The Accidental Romeo (15 page)

‘I’m here, Mum.’

‘I’m proud of you, Marnie. I know I didn’t act as if I was then. Have you been to the cemetery?’

‘With Craig,’ Marnie said.

Yes, Marnie had chosen well.

She had a son.

He had a father—that foolish mistake wasn’t so foolish all these years on.

That Declan was buried in Australia had been the only thing that had kept her here at times, but now, finally, she knew the reason she was here. Finally she felt at home.

‘Let me come over. I don’t want you to be on your own.’ Gushing in, high on maternal waves, Maureen wanted to be with her child, but when Marnie said no, this time it wasn’t because she was avoiding her.

‘I’m with someone, Mum.’

‘Craig?’

‘No.’ She looked around the bedroom, a room she’d never so much as kissed Harry in, but she could feel the love.

‘His name’s Harry and he’s got twins.’

‘Twins!’

‘Their names and Charlotte and Adam,’ Marnie said. ‘You’ll get to meet them soon. Harry’s a consultant where I work.’

Maureen sat silent for a moment as Marnie opened the doors to all the separate compartments of her life and finally let her mother in.

‘It sounds as if the two of you are serious.’

She wasn’t serious, though.

Marnie was happy.

As he crept in the room later, trying not to disturb her, Marnie watched as he undressed, and then Harry saw the glitter of her eyes in the darkness. ‘You’re awake!’

‘Very.’

Oh, it was lovely to feel him climb into bed and lie there beside her, and Harry lay wondering what to say to her.

Or if they might...

No, not tonight, Harry told himself.

‘Are you just going to lie there?’ Marnie asked, and Harry found himself laughing. ‘I told my mother we were serious,’ Marnie warned him, ‘so you’ll have to marry me now.’

‘Done.’

‘On one condition.’ They turned to face each other. ‘We’re keeping this house.’

‘Marnie,’ Harry warned, ‘we’ll be buried under renovations.’

‘I don’t care.’

‘Can we talk about this another time?’ Harry said, because their legs were twining around each other’s.

‘I like to know what’s happening,’ Marnie said. ‘I like things organised.’

And he knew then he had her for ever.

‘Yes, Marnie, we’ll keep the house.’ Harry smiled as he kissed her.

Marnie had found her home.

EPILOGUE

‘I
SWEAR
THAT
she is.'

Kelly took off her shoes and stretched her feet. ‘Her dress is too tight and she never takes that jacket off.'

Harry just smiled to himself and carried on watching the television.

‘Her boobs are bigger,' Kelly went on. ‘
And
she's being nice. I've got the next four Saturdays off.'

‘Marnie doesn't do nice,' Abby grumbled, because Marnie had just given her a long talking to about being consistently late, which, of course, Marnie never was.

Not once.

‘She's so cold that if she is pregnant she'll lay her eggs in a river—'

‘Hey!' Juan said, because Juan liked Marnie and the way she ran the place.

Harry just smiled.

Juan had an inkling but the rest of them had no clue, and that was the way Marnie had wanted it. She was determined to prove, before everyone found out, that they could work together and argue and clash at times, and Harry certainly got no favours.

At work.

Marnie was twenty weeks pregnant, and everything was going perfectly. The children were besotted with her and called her Marmie—a mixture of Mummy and Marnie—and it was their own in-joke. Marnie had found a day-care centre near their home rather than in the hospital. It was one Evelyn could walk to if Harry or Marnie couldn't get there, but that happened rarely. Marnie took her management days at home and the occasional sick day too, and somehow they had a routine and the children were absolutely thriving

Charlotte was doing ballet; Adam was desperate to be an older brother. They had put in an offer on the house, even though it needed a demolition ball. Marnie had listed every single thing that needed repairing and read off the list to a very weary Dave, several times, until finally their offer was accepted.

Marnie came in and opened her salad and stirred in the dressing, just as she always did.

She was still slim, but even with her jacket on it was getting more obvious with each passing day and she really needed to speak to Cate about filling in for her when she went on maternity leave.

‘I'm sure you've all heard the rumours,' Marnie said, and Kelly gave a triumphant eye-raise. ‘And they're correct. I'm getting married next Saturday.'

‘Marnie!' Juan came over and Marnie stood as he gave her a kiss to congratulate her, and so too did his wife, Cate.

‘Oh!' Cate looked at the engagement ring on Marnie's finger. ‘That's beautiful.'

‘I know,' Marnie said. ‘I'm just wearing it to show you. I'll be taking it off at the end of lunch break.'

Cate suppressed a smile. Marnie
loathed
anything other than the simplest of jewellery, lest there be a germ beneath it.

Marnie looked down at her beautiful hand and even more beautiful ring, and it made her so happy that she couldn't help smiling.

‘And, yes...' her cheeks were a bit pink as she told her colleagues what they probably already knew ‘...I'm expecting.'

‘I'm thrilled for you, Marnie,' Juan said.

‘I'm thrilled for myself,' Marnie said. ‘Now, it's just a small wedding, well, as small as it can be with my massive family, but you're all very welcome to come—all very informal but there'll be a good party after.'

‘I didn't know you were seeing anyone,' Abby fished.

‘I don't bring my personal life to work,' Marnie said.

‘Will you be changing your name?' Kelly asked.

‘No.' Marnie shook her head. ‘It would be too confusing.'

‘Confusing?'

‘Marnie Worthington,' she said. ‘I think having the consultant and the manager with the same surname...'

‘You mean...?' They all looked at Harry, who smiled back at them, and although they never usually showed affection at work, in this instance, he reached out and pulled his soon-to-be wife onto his knee.

‘I'm very disappointed in all of you,' Harry said. ‘I can't believe that you didn't work it out sooner.'

Harry watched as Abby's cheeks went purple as she remembered her little reptilian comment earlier, but he just smiled back at her.

Harry couldn't stop smiling.

He loved it that no one could quite work out Marnie, not even he at times.

But he'd spend the rest of his life trying.

‘Harry?' Juan went over, his smile never wider, and, because it was Juan, he wrapped Harry and Marnie in a hug. ‘This is wonderful, unexpected, amazing...'

‘I know,' Harry said. ‘Like Marnie.'

* * * * *

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ISBN-13: 9781460326275

THE ACCIDENTAL ROMEO

Copyright © 2014 by Carol Marinelli

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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

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