Just Say Yes (33 page)
“Well, yes. Not speaking to me. Distant. You know what I mean!” she cried. “Josh, I can’t keep this up. Tell me that you still want me to move in here, because if you don’t, I take back what I say about it being all right. I’ve given Lorna a full-time job looking after the London office and I’ve told all the clients I’m going to be working from down here and I’ve got tenants for the flat and—”
Josh reached out his fingers and lightly stroked her cheek, making her mouth tingle inside, almost unbearably. “Lucy, my love, I want you with me more than anything in the world. In fact, I want more than that. I’m sick of losing the people I love and I want to make sure, this time, that I don’t lose you. You see, I’ve agonized for a whole damn week, wondering if it was too much to ask you to rearrange your life for me. By the time I saw you get off the plane, looking so… bloody corporate, I’d convinced myself that it was too much to ask. I thought you were going to tell me it was all over.”
“All over? Oh, Josh, nothing could be further from the truth!”
“I can see that now but you have to understand. Until now, I’ve lost pretty much everything I’ve ever loved and I’m scared that having you is too good for me. You see, I want to—God, I don’t know how to say this without it sounding cheesy, but I really want you to spend the rest of your life with me. Make it formal. Jeez, what a mess I’m making of this. Look. I want you to marry me.”
What happened next was weird. Lucy felt as if the whole world had begun to turn around her and that neither of them was quite real. But Josh was still talking, running his hand though his hair and stumbling over the words. “I know it will mean putting up with my moods, my cooking, wetsuits in the kitchen, but I really love you…”
It was then that Lucy realized that there are very few moments in life when you knew what you wanted, completely, utterly, and without a single shred of doubt. And this was one of them.
“Josh, I love you. I love the whole messed-up, beautiful package that is you. The answer’s yes and just so you understand, I’ll keep on telling you until you believe it.”
He seemed so genuinely amazed at her answer that she knew, then, she would love him forever. Then a smile spread over his face.
“You know, I don’t think telling me will be enough,” he said, pulling her toward the farmhouse table. “I think you’ll have to actually show me how much you love me, every day.”
Claws clattered on the tiles as Tally shot out of the kitchen.
“
Every
day?
” whispered Lucy as her head bumped softly against the tabletop.
“Three times at least,” said Josh, lowering his mouth to hers.
This book was a terrible struggle to write… no, I can’t lie, it was great fun from the first word to the last. Here’s my chance to thank some of the people who made it such a pleasure, especially Claire Baldwin at Headline, Deb Werksman and Sourcebooks, and my fantastic agent Broo Doherty. I’m also indebted to Rosy Thornton, Annette, Julie Haggar, Izabella Gawarecka, Duntay, Ania, Liz Fenwick, Janice Hume, Catherine Jones, Lorelei Mathias, Barbara Whale, and to Sue Jackson and Lynn Logan at Heart of the Lakes.
Most of all, to John and Charlotte. ILY x
Phillipa Ashley studied English Language and Literature at Oxford University before working as a freelance copywriter and journalist. She lives in an English village with her husband and daughter. Visit
www.phillipa-ashley.com
.
Carrie Goes Off the Map
by Phillipa Ashley
Just when she thinks she knows where she’s going…
Carrie lets her best friend talk her into a scenic European road trip as the perfect getaway from a nasty breakup. Unexpectedly along for the ride is the gorgeous Matt Landor, MD, who sorely tests Carrie’s determination to give up men altogether. Careening through the English countryside, these two mismatched but perfectly attuned lonely hearts find themselves in hot pursuit of adventure and in entirely uncharted territory.
“This tale has its own, Bridget Jones–style appeal.”—
Booklist
“Quirky and Fun”—
RT Book Reviews
“Ashley’s charming prose makes the journey enjoyable.”—
Publishers Weekly
For more Phillipa Ashley, visit:
Wish You Were Here
by Phillipa Ashley
Beth Allen has moved on…
It’s been eight years since she and Jack Thornfield met on an exotic holiday and sparked up a seriously promising romance. But then he disappeared without a trace, and Beth’s life got dreadfully busy, demanding, and altogether complicated.
Then Jack and Beth run into each other again…while she’s applying for an exciting new job in London—at his company. For necessity’s sake, but against her better judgment, she takes the job, and from that moment on, complicated doesn’t even begin to describe it…
“A lively romance… I really enjoyed this tale of two star-crossed lovers who find their way back to each other.”
—Long and Short Reviews
“This is an entertaining second chance contemporary romance starring a strong cast.”
—Midwest Book Review
For more Phillipa Ashley, visit:
Nadia Knows Best
by Jill Mansell
The bigger the mistake, the more tempting it is…
When Nadia Kinsella meets Jay Tiernan, she’s tempted. Of course she is. Stranded together while a snowstorm rages outside… who would ever know?
But Nadia’s already been together with Laurie for years—they’re practically childhood sweethearts. Okay, so maybe she doesn’t get to see much of him these days, but she can’t betray him.
Besides, when you belong to a family like the Kinsellas—glamorous grandmother Miriam, feckless mother Leonie, stop-at-nothing sister Clare—well, someone has to exercise a bit of self-control, don’t they? I mean, you wouldn’t want to do something that you might later regret…
Praise for
New York Times
and
USA Today
bestselling author Jill Mansell:
“Mansell crafts a lovely story.”
—USA Today
“A master storyteller who creates characters with unique personalities that captivate the reader’s imagination and heart.”
—Long and Short Reviews
For more Jill Mansell, visit:
To the Moon and Back
by Jill Mansell
The hardest part of love is moving on…
It’s been a year since Ellie Kendall’s husband, Jamie, was killed in an accident, but she’s still haunted by his memory. In fact, she finds herself talking to him regularly. At the urging of Jamie’s successful actor father Tony, Ellie moves to London’s glamorous Primrose Hill, where nobody knows her past…
But even in her new home—with her new friends and new suitors to distract her—Ellie can’t seem to leave Jamie behind. Will Ellie stay stuck in the past? Or will she realize the man of her dreams is flesh and blood—and right in front of her eyes…
Discover why readers across the globe can’t get enough of Jill Mansell’s poignant, funny love stories. You’ll laugh and cry—often at the same time!
“Each and every facet of this wonderful story comes together to offer readers a tremendous look at friendship, hope, romance, and second chances. An unforgettable, entertaining novel!”
—RT Book Reviews, 4 stars
“Absolutely, positively an outstanding story.”
—Night Owl Reviews Reviewer Top Pick, 5 stars
For more Jill Mansell, visit:
