Spring…
James’ heart beat faster as he waited at the airport, his anticipation buffered by the amusement of watching people both scurrying around in a rush and standing still in boredom, checking their watches. He was one of those waiting, but he was far from bored. His chin held high, he peered through the crowd so he could spot her as soon as she emerged through the gate.
Five years without the love of his life had been easy compared to the past two months, now that he and Emma were committed to each other. His body ached to be near her again, his lips buzzed with the desire to kiss her, and his heart longed to cement the future of their relationship.
He glanced around at the other people waiting and wondered what their story was. Were they meeting a loved one they hadn’t seen for months, or perhaps years? Or maybe they were greeting a business colleague or an old friend. Airports were rife with untold stories.
When he glanced back, a hint of caramel brown hair caught his attention as it bounced around her shoulders. As travellers filtered through and dispersed, she came into full view.
James smiled wide.
‘Emma,’ he called with a wave.
She spotted him and her eyes lit up. She waved back with a freshness in her smile, and an air of rejuvenation that filled him with joy to witness.
She picked up her pace and dashed towards him, he opened his arms out wide. Emma leapt into him and he lifted her off the ground in a twirl of an embrace.
‘Oh, I missed you!’ she said.
‘I missed you too. So glad you’re back.’ He kissed her cheek then her lips, grasping the sides of her face with his hands.
‘Does absence makes the heart grow fonder?’ she asked with a wink.
‘It sure does, among other things!’ He chuckled.
‘How’s Jackson? I can’t wait to see him.’
‘Good. He even had a haircut! You probably won’t recognise him.’
‘Really? How’d you manage that?’
‘Well, let’s just say you might not recognise Owly either,’ James explained.
‘Oh, Owly had a haircut too?’ Her eyebrows rose.
James nodded. ‘Not that she had much to begin with, but she’s got quite the crew cut now. Very military-ish.’
Emma laughed and her head tipped back, happiness radiating from her. ‘Love it. A pink army owl. Lucky I wasn’t there or Jackson may have made me have a haircut too.’
James ran his fingers through her hair, tangled a little from the long flight. ‘I’ve missed doing this.’
‘And I’ve missed you doing this.’ She smiled. ‘What else have you missed?’ she asked with a cheeky grin.
‘I could tell you, but one thing might lead to another and we might get arrested for indecent exposure.’
Her cheeks flushed. ‘Well, we can’t have that. At least, not right now. But I’m looking forward to tonight, I’ll probably be wide awake come bedtime.’
‘Lucky me.’ He kissed her again, then took her hand. ‘So, let’s get your bags.’ They walked along with the flow of the crowd. ‘And your art book, is it all ready to send to the formatters?’
‘Yep, finished writing the notes and poems to go along with my drawings. Never thought I’d be writing and drawing in Parisian cafés, it was totally clichéd but wonderful.’
‘I bet. And did you think up a title?’
Emma had sent emails updating James on her progress with her book, which she’d worked on in between shopping, tours, eating, and admiring Parisian architecture and Tuscan vineyards.
‘Healing Art — a journey of cancer recovery through creative expression,’ she said proudly.
James squeezed her hand. ‘I love it. And I spoke to Olivia at Mrs May’s Bookstore, she said they’d be happy to buy a few copies to sell in the store.’
‘Oh you did? That’s great! Thanks, gorgeous.’ She smooched his cheek and he smooched hers back. ‘And the cabins are running smoothly?’
‘Of course. You trained me well before you left, remember? Amelia’s reliable as ever, and our newbie Christine’s history in hotel management has sure come in handy. She’s dynamite for business.’
‘I’m so glad.’ Emma jiggled a little as she walked. ‘I’m so looking forward to getting back there and making the place our own.’
‘I know. Still can hardly believe I bought it. Your parents faces when we told them, I’ll never forget!’
‘Me neither. They’re so glad we’re carrying on the business, though I didn’t want to when I first arrived, but now, well, things are different.’
James pondered how significantly things had changed in the past six months since he reunited with Emma. ‘Things are the way they’re supposed to be.’
Emma nodded and smiled. ‘Absolutely.’
They walked through more gates and made their way towards the baggage claim.
‘Can you believe, another year and a bit and we’ll be starting our new roles?’ Emma asked.
James shook his head at how time was flying. His boy was growing up and he felt one hundred percent certain he’d made the right choice in deciding to homeschool him, along with Emma’s help. With Christine as park manager, their role in running the cabins was more to oversee things generally, freeing up more time. ‘I know. I’m looking forward to it. And by then, my VIP program will have run its course. I’m glad I added the option to train a handful of up-and-comers to be my clones.’ He chuckled. His program had been well received by his clients, and now he was further leveraging his expertise by licensing a few of them to become law business coaches with his unique system. It had provided enough income to add to his net worth in order to secure the holiday park, not to mention buying Emma’s parents’ house to live in as their own, while the pair moved further up the road to a one-level, wheelchair-friendly property. But in another year, it would be time to focus solely on running the park and schooling Jackson. It was time to live his dream with his newly formed family unit.
Speaking of which…
James took a deep breath as they arrived at the baggage terminal, his heart rate rising a notch.
‘You okay?’ Emma asked.
‘What? Yes. I’m fine.’ He slipped his hands into his pockets and rocked back and forth on his feet.
‘You look like you’ve had several cups of coffee,’ she said.
He grinned, and as he removed his hands from his pockets, he pulled something out along with one of them. James cleared his throat and lowered himself to one knee.
‘Shoelace undone?’ Emma asked.
He laughed. She really had no idea. He’d said she wouldn’t know when it was coming and he’d been right.
‘My shoelaces are perfectly fine,’ he replied, looking up at her and holding up the velvet box, opening it with a muffled pop.
Gasps and whispers sounded around him, and he noticed someone with a phone camera, but most of his focus was on her face, taking in the moment as best as he could so he could remember it for years to come. Her mouth hung open and her hand flew to her chest, her eyes brightening in realisation.
‘Emma Brighton, my favourite woman in the world,’ he said, ‘well, apart from my mum, my sister, Nonna, and…well, the chick in the grocery store is pretty cute too.’ He winked, then prepared for the cheesy poem he’d promised he’d write for her when she returned home. ‘Complete will be my life, when you become my wife.’ He grinned. So it had only been a two-line poem, but she hadn’t specified length, so he figured that was enough to get the message across. ‘My beautiful Emma,’ he continued. ‘Will you marry me?’ He gazed up at her as she gazed down at him, her eyes becoming shiny and her hand shaking.
‘First of all,’ she said, ‘your poetry needs work.’ She giggled. ‘And secondly…’ she moved closer, holding out her left hand towards the white gold solitaire ring he’d bought on a whim, thinking it would be perfect for her. ‘Your ring-buying skills are spot on.’ She smiled. ‘So here’s my poem: I can’t imagine a better life, than one where I’m your wife.’
Intense love rose up inside as he took the ring from its box. ‘I take it that’s a yes?’ he asked.
‘It’s a definite yes,’ she replied, her voice shaky.
Onlookers cheered and applauded, and James slid the ring on her finger, securing the future he’d always wanted, with the woman who, though she’d once broken his heart, had healed it back together to create a new and improved version 2.0.
* * *
Summer…
‘You ready?’ Jen asked, as Emma neared the pathway at Tarrin’s Bay Beachside Cabins.
Emma took a preparatory breath. ‘I’ll be asking you the same thing in two months time.’
‘I know,’ Jen smiled. ‘Isn’t it exciting?’ She rubbed Emma’s arm.
They exchanged happy smiles and with an eagerness in her eye, Jen turned around and began her walk down the aisle, AKA — the concrete pathway alongside the cabins — the chiffon sash of her baby blue bridesmaid dress trailing behind her.
Emma waited behind the tree as Jen had her moment, and when she was halfway along, she walked up to meet her mother and father at the back of the arrangement of chairs with blue and white chiffon ribbons around each one.
‘All set?’ her mother asked, and she nodded.
Barbara gave her an excited smile and turned to walk along the grass to take her seat in the front row.
‘So,’ she said, glancing down at her dad. ‘I guess this is it.’ She patted his shoulder and he grasped her hand.
‘Wheels and I are ready when you are.’
‘Wheels?’
‘Yeah, I had started calling my constant companion Marilyn, but your mother got jealous. So, Wheels it is now.’ He smiled.
Emma did too, and glanced over at the playground behind and to the right of the congregation, where Amelia and Bob were keeping Jackson amused. He had grown quite fond of the two in the last few months, and they’d become Jackson-Approved Babysitters, Registered Carers of Owly, and Qualified Operators of the Sound Machine. With James’ parents now living in Queensland, it had been great to find two other people who Jackson could cope with when Emma and James needed time alone. She smiled as he played with Owly on the equipment, realising that in a few moments, she would officially be his mother, and her dreams of becoming a parent would be fully realised. It had taken a while, but she’d come to know that her fulfilment didn’t need to come from pregnancy and childbirth, but from being part of a child’s life and helping them reach their full potential with love, commitment, and dedication. With Jackson, and James, she’d been gifted with more than she thought she’d ever receive.
‘Well, c’mon Wheels, do your thing.’ Emma gestured to the controls on the automated wheelchair, and her dad was about to press one when she put her hand in front of it. ‘Wait.’ She moved in front of the chair. ‘If you can’t technically walk me down the aisle, Dad, then I’m going to roll with you.’ She sat on his lap and adjusted her simple, elegant wedding dress so it wouldn’t catch in the wheels. ‘Am I too heavy?’ she asked.
‘No. Half my body can barely feel it anyway. Let’s get this show on the road.’ He instructed Wheels to start moving forward and gripped the steering handle.
Emma giggled as they began their journey towards the front. Guests chuckled and snapped photos, including Marie Gallagher who stood at the front next to Martin and Lizzie and her nine-month-old daughter, Hope.
Emma smiled at the crowd, a light breeze wafting around her face as it moved from the ocean towards her, as though embracing her with the promise of a fresh new life. The occasional fluffy white clouds in a perfect blue sky complemented the blue and white theme, and seagulls swooped overhead in what looked like a synchronised dance of bliss. The salty scent of the ocean felt like home as she got closer to the front, and her heart rate rose as she caught the gaze of the singer and guitarist who was filling the great outdoors of the holiday park with his soulful, earthy voice. He winked at her and she smiled wide. She never thought that international superstar and Tarrin’s Bay born and bred, Drew Williams, would be singing at her wedding. Thanks to her yoga teacher, Chrissie, who’d been able to set up the surprise gift for her. His romantic, cruisy melody filled her with joy, and anticipation of what was to come.
She basked in the perfection of the moment as she saw James standing next to his best man, André. Her fiancé wore a blue-grey suit with white shirt open at the top, showing a hint of his tanned chest. His thick, dark hair was expertly styled in sexy waves, and his face beamed. He didn’t take his eyes off her. She locked eyes with her soon-to-be husband, while admiration, appreciation, and electrifyingly magnificent love filled her heart to the brim and overflowed.
‘I love you,’ he mouthed as she got closer, and Emma mouthed it back. Birds chirped and the breeze danced around her in celebration, and she realised how lucky she was to have been given a second chance in not only life, but love, and to be rolling down the aisle towards her one true love, her soulmate, her miracle.
THE END