BooksBarbecue
Back Escape to the French Farmhouse
Chapters (79)
  1. COVER
  2. About the Author
  3. Also by Jo Thomas
  4. DEDICATION
  5. ONE
  6. TWO
  7. THREE
  8. FOUR
  9. FIVE
  10. SIX
  11. SEVEN
  12. EIGHT
  13. NINE
  14. TEN
  15. ELEVEN
  16. TWELVE
  17. THIRTEEN
  18. FOURTEEN
  19. FIFTEEN
  20. SIXTEEN
  21. SEVENTEEN
  22. EIGHTEEN
  23. NINETEEN
  24. TWENTY
  25. TWENTY-ONE
  26. TWENTY-TWO
  27. TWENTY-THREE
  28. TWENTY-FOUR
  29. TWENTY-FIVE
  30. TWENTY-SIX
  31. TWENTY-SEVEN
  32. TWENTY-EIGHT
  33. TWENTY-NINE
  34. THIRTY
  35. THIRTY-ONE
  36. THIRTY-TWO
  37. THIRTY-THREE
  38. THIRTY-FOUR
  39. THIRTY-FIVE
  40. THIRTY-SIX
  41. THIRTY-SEVEN
  42. THIRTY-EIGHT
  43. THIRTY-NINE
  44. FORTY
  45. FORTY-ONE
  46. FORTY-TWO
  47. FORTY-THREE
  48. FORTY-FOUR
  49. FORTY-FIVE
  50. FORTY-SIX
  51. FORTY-SEVEN
  52. FORTY-EIGHT
  53. FORTY-NINE
  54. FIFTY
  55. FIFTY-ONE
  56. FIFTY-TWO
  57. FIFTY-THREE
  58. FIFTY-FOUR
  59. FIFTY-FIVE
  60. FIFTY-SIX
  61. FIFTY-SEVEN
  62. FIFTY-EIGHT
  63. FIFTY-NINE
  64. SIXTY
  65. SIXTY-ONE
  66. SIXTY-TWO
  67. Epilogue
  68. Acknowledgements
  69. RECIPES
  70. Lavender shortbread
  71. Apricot jam sponge cake
  72. Lavender lamb
  73. READ MORE
  74. Prologue
  75. ONE
  76. TWO
  77. THREE
  78. FOUR
  79. THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING

‘Bonsoir, and in English for all our guests, good evening. Welcome to Le Petit Mas,’ he says, looking up from his notes. ‘I am delighted to welcome the families of the bride and groom here today, JB’s family and the family of Stephanie, the beautiful bride.’ Stephanie turns to me and grins at the row of eclectic family there. Fabien and me, Lou and Alain, Henri and Rhi, Carine and her new baby: Stephanie’s family. And I couldn’t have felt prouder when Stephanie asked me to be by her side today, her witness at the mairie earlier and now here, holding Tomas’s hand as he walks down the aisle as ring-bearer, feeling like her mum on her wedding day. As I let go of Tomas’s hand and find a tissue, I’m crying a mix of happy and proud tears, very different from the sorts of tears I’ve cried over this year. They blur my eyesight and will probably turn my nose bright red but I couldn’t care less. I have everything I need here. This is my family and I love them all.

As the service ends and they prepare to exchange rings, Ralph runs off through the lavender field, Tomas just behind him.

‘Bring back the rings, Ralph! The rings!’

And we all laugh.

I stand and kiss Stephanie.

‘He may not have been planned, but he is what brought us all together,’ she murmurs.

‘He did! And life has a way of not going according to plan,’ I say. Stephanie looks at me, beautiful in the dress from the brocante, which we have made over, as we did the chairs, the white tablecloths, laid with a fabulous buffet, and even the wrought-iron table. Because everything deserves a second chance.

‘Talking of plans,’ says Stephanie. ‘Good job this one was!’ She lays a hand on her stomach.

‘Huh?’ I exclaim. I couldn’t be more excited.

‘You’re about to be a grandmother all over again!’ she says. And although I’m not sure I’m quite ready to be called that, feeling as if I’m mum to Stephanie is the best thing in the world. That, and sharing it with the man I love, because we all deserve a second chance at life and, thank God, I got mine.

‘So, how do you feel about being a grandfather already?’ I ask Fabien.

‘More toys to find and do up from the brocante.’ He kisses Stephanie on the cheek, then me on the lips. ‘I love it!’

Acknowledgements