Who else did she want but Luke? He was her Mr Almost Perfect. The man who had stolen her heart with his first frown.
Sabina came into Abby’s office cubicle carrying a huge bunch of red roses. ‘These are for you,’ she said.
Abby’s heart gave a stumble. ‘For me?’
‘Yep and there are more. Like heaps more.’ Sabina nodded towards Reception. ‘It’s like a florist’s shop out there. And a fruit shop.’
Abby frowned. ‘Fruit?’
‘Strawberries,’ Sabina said, eyes twinkling. ‘Chocolate-coated ones and champagne. A dozen bottles of it.’
Abby’s legs were shaking so much she could barely stand and it was a moment or two before she could get her voice to work. ‘Who’s it from?’
Just then a tall figure appeared outside Abby’s cubicle.
‘They’re from me,’ Luke said and then proceeded to go down on one knee in front of her. ‘Darling, please forgive me. I’ve been a stupid fool. I can’t believe I left you on that island all on your own. It was such a crass and hurtful thing to do. Please say you’ll forgive me. I’ll do everything in my power to make it up to you. I’ll even buy the damn island so we can go back there and have a proper holiday without me acting like a jerk and storming off as if work is the only thing I care about. I care about you. I love you.’
Abby could barely see through tears and threw her arms around his neck. ‘Oh, Luke, of course I forgive you. I’ve ached to hear you say those three little words. I love you so much I’m just about bursting with it.’
He smiled at her with such tenderness her heart squeezed. ‘You are the love of my life. I’m only half a person without you. Will you marry me and make me the happiest man on the planet?’
Abby choked back a happy sob. Could there have been a more heartfelt proposal from a man in love? ‘Oh, darling, of course I’ll marry you. But what changed your mind? I thought you were—?’
‘I’m ashamed of how I pushed you away when all I’ve ever wanted from the moment I met you was to hold you close. I love you, my darling. I think I’ve probably loved you from the first time you smiled at me.’
‘I can’t believe you just proposed to me in front of all these people,’ Abby said, glancing at the assembled crowd outside her office cubicle, including Sabina, who was looking all dewy-eyed as if she’d been watching a romantic movie.
‘I don’t care who’s watching,’ Luke said. ‘They can stream it live on Twitter or wherever else for all I care. I want everyone to know how much I love you.’
Abby hadn’t thought it was possible to feel such happiness. Luke loved her. He wanted to marry her. It was a dream, a fairy tale come true. ‘Ella is going to be beside herself. I’m beside myself.’
He stood up and then held her close. ‘You’re beside me and that’s where you’re going to stay for the rest of our lives.’
Abby stroked his face, her heart feeling so full when she saw the love shining in his gaze. ‘I was so sad when you left me behind. But I realised when I got back to London I had to stop lying about how perfect my life was when it was anything but.’
He held one of her hands against the deep thud of his heart. ‘I can’t promise you a perfect life, I can’t even promise to be a perfect partner but I can promise to love you and protect you for as long as we both shall live. Now, I think these people are waiting for us to seal this promise with a kiss.’ His eyes glinted. ‘Shall we get on with it?’
Abby smiled and lifted her mouth to his. ‘Yes, please.’
EPILOGUE
One year later…
ABBY CAME OUT to the sun-warmed terrace at the villa on the island, where Luke was waiting for her to come back from the bathroom. Their island—Luke’s and hers. Luke insisted it was his gift to her but he had already given her so much.
She hadn’t thought it possible to be so happy and contented. They weren’t a perfect couple by any means but their love for each other more than made up for that. Her lonely childhood felt so far away now. The love Luke showered her with more than compensated for the disadvantages she’d suffered as a child. Not a day went past without him telling her he loved her. He always said it first, not just when she said it to him. He showed it too in thousands of ways. Little things he did for her, like ignoring his phone when it rang when she was telling him something important, or even when she was telling him something unimportant. He made her feel important. He made her feel the most important person to him and that was something she was so grateful for.