Which made him suddenly aware of the soaking wet jeans painfully clinging to his legs, the smell of damp wool rising from his jumper. Thankful for the discomfort cutting through the enticing fog of arousal ignited by thoughts of Lily, he decided to retrieve the hen party paraphernalia from the Jeep before he took his own shower. He was going to get soaked either way, but he might as well only do it once.

As he made his way back and forth between the Jeep and the estate building – bringing all the sequin-covered cushions and wet material, for what use Lily intended he had no idea – he managed to calm down, to level his breathing and the chaotic thoughts of his mind. Yes, he’d been scared that she’d be hurt or worse by the storm. But it went beyond that. It was almost more selfish than that. He just couldn’t bear the idea that something would have happened to her, because she’d become a part of his life. He’d become used to the gentle teasing between them, to working together. He’d found himself wanting to know what she thought, wanting to know her hopes, wanting to help make them happen.

Lily stood beneath the hot spray of the shower and had only just stopped shivering. She pressed her head against the cool stone tile of the beautiful bathroom and leaned. What had she been thinking? Henry was right. To go out in that storm had been madness.

The storm hadn’t been so bad when she’d taken the boat out, but it had just got worse and worse from the moment she’d moored it on the jetty. If Henry hadn’t come to her rescue, she didn’t know what she would have done.

But the idea of it all going wrong, the idea of the hen party being anything other than what she’d imagined for Victoria … It would have been perfect. She bit back a sob, and let the almost punishing heat of the water spray after the frigid cold rain turn her skin pink. A wave of sadness almost overwhelmed her. But it wasn’t for the hen party this time. It was for herself.

Perhaps it’s for the best.

Did you not ever think about leaving Hawke’s Cove?

Her hand formed a fist against the tiles and pressed hard. She realized she’d been hiding. Hiding, because without Blake, without the hen party, the wedding – restaurant aside – what did she have? What had she done with her life? Malie, Zoe and Victoria had been out in the world and they’d all found people that they loved and who loved them in return. And within weeks, the wedding would be over, Henry would be gone and she’d …

She bit back the tears that were threatening to fall.