He led me through the field and took me into some bushes. “Seth, my mum is expecting us back. What in the hell are you up to?”
“I already told you. I want you, woman. Take your clothes off and be as one with me and nature.”
I frowned and shook my head. “There’s something seriously wrong with you, Seth. What are you playing at?”
He strolled very purposefully towards me, showing those come-to-bed eyes as strong as ever. Immediately, as always, my breathing hitched that little bit as he stood in front of me and trailed his fingers down from my neck towards my nipple.
I gasped. It was only this morning that we made love, but I could quite happily have him take me again.
He moved in and kissed me tenderly. For a moment we were lost in each other and the way our mouths felt together. It was like nothing else.
“We can go back now if you want?” he breathed into my mouth.
“Don’t you fucking dare. You started this, STD, now you finish it.”
He pulled away a little and frowned at me. “STD?”
“Yes, STD. You call me pet names, so why can’t I?”
He started chuckling a little. “Yes, but I call you Angel and Cookie. STD is Seth the Dickhead. I think there’s a huge difference between the three.”
“That’s true, but the circumstances outweigh the differences.”
“Oh really, how’s that?” he asked, pulling me closer.
“Because at the moment, you’re acting like one. You’re being very strange. You feel me up and drag me to some bushes, then you kiss me—getting me all hot and ready for you—and ask if I want to go back home. You’re an STD.”
He pulled my waist closer to his crotch and I could feel how hard he was. He kissed my neck lightly and whispered in my ear, “If that was the case, you wouldn’t want me doing all the things I plan on doing to you right now.”
He kissed his all the way down from my neck to my nipple and showed me all the things he was planning to do. And boy was it worth a tumble in the grass for.
Once we got back to the house it was starting to get dark. Seth was all smiles and I was all flushed from our encounter in the bushes. My mum came and answered the door, smiling brightly with our three extra guests behind her. I hugged Jack and David, and kissed and hugged an ever growing Julia. She was six months pregnant now and looking as radiant as ever.
“Julia, you look great. Pregnancy obviously suits you.” Julia looked across at Jack and smiled. He pulled his hands from behind her and cradled her stomach. It looked rather sweet.
“She’s beautiful being pregnant. She can’t keep her hands off me,” Jack said with a cheeky grin.
“Hey, that’s enough sex talk, thank you very much,” my mum warned.
“Talking of which,” Julia said, walking towards me. “What have you been up to?”
She looked up at my hair and plucked out what looked like grass or a piece of straw.
I blushed a bright red and everyone smiled knowingly. Seth seemed to hardly contain his excitement for some reason. It was all very weird.
“We have a little surprise for you,” Seth said, grinning. “Close your eyes for a moment and let me lead the way.”
“Surprise? It’s not my birthday,” I protested.
“This was something I wanted to do for you. Your mum and dad have very kindly offered to help.”
I let him lead the way as I was eager as he was to get on with my surprise. He gently led me towards the garden, and when I felt I was at the back door; Seth leaned in and whispered in my ear, “This is for you, my angel.”
I opened my eyes, and to my delightful surprise there were candles just about everywhere. The lights and flowers were crawling around the Gazebo making it look simply magical.
I gasped at the sight. My mum and dad’s garden was always kept in great shape, but this was stunning beyond words. It looked like I had crawled into a fairytale.
“It’s beautiful,” I said, unable to close my mouth. “But why go to all this trouble for me?”
Seth smiled down lovingly into my eyes. “Nothing is ever trouble when it comes to you, Cookie. Come, let’s sit. Your mum and dad have put a lot of effort into this.”
“Thank you,” I said, hugging my mum and dad.
“You’re more than welcome, Angel,” my dad replied. “That boy loves you very much.”
I looked up at Seth, smiling. “I know he does.”
We all walked towards the table and sat down. My dad brought over some meats and Seth poured everyone some wine and juice for Julia.
I was smiling from ear to ear. I didn’t know what I had done to deserve this, but I certainly wasn’t complaining. It was only then I remembered Seth’s strange behaviour. “So this is why you dragged me to the bushes?” I asked a little too loudly. Everyone chuckled; even my mum had a grin on her face. Luckily my dad was out of earshot getting some more meats.
“I have to blame this one on your mother, Angel. I had to do something to keep you away from the house.”
Jack did an almighty belter of a laugh, as my mum playfully scowled in Seth’s direction. “Well, if it bares me a grandchild in nine months time, I won’t complain.”
“Mum!” I shouted, burying my head in my hands. Why did I look forward to coming here, again?
Mindy showed up about five minutes later, which was nice. Everyone sat at the table, couple by couple. It was lovely just to sit there chewing the fat and enjoying the beautiful warm evening. The food was perfect and the wine was flowing. It was one evening that I would never fail to remember—in more ways than one.
We got to the end of the meal, when everyone was smiling at Seth and me. “What’s going on?” I asked suspiciously.
“Angel, I have a confession to make,” Seth began. “This wasn’t just the surprise.” Getting up from his seat, he offered me his hand. I took it, wondering what on earth he has up his sleeve.
He walked me towards the Gazebo and we took the two steps onto the landing. Everyone was standing by watching, all with smiles brightly lighting their faces. It was only when Seth faced me and got down on one knee that my brain kicked into gear.
I covered my mouth in shock as everyone around us laughed. “You all knew about this?” I asked, turning my attention back to Seth. The look he was giving me was one of complete adoration. I immediately melted. I knew exactly what my answer would be, even before he asked me. I have never been sure of anything before in my life. There’s just no escaping this anymore. Angelina is finally in love—finally met a man who she wants to spend forever with.
“Angel,” Seth began, taking my hand. “When I first met you and you were really quite rude to me…” He stopped as everyone laughed, and I rolled my eyes.
“I knew I would never be able to let you go. Your laugh, your smile, and the way you twiddle your hair when you say you’re bored—they’re just tiny examples of the things that made me fall in love with you. Your kind heart, the love you have for your family, and the way you make me feel treasured beyond belief, are just a few big examples of why I fell head over heels. The list could go on, but my knee is starting to hurt a little.”
He showed me that big cheeky grin of his again and I couldn’t help chuckling. Everyone was either laughing or crying—or both—by now, as he motioned for Jack to hand over something. He diligently complied as I spied the red velvet box Seth now had in his hands.
“I know I’ve made a few wise choices about things in the past and I know I’ve been certain of those choices. But I’ve never been more certain of anything more than I am right now. I never want to be without you, Angelina. I now realise just how insignificant it all was without you in it. The day I met you was the day Seth Jacobs breathed life into the world. Please say you’ll make me the happiest man in the universe. Angel, will you marry me?”
He opened the box up in front of me and I gasped at the beautiful twinkling diamond staring back at me. I could hear my mum sniffling in the background, and in the corner of
my eye, my dad wrapped his arm around her in comfort.
Gazing down at my beautiful Seth, I could see his eyes dancing in the candlelight. There was really only one way to answer the most important question of a man’s life.
“I don’t have to answer that,” I said, giving him the best cheeky grin I could muster. He grinned just as devilishly at me with a slight hint of water in his eyes.
“Angelina!” my mother scorned.
“It’s okay,” Seth said to my mother. “That means yes.” He looked at me a minute, his eyebrow raised. “It does, doesn’t it?” he asked with a look of worry for a moment.
“Of course it does, now get that bloody ring on me, Seth,” I demanded. “I want to kiss and hug my fiancée.” He did as he was told and everyone clapped and cheered.
“That was the most bizarre proposal I have ever witnessed in my entire life,” my mother sighed.
Everyone laughed as I helped Seth up to place those gorgeous rosebud lips of his on mine. We stayed like that cuddling and kissing one another—my face starting to ache from the constant smile wedged on my face. “I love you,” I mumbled into Seth’s mouth.
“I love you, too, Angel. More than you’ll ever know.”
“Right!” my dad yelled, pulling us away from one other. “This is cause for celebration. Rachel, I think it’s time to get the champagne out, don’t you think?”
“I do,” she replied, running over to give us both a hug and a kiss. “Thank you, Seth,” she said hugging him. “Thank you for bringing my daughter back to life.”
I had to look away then as I could feel the tears welling. I knew my mum constantly worried about me. She knew I was only like the way I was because of Jaden. I was so convinced that love was nothing but heartache and pain, that I crawled into a shell I never wanted to get out of. Seth has cracked more than my cookie since we met. He’s made me see possibilities I always thought were never an option. Getting married, maybe even having children.
No, wait a minute. That is going a little too far!
“Here,” my dad said, handing me a glass of champagne. By this time everyone was hugging everyone else, and life seemed pretty great.
“To the happy couple,” my dad, said. “Angelina, you’ve given me a son-in-law I can be proud of. I know he will do his best to make you the happiest woman in the world.”
We all raised our glasses and I was trying my utmost to keep my emotions in check. Right now they were all over the place.
Once we drank the champagne and I thought we were settling in for the evening, Seth surprised me again.
“This is not it, Angel. I have something else I have to show you.”
“What?” I asked, noticing his cheeky grin.
My whole family and friends got up again, and I noticed my dad rubbing his hands together. He was excited about something. I looked around them all, and it would seem everyone knew exactly what the hell was going on before me this evening.
Seth led me towards the garage door and told me to close my eyes again. I did as I was told as I heard the garage door opening.
“You can open your eyes now, Angel. This is my engagement gift to you. A small token of how much I love you.”
I opened my eyes and I nearly fainted at the sight. It was more than just a little token; it was a hundred and forty odd thousand pound token. This was a silver Aston Martin DB9 with a lovely red bow on the front. The car I said was my favourite when we first met.
“I can’t,” I said, turning to Seth.
“Don’t you dare,” he warned me. “Accept the gift graciously and take me for a spin,” he said, dangling the key in front of my face.
I didn’t will it, but I squealed and jumped in for a hug. Seth grabbed me, laughing as I jumped up and down, and went a little crazy. “You remembered,” I said.
“Of course I did. How could I forget that day? It was the day I realised I had to have you in my life. No matter what it takes.”
“Angelina, you’re such a bitch. I hate you. Seth, will you marry me instead?” Mindy laughed, earning her a glare from David.
“That’s very, erm, nice of you to ask, Mindy, but there is only room for one angel in my life.”
“Yeah, sorry, Mindy. This one’s all mine,” I said, stroking Seth’s cheek.
He smiled back at me as we headed over to get in the car. It was immaculate inside, with a red leather interior. “Where did you get this?” I asked.
“Your father helped,” he said, looking in my dad’s direction.
“I always knew you had good taste in cars, Angel. Now, you kids go have some fun.” Dad tapped the roof of the car and opened the garage door for us. I only wanted to take it for a quick spin as I had some alcohol running through my system. I hadn’t had much, but it still wasn’t a good idea in a brand new car worth a house!
Seth pressed a button which pulled the roof down as we headed outside in the hot night air. I only took her for about a mile or so down the road and made sure I kept to the quiet country lanes, but the thrill of it was immense. I was on cloud nine with joy. I was getting married to the best man a woman could ask for and I was riding him in my new DB9. Life couldn’t get much better than this!
Chapter 17
I woke up in the morning bright and early. I turned over to find Seth was still sound asleep. I felt restless and wanted up and out. I decided the best course of action was a walk. It was only six o’clock and I should imagine that everyone would be in bed still after last night’s celebrations.
Getting up, I stretched a little and rubbed my sleepy eyes. It was then I really remembered last night, after the beautiful diamond ring nearly threatened to scratch my face. Pulling my hand away, I inspected the ring. A giddy, school-girl smile must have been plastered all over my face at that point.
I looked over at Seth one more time and sighed contentedly. He could still make me feel as light-headed and silly as the first day I met him. He was always going to be in my life now and it felt absolutely brilliant. Nothing could taint my happiness now. Nothing could take away this feeling. I wouldn’t let it.
I scooted off the edge of the bed as gently as possible so I didn’t disturb Seth. He moved and then moaned a little once I was off, causing me to hesitate slightly. Once I knew he must be back in his normal pattern of sleep, I pulled on a pair of tracksuit bottoms and a t-shirt. I snuck out of the room and down the stairs as quickly and quietly as possible. Everything was so calm; you could hear a pin drop.
I opened the door to the already warm morning sun and set about a leisurely stroll down the road. Everything was so peaceful. All I could hear were the birds chirping and the occasional crow squawking. I inhaled the fresh, clean, Cornwall air and closed my eyes. I felt so happy to be alive at this point. So full of hope for the future. I was going to become Mrs Angelina Jacobs and it felt good. Really good. I never thought in a million years that I would contemplate being Mrs anybody—never mind feeling over the moon about the prospect. I was on cloud nine, or even cloud one hundred and nine, if there was one. Where does being on cloud nine come from anyway?
I shook my head and kept on walking, just smiling and letting myself be wrapped up by the love I felt.
I took a walk down the familiar country path and gazed across the horizon. The sun was invading my face, but it felt great. I welcomed the feeling by closing my eyes and tilting my head back to feel the pleasant heat on my skin.
My jaw still ached from the constant smiling I did last night. I was still smiling now, and I so didn’t care. It was one of the happiest moments of my life and for the first time in forever, it felt like I deserved to feel this way. Angelina Bradshaw deserves to be happy. It was strange telling myself that, but it felt good. For once I wasn’t shying away from feeling this way. Everything Seth does brings the best out of me.
It was then I realised just how perfect he was for me. He has managed to do the one thing no man I have ever encountered has done. He taught me to love. He also taught me that it was okay to be loved—th
at I should welcome it with open arms and realise that I had the right to have someone special in my life. Someone whole. He was like the missing jigsaw to my puzzle. The better half of me. He was the one I could see us growing old together with, holding hands when we’re still in our seventies, eighties. It was not something that frightened me, or made me feel the need to run away as fast as I could. Six months ago, maybe, but not now. I wasn’t hiding anymore. I wasn’t going to be that hard as nails on the outside, but vulnerable and timid on the inside little girl anymore. Those days were gone now. Replaced by a confident, happy-go-lucky, Angelina. Someone who accepts with open arms, a man who truly adores her.
And I knew he did. I trusted that the feelings he showed me were genuine. I knew he loved me and I knew he would do his utmost to make me happy. Hell, I was more than happy. I was heart stopping, spine tingling, melt in the mouth, euphoric. I don’t know where that came from, but I’ll take it. I’ll take any words that described just how happy I was right now.
Walking that little bit further, I kicked up my feet. I was actually kicking my feet!! I hadn’t done that since I was a child.
I gazed in the distance and could see an elderly couple out, walking their dog. It looked a happy sight, and one that immediately made me think of Seth and me again. I didn’t think I could look at anything ever again, without thinking of Seth and me. I was obsessed, crazy in love—you name it.
The gentleman tipped his hat and the lady smiled at me. She had the same silly smile I must have plastered on my face. Our delirium seemed to bounce off each other like a tennis ball. It was actually rather infectious.
I said good morning and went on my way. I was enjoying being by myself for a while, dizzy with excitement if I wanted to. I hadn’t even realised I had walked a little too far until I was in unfamiliar territory. I decided to halt in my tracks and retrace my steps back home. It was time to be with my beloved. I was kind of hoping he would still be asleep so I could crawl back into bed with him, and cuddle until we couldn’t possibly lay there any further. The thought had me quickening my pace a little until I was back to knowing exactly where I was. I was practically skipping all the way home, so wrapped up in my own delirium that I didn’t realise my spidey senses were picking up on something wrong until it was too late.