Chapter 14

Noah stared at Lucy’s name in the castle’s appointment book. Today should have been the day she married that idiot, Rupert, or Derek, or whoever she’d managed to rope into being her groom. It was never have going to have been him standing at the altar waiting for her but that didn’t mean he wasn’t sorry they were no longer together. He missed her. The house, his bed, his life, seemed so much emptier without her in it.

They’d had minimal contact since the break-up, kept to a professional level at all times. It was killing him. Never more so than when she had sent a formal letter cancelling her wedding date. Noah hadn’t managed to open it up for anyone else since. It didn’t seem right when all of her hopes and dreams had been so indelibly tied to the day. He wondered how she was feeling about it. In particular, if she had met anyone else who might have stood in at the last minute if she hadn’t already pulled the plug on the whole wedding. It would not surprise him if she still showed up today wearing the full meringue dress in the hope that someone might turn up on the day to go through the motions anyway. If only for the photographs.

Somehow that thought was more palatable than the idea Lucy had become as cynical about love and marriage as he used to be. He’d never wanted to change her from the gushing, romantic wedding planner into a disapproving grouch like him, but he had no idea how their time together, or since, had affected her. What if she had gone completely off the rails sleeping around and taking his previously casual approach to relationships? Noah realised it was the thought of her being with any other man which disturbed him. Especially when he knew he didn’t want to be with anyone else except Lucy. He had just figured it out too late.

The phone on his desk rang and he could see it was reception looking for him.

“There’s someone here to see you, Sir. A Miss Honeywell. She doesn’t have an appointment, but she was hoping you might be able to fit her in to your schedule today.”

“I’m on my way.” Noah didn’t need to hear any more than that. Whatever this was, his fear that she was going ahead with her wedding charade, or whether she was fixing a new date, he had to see her. He was never going to rest until he knew he had at least told her how he felt about her. Even if it was too late or she didn’t love him in return, he needed to know he’d finally been honest with her.

Such was his urgency to make up for everything he hadn’t said or done in the past, he ran the whole way from one wing of the castle to the other. When he saw her standing in the foyer, he cursed himself again for messing things up with her. She looked even more beautiful than he remembered. Her hair was shining in the sunlight streaming in through the windows and the white, lace fitted dress she was wearing hugged all the curves he remembered all too well.

“Lucy? You cancelled today, remember?” It wasn’t the traditional wedding dress he would’ve imagined her wearing, but then nothing about this date had ever been normal.

Her forehead was wrinkled into a frown as he approached her. “What are you talking about? I came here to arrange some bookings for my clients.”

“Today…it’s the day you were supposed to be getting married.” For someone who had been willing to marry a stranger if it meant having the wedding of her dreams, it seemed unbelievable she should have forgotten. Unless she really had given up on the idea altogether. It would be a shame if he was to blame for putting her off something which apparently made everyone other than him happy.

“Oh, that.” She shrugged. “Cancelling the date was my way of getting closure. It’s just a normal working day for me.”

Noah had to concede she certainly didn’t look as though she’d been moping around at home, mourning any lost love. Not like he had. “It’s nice to see you anyway. I’ve missed you, Lucy.”

Her eyes sparkled at the admission and hope sparked to life in Noah’s chest that she might still care about him too.

“I’m sorry about the way things ended, Noah.” Her lopsided smile only made him love her more and he knew if he didn’t say the words now he would never say them to anyone else ever again.

“It’s my fault.” He looked up to see the receptionist watch their interaction with interest. “Let’s take this somewhere else. There are some things I need to say.”

“I don’t think there’s anything else to be said, Noah.” Although she was disagreeing with him, Lucy let him lead her outside so they could talk in private.

“Yes, there is. There was so much I should have said and I didn’t. I don’t blame you for leaving me, but I can’t let you go again without saying my piece.” He took a deep breath. “I love you, Lucy. I was too afraid to say it and end up getting hurt, but the second you turned away from me, my heart was broken anyway. I don’t expect you to take me back just because I’ve said those three little words now. It doesn’t change the fact I might never want to get married and I know that’s what you want in a relationship, so I won’t hold you back. I just wanted you to know.”

She was silent while he babbled on, giving nothing away in her facial expressions and Noah was left feeling kind of empty now that he’d poured out his heart to her. Whatever happened next he had no control over and that was always what had worried him most about this momentous occasion when he finally opened up and invited someone into his life.

Lucy had come to the castle today looking for some sort of closure on the whole wedding business and Noah. Despite denying the date held any real significance to her, she had been well aware of what should have been happening today. In the end she had decided to come and face Noah by way of a work excuse, in the hope she could put both the wedding and him out of mind in one fell swoop. Noah telling her he loved her was the last thing she had expected to come about today.

It had been difficult staying away as long as she had when he still occupied her thoughts so much. She didn’t know how she could’ve believed that by walking away it would have helped her to heal faster. Wrong. All she’d thought about since was what they’d had together and what she’d given up. It had taken every ounce of fight in her to even dress herself and go to work most days. Today was intended to be about proving to herself she could survive without him. Now he’d thrown another curve ball to disrupt her plans.

“What am I supposed to do with that information now, Noah? I loved you and it wasn’t enough to get any sort of commitment. I’m not sure you saying the words back after we’ve broken up are going to change anything.” As much as she wished they could find a way to be together and both be happy, Lucy couldn’t see how it was possible.

“You love me…that’s all I needed to know. Marriage might always be too far out of my comfort zone, but if commitment is what you need, I’m willing to give you that. Whatever it takes for us to try again.” He had her hand in his and he appeared to genuinely want her to hear him out. If Noah was willing to make compromises in order for their relationship to work then so was she.

“Look, I’m over the Bridezilla thing. If I learned anything, it was that I just want to be with you. I don’t need a ring or a piece of paper to prove anything, but if we’re together, I want it to be on more than one level. More than just sex.”

“Amazing, breath-taking, sex,” he added, in case she’d forgotten.

“Yes. Although obviously we would want that to continue…” She wanted to make that clear when it was an important, valued part of their time together that she missed…a lot.

“Obviously.” He took her in his arms and this time Lucy had no desire to resist. She’d been dreaming of being right here since the day she left.

“Maybe you could stay over at mine every once in a while?” It shouldn’t be a real hardship for Noah to bunk in with her for a change to give her a break from running around, yet it would be a step in the right direction for their relationship.

“Hmm.” Noah dropped his arms from around her and Lucy worried he couldn’t even make that small concession.

“If we’re talking a real commitment, why don’t we move in together?”

“You mean it?” A few months ago she could only have dreamed about the possibility and she knew what a huge deal it was for Noah to even make the suggestion. She guessed he really did love her after all.

“I could still come to yours, or you could move into the castle with me where there is a little bit more room. What do you say?”

“Yes. Yes. Yes!” Lucy flung her arms around him and kissed him the way she’d been longing to do since the moment she’d walked in. Noah was offering her the life she’d always wanted with the man she loved, who wanted her so much he was willing to face his biggest fear in the name of love.

It seemed fairy tales really did come true.

The End