‘You’re cold.’ Jack slipped off his jacket and made to put it around my shoulders, but I stepped away.

‘I’m fine, really,’ I said, pulling up a smile. It was definitely colder now, but I didn’t think Cecily would appreciate her fiancé putting his coat around another woman’s shoulders, especially one he had recently been in a relationship with.

‘Lily, you’re shivering. Just take the jacket.’

‘No,’ I said, ‘but thank you for the offer. I’m going back inside in a moment.’ As I moved I saw Cecily through the open doors, watching us.

‘Why the hell are you so stubborn?’ The question had a controlled but wary tone to it, and I looked up, meeting his eyes for the first time since the churchyard when he had looked away so quickly.

‘I’m learning.’ I smiled sadly at him, inwardly cursing the tears filling my eyes. ‘I’m going to head in now.’ I glanced again at Cecily. ‘Perhaps you should too.’

Jack frowned at me for a moment and then glanced in. ‘She’s fine. Cecily’s superpower is always being able to find somebody to talk to.’

‘That’s not exactly the point, though, is it?’

The dark brows knotted. ‘What is the point then, Lily?’

He really was going to make me spell this out for him, wasn’t he? ‘The point is that you should be with your fiancée rather than trying to be chivalrous to your ex-girlfriend, as much as she appreciates the gesture.’

He stared at me and then that smile that I loved so much began to show on his face. He picked up his jacket from where he’d thrown it over the balustrade when I’d refused it and wrapped it around my shoulders before I could protest.

‘God, I miss you.’

‘Jack…’

‘Do you love me?’

‘Jack, you can’t ask me that.’

‘I just did. It’s a simple answer yes or no.’

‘How can you do this to me?’ Tears began streaming down my cheeks.

‘Because I love you. I’ve always loved you and I always will love you. I knew I wasn’t worthy of you when I was younger and, although I was probably seen as callous and likely was to more women than I care to think of, I knew you were different. Special. I knew you didn’t deserve to be treated that way, but I wasn’t sure how to deal with anything more. When I heard you were getting married, it was like someone had pierced my heart – but when I heard about the accident, it was even worse, because I knew how destroyed you were. I’m not the man I was back then, but I had to wait until you realised that, even though I knew I would love you until the end of my days.’

I pulled away from him, staggering a little as my heel caught on the paving. I reached out to steady myself, but Jack was already there, wrapping his arms around me. Pushing against his broad chest I shook my head. ‘You can’t say that. Not when you’re marrying another woman. It’s not fair to her or me.’