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Back Where The Story Starts Save as PDF
Chapters (65)
  1. TITLE PAGE
  2. COPYRIGHT PAGE
  3. CONTENTS
  4. PROLOGUE
  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. 49
  54. 50
  55. 51
  56. 52
  57. 53
  58. 54
  59. 55
  60. 56
  61. 57
  62. 58
  63. BOOK CLUB QUESTIONS
  64. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  65. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

She pulled away. ‘What? No guests? No dress? No reception? None of it?’

Ray shook his head, his smile never wavering.

‘And a registry office! No church?’ Melissa asked in a final flourish of disbelief.

She’d never been to a registry office do, but she’d seen them on films and they always seemed like poor excuses for weddings with fake flowers and a queue of guests for the next ceremony whispering at the door. There was no way she was going to have one of those.

‘Well, Melissa darling,’ said Ray smoothly, ‘I’m not sure, given the circumstances . . .’ He nodded his head towards the wall behind which Leah was sleeping. ‘. . . that we’d be all that welcome at the church.’

Melissa hadn’t even thought of that, but he was probably right. She’d heard that the vicar at St Paul’s was very old-fashioned about that kind of thing. When Trudy from school had gone to see if she could get her banns read to marry twice-married Damien from the butcher’s, the vicar had almost swung garlic on a cross at her. He wouldn’t take kindly to a baby born out of wedlock.

‘Oh,’ she said, the single sound encapsulating all her disappointment. ‘Oh.’

‘But we don’t have to do it my way,’ Ray continued. ‘If you want the big do with a flouncy dress and guests that we don’t really know and a huge bill, then that’s exactly what we’ll do.’

Melissa leaned into him and he wrapped his arms around her so that she felt little and safe. Maybe he had a point. A small wedding with just them might be perfect – so romantic, like eloping, almost. And where did she think she was going to get the money to pay for a big do anyway? It was the bride’s responsibility, wasn’t it, but it wasn’t like she could ask her mum to help and she didn’t even know who her dad was, not for definite.

‘But I don’t know anything about organising a wedding at a registry office,’ she said quietly. ‘I wouldn’t know where to start.’

Ray pulled her in tighter to him until she could feel his heart beating into her own chest. ‘Don’t you worry about a thing,’ he said. ‘You just leave it all to me.’

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