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Back One Winter Morning Save as PDF
Chapters (56)
  1. Cover
  2. About the Author
  3. By the same author
  4. Dedication
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. 20
  25. 21
  26. 22
  27. 23
  28. 24
  29. 25
  30. 26
  31. 27
  32. 28
  33. 29
  34. 30
  35. 31
  36. 32
  37. 33
  38. 34
  39. 35
  40. 36
  41. 37
  42. 38
  43. 39
  44. 40
  45. 41
  46. 42
  47. 43
  48. 44
  49. 45
  50. 46
  51. 47
  52. 48
  53. Acknowledgements
  54. Read More
  55. Two Years Later
  56. THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING

‘What is this?’ I ask Tui, but she runs straight past me with Beavis at her heels, her cheeks flushed pink with mischief. When I look back towards Kit, I find that he’s moved further away, and is now half-squatting with his feet turned outwards and his knees wide apart. There is no hint of a smile on his face now, but his eyes are fixed on mine. He’s been growing his hair these past few months, but today it’s tied back, and he’s also dressed very smartly in a pressed white shirt and dark jeans. He looks about as gorgeous as I have ever seen him look, but there is a serious edge to him now that I have never seen before. An edge that’s making me feel both nervous and excited.

‘Kit, wh––’ I begin, but suddenly he opens his mouth and begins to bellow, his face contorting with emotion as he shouts out his Haka. I don’t know what the words mean, but I know how they make me feel. Goosebumps cover my arms, all the hairs stand up on the back of my neck, and a hard swell of affection builds up in my chest and presses against the back of my eyes, threating to engulf me.

Kit slaps his hands against his thighs; he sounds so passionate, and looks so moved, as if the language itself has transported him out of himself. Not once since he began has he looked anywhere but at me, and the intensity of his gaze is strong enough to make my knees buckle. I grip the wooden post at the end of the jetty for support, my eyes filling with tears as Kit falters for a moment, his voice beginning to quiver as the Haka draws to an end.

For a moment, there is nothing else, not the lake and not the trees; not Tui waiting in silent awe behind us, or the balloons rustling against the leaves; and not the jetty where Kit is now lowering himself onto a single knee, his face a picture of hope, his arm outstretched towards me, a small box balanced on the flat of his hand.

I don’t know how I do it, but somehow I move towards him; somehow I reach him and kneel down so I meet his eyes. He waits and smiles at me with all the love I know he feels and that he knows I feel for him.

There is no need for either of us to say anything, except for one single word.

‘Yes.’

Penguin Books

THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING

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