At the first service station we had stopped at to fill up, Joe had halted just long enough to allow me to phone home. Lavender cried when she realized I wouldn’t be there to be godmother to her baby. The blow was softened when I told her that I would be signing over my side of the business to Eddie–that was a better present than a teddy bear, I thought. As I hadn’t given Marshall back his cheque, it meant the firm was debt-free too. She told me that everyone, thanks to her, thought that Joe and I were off on our bikes doing a world tour–she’d even set up a fake blog for us.

The next call was calmer. Kailash greeted my news with her usual style, promising to meet us in America–one day. I guess she assumed that Glasgow Joe would be in regular contact through their Internet gambling company and it would all work out; she had no idea what we were really running from. Kailash would break the news to Connie and Grandad. This hurt–I knew that Connie would track me down one day, but with Grandad’s age, I worried. It wasn’t very long since I’d found him, and now I feared I’d never see him again. I also couldn’t bear to disappoint him. His dream of me becoming a judge was gone. I was leaving law, and at the moment if I evaded arrest I would be grateful.

Glasgow Joe only spoke to Moses, and he gave him firm, clear, unequivocal instructions on how to cover our tracks, and to put pressure on Bancho not to look too hard for Marshall. I couldn’t imagine a grown-up Moses, but this might force him into it. I wondered if his Granny would look after him at last.

Now, today, I looked at Joe and thought about all we had been through. We were such different people to the last time, but we still loved each other. I missed everyone so much, but it felt right to be alone with him. It would be a small ceremony–just us and the two strangers we’d drag in as witnesses. We didn’t need our past but it still called to me. I wanted Mary McLennan more than ever…but I knew that I needed Kailash too.

Joe was on his elbow looking at me. ‘Ready for your present?’ he asked, reaching down the side of the bed and handing me a newspaper tied with red ribbon. ‘I love you, Brodie McLennan, I love you with all my heart–now, let’s get on with the rest of our lives.’

A bloody newspaper? No diamonds? No grand gesture?

Thanks Joe–thanks…

Acknowledgements