“Yes,” she says with a nod of her head, and then seeing me rendered speechless, she carries on. “I hadn’t met your grandfather before that night, and while he stole my breath the minute I clapped eyes on him, he also had a partner, and, well, I didn’t think anything would ever come of it… until it did.”
“Gran,” I exclaim, shocked.
“Hush, child, let me finish,” she scolds, but manages to do so with affection. “I would secretly steal glances his way, and vice versa, and that was all I expected it to be, until we danced.” Her eyes glaze over a little as memories assault her. “It was quite simply the most magical dance of my life. When he took me in his arms and twirled me around that room, I knew I’d never forget it. We didn’t speak a word until the dance ended and he took my hand in his, bowed before me, and placed a gentle kiss on the back of my hand.”
I am completely rapt as I listen.
“He walked away, and I knew that I would never be the same again. I thought that marrying another man was the only option to me, especially in those days when it was vital to be married off young and bear children. So, I pushed whatever I felt during that dance to the back of my mind and forged ahead with the life that was expected of me.”
“But you and Gramps ended up together, so what happened?” I ask eagerly.
“I’m getting to that part.” She tuts and then says, “Patience, child.”
“Sorry.”
“No matter.” She waves me off and then continues to regale me with her memories. “It wasn’t until a week later that I saw your grandfather again. Now, I know it may seem strange that I hadn’t met him before, considering I was marrying his best friend, but engagements didn’t last long back then, and once that ring was on your finger, all preparations were put in place swiftly, none of this waiting a couple of years to tie the knot.
“Anyway, to cut a long story short, when your grandfather placed a kiss on my cheek, I knew I had to escape and be with him. Fast forward another week and I packed my bags and walked out on the man who I was supposed to marry. He was heartbroken, apparently, but as much as I harboured guilt over walking out, I also knew that I was doing the right thing for me.
“Your great grandmother—my mother—didn’t see it that way, and when I turned up on her doorstep with my bags, she sent me away, disgusted that I had given up a seemingly perfect future on a whim, as she called it.”
“Oh, Gran,” I exclaim, my hand now covering my mouth.
“I didn’t know where to go, so I ended up in the local bar with my things as I nursed a small glass of sherry. I didn’t have a lot of money, but I couldn’t regret my decision, I knew it was for the best. And then it was confirmed that I had done the right thing when your grandfather walked in. He’d heard from his friend that I had walked out, and he’d been searching the town for me.”
I feel my heart wanting to melt, and tears are pricking the backs of my eyes, but in a good way.
“He carried my bags to his car, took me to his house, packed his things, and then we left. We couldn’t stay where we were, and I didn’t want to either. The whole town would have judged us and seen me as bringing shame to my family name. I guess we were a little ahead of our time, because we didn’t care about shame, we just wanted to be together.
“We drove to another town a couple of hours away, stayed in a bed and breakfast until we found a cute little cottage to live in, and we married a week later in a simple ceremony that was purely for us and no one else.”
My eyes scan around the kitchen, as if I am seeing it for the first time. The cottage. The one from her story.
“So, what I am saying is, when you feel like everything you’re doing is wrong, be assured that it isn’t. You can’t control your heart, and you certainly can’t ignore what it wants and who it loves.”
A lone tear slips from my eye. “How come you never told me that story before?” I whisper.
“I guess I didn’t see the need to make you think any less of me,” she says, and I reach forward and grab one of her hands in mine.
“I could never think less of you, Gran, and if possible, I think I’ve fallen in love with you and Gramps even more,” I tell her with a smile. And this story alone has made me miss Gramps even more, too.
“Oh, now come, child, don’t make me all weepy,” she says as she pats my hand and then sits back in the chair as she dabs her eyes with a tissue she’s seemingly produced out of thin air. And when she’s composed herself, she says, “So, now you see that your old gran knows more about matters of the heart than you ever thought she could. Make sure you heed my words, child, because life is too short to be worrying about what others will think. They will judge you no matter what you do.”
“Thanks, Gran.”
“My pleasure, child. Now, be sure to invite the young man over for dinner tomorrow night, no excuses,” she says as she gets up from the table and starts to busy herself around the kitchen. And just like that, the moment is over, but her words will forever be everlasting.
ChapterThirty-Three
Caleb
“You can tell your gran that I would be honoured to come to dinner,” I say to Cameron through the phone.
“Okay, great,” she says, and I can hear how happy she sounds. “Oh, and she knows that Danny is your son.”
Well, I didn’t see that one coming, and it was probably the wrong moment to take a sip of my drink, because now I’m coughing and spluttering.
“You okay?” I hear her say, amusement in her tone.