Bridge of Hope (39 page)

Chapter Fifty-One

After we made love that first time, Mallory asked me to move in with her. To say I was shocked would be the fucking understatement of the year, but I jumped at the chance. I was so glad she had rejected the offer she’d received on the house she loved. We’d pretty much been living together anyway, and making it official was the best feeling. It meant she believed in us. It meant we were a couple with a future, and I simply can’t express how that made me feel. There are just no words that come close to describing the happiness.

I loaded up the Landy with all my crap and made my way over to my new home. Angus wagged his tail frantically as if he knew. And when I pulled up outside the cottage, I climbed out, ran over to Mallory, scooped her up, and spun her around.

We carried all the boxes from the car into the house until the living room looked like a warehouse. We vowed to start unpacking them as soon as possible, but Mallory enticed me to take a shower. Because I took a lot of encouraging… ha!

As she led me out of the room and we passed the window, she gasped. “Greg! It’s snowing.” I slipped my arms around her waist as she watched the shimmering flakes float to the ground. “It’s perfect,” she sighed. And it really was.

After gazing out the picture-perfect view, we made our way up the stairs and into the bathroom. We undressed each other slowly and stepped under the cascading hot water, where we washed and caressed each other and made love languorously until the water ran cold.

~~~

Christmas morning arrived and I regressed to childhood. After making bacon sandwiches, I made my way upstairs to wake my gorgeous girl. Mallory didn’t appear to share my enthusiasm for arising early on our first Christmas day, and I had to resort to underhanded tactics to get her out of bed. After tickling her, I scooped her up and wrestled her over my shoulder, exposing her bare bottom from under the old T-shirt of mine that she slept in and giving it a little playful slap for good measure. Her protests made me laugh, and even though she slapped at my ass as I carried her, I didn’t put her back on the ground until we reached the living room.

We ate our bacon sarnies and drank Buck’s Fizz by the Christmas tree with its twinkling white lights and garish display of trinkets, and I couldn’t help staring at my Mallory in her just-woken-up, half-naked state. I wanted to have her again right then and there, but we had gifts to open so I decided to hold back, determined that I would make this morning special for her—and then make the most of her body again later.

She handed me a little rectangular parcel and I just stared at it. It looked so beautiful wrapped in her handmade wrapping paper with its gold hearts and snowflakes that I just didn’t want to spoil it. She encouraged me, clearly eager to see what I thought of her gift.

Carefully I opened the wrapping and took out the hand-painted sign. She had
made
me a gift, and it was the most beautiful thing I’d ever received. So simple, but the meaning behind it made my lip tremble as I read the sign aloud, “‘Welcome to Greg and Mallory’s Home’. Mallory, this is the best Christmas gift I’ve ever been given.”

She laughed “What? Did you never get a bike or a Scalextric?” she teased.

“Aye, yes, course I did. But
this
means so much more because
you
made it for me and it makes our moving in together official. Best gift ever, just like I said.” We shared a tender kiss before I handed her the gift I’d got for her.

She frowned and the puzzled look on her face at the flat rectangular parcel had me jumping in to explain. “Now, before you open it and go all apeshit on me, I just want to defend myself and say that it’s something for us
both
. But I think you’ll be happy and that’s what matters.”

She eyed me suspiciously and opened it. “Bloody hell, Greg! Two first-class return flights to
Canada
?” Before I knew what was happening, she launched herself into my arms and covered my face in kisses.

“Whoa! That’s not the reaction I was prepared for!” I slipped my arms around her and pulled her to my chest.

Leaning away from me, she met my eyes. “I know and I should be angry with you. But how can I be when it’s just so perfect?” Her lips met mine again in a less vigorous assault—not that I was complaining about the passion she showed the first time.

“Well, I spoke to Renee and she says we can either stay with her, or if we don’t feel comfortable doing that, she’ll book us into the hotel in Kingston, her treat.”

“How wonderful! I love you, Greg McBradden.” We tumbled to the rug, and all thoughts of waiting until later to savour her body again went out the window and joined the falling snow.

~~~

On December twenty-eighth Brad and Josie, Mallory’s best friends from Yorkshire, arrived to stay in time for Hogmanay. As Brad and I made coffee for our women in the kitchen—giving the girls time to catch up and talk each other’s head off—I decided to put my next plan into action.

“So Brad, mate. How are you fixed for a wee bit of New Year shopping?”

“Yeah, sure. Looking for summat in particular?” His Yorkshire accent was much stronger than Mallory’s and sometimes I had to
really
listen to get what he was on about.

“Yeah. I need you to be my smoke screen.”

He raised his eyebrows and grinned. “Oooh, that sounds intriguing.”

“Not a word to Josie though, eh?”

“You what? Do you think I’m daft or summat? She can’t hold her own water, that one.” Brad laughed.

“Great, so you and I will go in one direction and the girls can go off in another, eh? Or better still, they can go in Mally’s car and we’ll take the Landy. That way I can get sorted without distractions.”

“Good plan, mate.”

My magnificent plan was in motion. Mallory would be getting several surprises come Hogmanay.

New Year’s Eve—Hogmanay

I dressed in my kilt, knowing Mallory loved a man in Highland dress… well, knowing she loved
me
in Highland dress actually. Brad and I waited in the living room for the girls to come down the stairs in their finery. I was playing at the pub for the Hogmanay celebrations, and my nerves were jangling for several reasons; the
least
of which was performing.

Suddenly my eyes were drawn to the doorway where Mallory stood in a sexy, fitted silver dress and heels. My mouth fell open and I just stared at her voluptuous curves, thinking to myself that I wanted to fling her over my shoulder, carry her back upstairs, and rip it off. I trailed my eyes down her body and back up again, meeting her blue orbs with a smile. She, too, was staring hungrily at me.
Think sensible thoughts, think sensible thoughts
,
I repeated over and over in my head, willing my blood to return northwards. Sheesh, the effect she had on me with just one sultry look of longing.

“Get a bloody room, you two.” Brad chuckled as he punched me on the arm, releasing me from my lust-filled stupor.

We made our way over to the pub in the chilled December air, and I made some joke about wishing I was from Eskimo heritage, considering my crown jewels were turning to ice under my bloody kilt.
So much for looking good for Mallory. It’ll be a wonder if my package functions after this bloody weather.

Thankfully the pub was nice and cosy when we arrived, and the whiskey that was handed to me by Stella certainly helped. I wasn’t drinking as much of it anymore. I had no sorrows to drown. Just memories to keep in my heart.

I took up my place behind the mic stand and grabbed the attention of the crowd. “Right, now guys, as you know, this roller coaster year is drawing to a close and I’m happy to be sharing this special evening with youse all tonight. I won’t be doing much blathering. So enjoy the music, and dance if you have the room around you, but remember…”

“DON’T SING ALONG!” the crowd shouted in unison, and I laughed heartily but I knew for a fact they bloody would.

Chapter Fifty-Two

I was right. They bloody sang along at every given opportunity. Having said that, it was my own fault for singing such bouncy bloody songs. I slotted the odd smooch number in there too, especially for my gorgeous girl. And her eyes filled with tears when I brought her to sit by me as I sang “Just the Way You Are” by Bruno Mars. When the song ended, we kissed, and the place erupted into applause and whistles. There wasn’t a dry eye in the pub, and I knew I’d pay later but I didn’t care. I wanted the whole world to know how I felt about her.

At the end of the night I sang “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” by The Proclaimers, and the roof nearly flew off the place as the crowd got rather carried away. I gave up singing in the end and just played as everyone knew the words and I was past caring what they sounded like. I sat there with a huge grin on my face and when I caught Mallory’s gaze fixed on me, I playfully rolled my eyes.

I finished at five minutes to midnight and announced the time over the PA system, and the excitement in the place ramped up another notch. I
had
to get to Mallory. It was like swimming upstream against the tide, trying to get through the horde of people telling me what a great night it’d been. But I was on a mission. I wanted to kiss Mallory as the New Year came in.

Eventually I reached her, grabbed her hand, and pulled her toward the door. Stella announced four minutes to New Year, and with a grin fixed on my face, I tugged my beautiful girl behind me as I forged ahead and pulled her out the door.

She teetered along on her silver heels and giggled uncontrollably. “Greg! Where are we going? We’re going to miss the countdown.”

I didn’t answer until we reached the midpoint of the bridge and then I stopped, a little out of breath. “I think we should celebrate here, Mallory,” I told her before taking her face in my hands and kissing her deeply. She melted into me and I could have kissed her there until sunrise, but there were things I wanted to say. I pulled away and gazed into her eyes as an announcement that it was two minutes to midnight could be heard from inside.

Taking a deep breath, I began to speak. “Mallory… I love you more than anything in this world, do you know that?” She smiled and stroked my cheek. “I love your laugh, I love your body, and I love how you make me feel. I want to feel that way for the rest of my life.” I knew I was rambling but I had to get the words out. Her smile faded and her expression became serious.

“One minute to midnight!” came the announcement in the background.

My chest began to heave as the enormity of what I was about to do sank in, but I had never wanted any
thing
or any
one
more. “Please, would you make me the happiest man alive? Mallory”—I struggled for the words and finally posed the most important question of my life in Gaelic—“
am pos thu mi
?”

Mallory frowned and my heart began to try and makes its escape through my dress shirt. I pulled the little velvet box out of my jacket pocket and held it out.

She just stared.

“Ten, nine, eight, seven,” they chanted from the pub.

Dropping to one knee before her, I held the box aloft and gazed up at her widened eyes which were now glassy with tears. I fought my own emotions, but several tears escaped anyway as I peered up at her. “Mallory, will you marry me?”

“Four, three, two…”

Her mouth fell open and she touched her fingertips to her lips. “Oh, Greg. Yes!”

“Happy New Year!” Loud cheers and whoops came from the pub as people began to spill outside to celebrate.

Relief and happiness sprinted throughout my body, and when I stood again I felt ten feet tall. I pulled her into my arms and we kissed as people began singing “Auld Lang Syne”.

~~~

Once everyone realised what I’d just done, the joyous crowd made its way over to us and we were engulfed in hugs and congratulations. But the whole time we kept our eyes fixed on each other. The happiness I saw in her made me feel complete. We belonged to each other and now we were going to make it official.

Stella announced that she had champagne back in the pub, and so eventually everyone wandered back inside.

Mallory turned to follow them, but I held her back and took her into my arms once again. “I hope you didn’t mind me proposing here on the bridge,” I told her as I tucked a strand of her chocolate-brown hair behind her ear. I kissed her tenderly and stroked her cheek. “I want this to be
our
place too.”

A tear escaped her eye but I caught it with my thumb. She smiled up at me. “It
is
our place. I have more memories of you and me here now. This is
our
bridge over the Atlantic. It’s our bridge of hope.”

Wrapping her in my arms once again, I began to lead her back to the pub. “Come on, you’re freezing and I’ve an icy breeze blowing around places I would rather I didn’t have it blowing. Let’s go have champagne before it’s all gone.”