support and

enthusiasm.

Becky Wicks, fellow author and friend, whose daily

missives lift my spirits and who, as my very first reader,

gave me the encouragement to keep going.

J, for everything, but most of all for your love.

My girlfriends, who are the funniest, smartest, most

wonderful bunch of women. I’m so blessed to have you

in my life; Jessica, Rachel, Meg, Helene, Nic, Vic, Sara,

Lauren and Asa.

All the bloggers and fans who tweet, email, blog and

encourage me to keep writing on the days I feel like just

eating ice cream and throwing my laptop in the pool.

Catherine Richards, Eloise Wood and Juliet Van Oss at

Pan Macmillan for all their help and support.

Finn Butler, who wrote the glorious poem about

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stardust that Jessa sends to Kit, for giving me kind per-

mission to use it in my book. For more beautiful words

check out her website: http://greatestreality.tumblr.com/

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Table of Contents

Epilogue