Feeling refreshed from her shower, positively invigorated and more than a little sexy from the exercise (it’s all in the hip rolls you know), Abby sat outside the house and smiled at the thought of Simon waiting inside for her. Things were going well between them. They were having fun again – adjusting their work-life balance together to suit their needs. And it seemed their need for each other had grown in all kinds of exciting ways since being apart!
Of course it wasn’t all easy. In fact she still had the occasional dark day – moments that overwhelmed her triggered by memories, films, somebody saying the wrong thing. But they were becoming fewer and no longer haunted her. She found it strange that the whole experience had affected her like that; it was as if it had opened something inside her, a darkness she never knew was there before. She didn’t know if it would ever go completely but she did know it no longer scared her in the same way. She didn’t let it define her. She was learning to control it – her relationship with Simon was more than that moment in time and ultimately she knew that.
In fact she knew it in more ways than one – his week, which technically thanks to Rachel’s intervention was less than a week, was one out of the at least seven hundred and eighty we’d spent together, less than seven days out of the over five thousand four hundred and sixty we’d shared. As much as Abby wasn’t about to admit it these facts, provided by Kennedy, were reassuring!
Bramble greeted her warmly as she walked into the house. The smell of her Simon-safe M&S dinner cooking tantalised her taste buds and caused her mouth to water. She heard music coming from the lounge, it was familiar; it was their song. Abby grinned, slipped her shoes off and went to find Simon. As she entered the room he smiled and stood up. Abby swallowed. He looked lovely, all fresh from the shower and dressed to impress. Oh!
“Should I change?”
“No need, you look beautiful.”
Abby looked down at her clothes, momentarily questioning his judgement, but as Simon moved towards her all thoughts of going to change were forgotten. Unable to hide her smile she took his hand and allowed herself to be pulled into a hug. They fitted perfectly in each other’s arms.
As their bodies met and the music continued to play they began to dance in their own familiar rhythm. Abby welcomed his fresh, clean smell and rubbed herself into his neck. The dance was slow, sensuous and perfect. Abby was pleased she could listen to their song again. It had taken a while but gradually she was accepting the fact that what Simon had done didn’t make everything that had come before meaningless. Their song would always be their song and nobody could undo the things they’d shared; the moments and things that were theirs would always be theirs.
As the song ended another of Abby’s favourites began. She looked at the stereo. “Did you make me a mix-CD?”
“Maybe,” he teased. It had been years since they’d made each other mix-tapes; it was a very sweet gesture.
“Thank you.”
Simon kissed Abby’s nose and took her hand as he led her into the kitchen. He’d laid the table complete with candles and fresh white freesias. Her pulse raced a little and she wondered, as she watched him pour two large glasses of wine, if she’d forgotten something. She knew it wasn’t their anniversary.
“Simon it’s lovely, but… why?”
He motioned for her to sit down. It was only then that she noticed the origami lion on her plate, sitting on a ring box. It was her lion, to go with her elephant and giraffe, the complete set, together again only this time made better by years of practice! Tears welled in her eyes.
“You know how you said you wouldn’t marry me again…?”
Abby sniffed back her tears and laughed. “That’s not what I said; I said I didn’t want to renew our vows. We don’t need to start again, we have a whole life together – our life. What’s been is a part of us now.”
Simon looked at her, knowing how hard that actually was for her to accept, and smiled. “I didn’t think it was possible but I just might love you even more for that, you know.” Kneeling before her he took the ring box from her plate. “OK, so you don’t want to renew our vows, but Abby… will you accept this?”
As he opened the box she saw the most beautiful gold, diamond-studded, understated and thoroughly gorgeous eternity ring glistening in the candlelight.
“I used to say to achieve and truly appreciate what you want you should deserve what you get. I don’t deserve this chance you’ve given me, I know how much I stuffed up, Abby. But I want you to know I do really appreciate you, I appreciate us, our beautiful family and how lucky I am.” He slipped the ring on her finger. “The thing is, Mrs Turner, I love you and I know it may take forever to prove it to you but I am never going to risk losing you again.”
Abby fought back her tears and looked at the ring sitting on top of her engagement and wedding rings, each with their own little bit of history. “The thing is, Simon Turner, you’d better bloody mean that because I love you and I don’t ever want a reason to let you go.”