‘Honestly, Jem, I’d put an offer in today but how would that be fair on you? I promised to give you time and space and me living next door would be breaking that promise. If it’s still on the market if and when you’re ready, then perhaps it was meant to be.’

She drew me to her and kissed me tenderly. ‘Thank you for not pushing. It’s not on the market yet so there’s plenty of time.’

Across the past week, I couldn’t stop thinking about Mrs Denholm’s cottage and how it might look with a bit of hard work and vision. Every time I pictured the transformation, I imagined Jemma living there with me. There was no way the house would stay on the market for long once Mrs Denholm put it up for sale but it was too much to hope that Jemma would be ready that soon. I needed to push it out of my mind because no way was I going to say or do anything that might lose her again.

‘It’s getting chilly,’ Jemma said, bringing my thoughts back to the present. ‘We should probably head off. Before we do, I’ve got something for you.’ She reached into her bag and removed a green and a red envelope. She passed me the red one. ‘I got Evan to send these by special delivery.’

‘Evan? Is this what I think it is?’

‘This is the next two frames of our story.’

I opened the envelope and took out two more cartoons. The first showed a beach with the three names and three roses across them, with the sea lapping against them. The next showed the two of us holding onto each other on the beach as a shaft of light came down on us.

‘I wasn’t actually expecting that to happen again,’ Jemma said as I stroked my thumb over the drawing. ‘But I’m so glad it did.’

‘They’re spot on. Thank you.’

She held the green envelope to her chest. ‘Before you open this and see the final drawing, do you still feel the same way about me as you did when you wrote that poem?’

‘If it’s possible, spending so much time together over Christmas has made me love you even more.’

‘And you don’t need more time to be sure how you feel?’

‘I’m already sure. I love you and I hope that, one day, you’ll feel the same but I’ll wait for as long as you need.’

‘You don’t need to wait. It’s already happened. I love you too, Sam. I don’t need more time.’

My heart raced. ‘You mean that? You’re not just saying it?’

‘I really mean it and I have the final part of our story to prove it.’ She handed me the green envelope and I removed two drawings.

‘The top one is option one,’ she said.