‘Not everyone gets a book deal,’ Lorcan continued, pulling her back to the present. ‘But you did! And here you have it, your book. Your own book that you wrote and it’s going to be on sale everywhere. Everyone out there is here because they love and support you. They all want you to succeed. So enjoy this moment.’

She knew that he was right. He had a habit of always being right – especially when it came to encouraging her to feel the fear and do it anyway. They’d done that a lot together over the previous year. From finding their way, tentatively in a relationship with each other, to him accompanying her to London for her face-to-face meeting with Graham Westbury. They had felt the fear and did it anyway when he made the move to Derry, where he combined helping Harry run the shop, with setting up his own fledgling Chandler Bing-style IT business. They had even managed to talk Harry into some modernisation for the shop, to make sure it was secure for the future – although the line had been very firmly drawn at installing a fancy coffee maker.

Lorcan had known when to put a cup of tea in front of her when she was writing and starting to feel a little stressed. She had known just went to suggest the two of them take Paddy for a walk when Lorcan needed to unwind after a day listening to Harry’s epic monologues. When she lost her pencil, or it got broken, he was always there with a new one and if she fell, he was there with a hug. Their relationship was relaxed and easy but very much filled with love.

Clara barrelled into the room, her face alight with excitement. ‘Libby says it’s time to get started now. She says to tell you to be brave.’

‘That’s good advice,’ Lorcan agreed, lifting Clara up into his arms. ‘Will we help Jo be really brave?’

Clara nodded enthusiastically.

Jo watched the pair of them together, her heart full. This was her family. Lorcan and Clara at the very heart of it. And one day when they were both ready she just knew, there would be another child or two. While neither she nor Lorcan would ever forget the babies they had so wanted to love, but had lost, she believed that they had much more love to give.

‘Well, I suppose I’d better go and do this then,’ Jo said with a grin, and she walked into Once Upon A Book to a round of warm and welcoming applause from all the people who really mattered to her.

On the table in front of her, where once a display of Ewan McLachlan’s novels waited for him to sign, her own novel now sat, her author photo on a poster on the wall and everything about it felt just perfect.

Acknowledgments