He lifted an eyebrow. ‘That same weekend? Our timing was terrible.’
‘Did she really say you should be with me?’
‘Caz? She did. I think she knew all along.’
‘And she said it almost three weeks ago. So where have you been since then?’
‘In the villa in St Lucia. On my own. Thinking things through, making sure I knew how I wanted the rest of my life to go. Except I didn’t really need the three weeks, because since coming back here six months ago, I’ve known exactly how I wanted the rest of my life to go. I just didn’t think it could ever happen.’
‘And I thought you’d never be able to forgive me for not believing you about the burglary. I’m so sorry about that,’ Didi blurted out. ‘I know what happened now. Mum told me everything the day after your dad’s funeral. I wanted to believe you, so much. But I just knew you were hiding something.’
Shay nodded. ‘I was. I was hiding the fact that I was sure your mum was involved in some way. I knew she was guilty of something. And that was the one thing I couldn’t tell you. But you knew me so well . . . God, what a complete mess . . .’
‘You broke my heart.’ Didi couldn’t control the wobble in her voice. ‘When you left back then.’
‘But I came back.’
‘Then you went off again, with Caz.’ She took a step towards him. ‘And now you’re back. Again.’
‘For good, this time. Well,’ Shay’s voice softened, ‘only if you want me to stay.’
Sometimes you just couldn’t wait a single second more for the other person to make the first move. Didi closed the gap between them, wrapped her arms around his neck and parted her mouth to meet his. Thirteen years of longing was compressed into one wild, heaven-sent kiss, and a surge of adrenalin fizzed through her veins, almost knocking her off balance with its power. There were fireworks exploding, drums drumming and angels singing. Nothing else mattered in the world other than the joy of being back at last in Shay’s arms and the magical sensation of his never-forgotten lips on hers.
‘I tried so hard to forget you,’ he murmured when they finally came up for air. ‘Never could. You were always there.’ He pressed his hand to his chest. ‘In here. Wrecking my chances of finding someone else.’
Didi traced the scimitar curve of his cheekbone with an index finger. ‘I can’t believe we wasted all this time when we could have been together.’
‘Don’t think about it. Maybe this was the way it had to happen. And now it has.’ He held her face in his warm hands as a million tiny flakes of snow danced around them in the otherwise deserted street. ‘I love you. And after all these years, we know it’s not going to go away. You’re stuck with me now, for good.’
Didi was still trembling, but not from the cold. Had anyone even noticed she was missing from the hotel?
‘I can’t wait to be stuck with you.’ Belatedly, a thought struck her. ‘Did you come straight from the airport?’
‘Yes, Will collected me. Why?’
‘Where’s your luggage?’
‘We stopped at the house to drop it off. Then he waited while I visited the graveyard.’ He touched her cheek. ‘You left fresh roses on the grave. When I saw you’d done that, it felt like a sign.’
Didi hugged him. ‘You must miss him so much.’
‘I miss being able to let him know he managed to get us together in the end.’ Shay smiled briefly. ‘Then again, this is Red we’re talking about. He probably knows.’
‘Everyone’s at a party tonight. Benny and Rosa’s,’ she remembered. ‘I promised I’d go.’
His eyes glinted. ‘Me too. Will told me about it and added me to the guest list.’ And when she looked at him, he shook his head. ‘No, don’t say it. We can’t not turn up.’
‘We don’t have to stay long.’ Didi moulded herself against him. ‘We can just say hello to everyone, then sneak off.’ The great thing was, she didn’t have to wonder what Shay was like in bed. This was something else she’d never forgotten.
‘We’ll do that. And then what? Your place or mine?’ His mouth brushed her ear, making her shiver with anticipation. ‘I’m telling you now, mine’s pretty cold.’
Didi tilted her head to indicate the hotel, filled with warmth, golden light spilling through the diamond-leaded windows. ‘Seems only right to spend the night here with the man of my dreams.’ She gave him a lingering kiss, melting the snowflakes on his mouth. ‘It is my wedding night, after all.’
Epilogue
Fourteen months later
Fourteen years ago, St Mark’s Square in the centre of Venice had been covered in a blanket of snow.
And now they were back, on the anniversary of that magical night when they’d sneaked separately out of the hotel, made their way here to the square and ended up – after a dodgy start – working together to build a snowman.
‘Call yourself a romantic?’ said Didi. ‘If you really loved me, you’d have arranged for the delivery of six inches of snow.’
Shay shrugged. ‘It was here this morning, waiting for you. Then the sun came out and it melted.’
‘You’re a liar, but I’ll let you off. Just this once.’ She reached up and kissed him, the football-sized bump beneath her red wool dress making it harder to achieve these days. It had always been Shay’s idea that they should come back to Venice on their honeymoon, but by then she’d be thirty-eight weeks pregnant and not allowed to fly, so they’d brought the trip forward. The weather was mild and the sun was out, the cloudless sky an almost luminous shade of cornflower blue.
As Didi surveyed the scene around them, a group of nuns hurried past, scattering pigeons. The church bells were ringing out in the Campanile and a string quartet was playing outside Caffè Florian. She reached for Shay’s warm hand and felt him give her fingers an answering squeeze.
A month from now, their wedding would be taking place – at the Wickham Hotel, of course. And shortly after that, fingers crossed, their baby was due to arrive. Or maybe before, for added drama and because babies apparently weren’t great at sticking to schedules. Sylvia was running a sweepstake amongst the staff and everyone had found it hilarious when Didi had managed to draw her own wedding day as the date her first child would make its entrance into the world.
Would it matter, though, really, if it did? Not at all. Whatever happened on the day, or whenever their baby arrived, Didi knew she was already fourteen than she’d ever been before in her life. The last fourteen months with Shay Mason had been perfect.
‘I’ve got something for you.’ With his free hand, he was taking a small envelope from his inside jacket pocket.
‘What is it?’
‘I always told myself I’d never show you this until it happened. But now we’re here and I’m jumping the gun. Because I’m pretty sure it’s going to happen now anyway.’
‘What is it?’ Bursting with impatience, Didi tried to make a grab for the envelope, but he whisked it out of reach.
‘And it seems only right to do it here.’ His eyes were sparkling in the sunlight. ‘Plus, I think you’ll like it.’