Page 61 of Amazing Grace

Look up, darling!she heard her mum’s voice say. She lifted her gaze from the ring and glanced up at the mirror above the fireplace.

MARRY ME!it said in bright-red lipstick.

Another gasp escaped her mouth as she turned to look at Vinnie. Archie and he looked first at each other, nerves getting the better of both of them, then looked back at her. It felt as if time had stood still.

Vinnie stepped towards her and took both of her hands in his.

‘Well, how about it?’ he asked nervously after what seemed like minutes but was only a second or two.

‘How about what?’ she replied, laughing as he grimaced then grinned as he got down on one knee.

‘Grace, I’ve adored you since the minute you opened your front door to me. I want to be with you every morning when I wake up, and every evening I want you to be the last person I see. Please, Grace, will you do me the honour of being my wife?’

Grace flung herself at him and dropped to the floor, wrapping her arms tightly around him. ‘Yes, yes, of course I will!’

She looked over at Archie who was beaming from ear to ear, then opened her arms and was nearly knocked over as he flung himself at them both.

That was the moment that she not only became a fiancée, but also the proud owner of the Amazing Grace Bookshop.

* * *

Breaking out of the memory, Grace turned to the registrar as he said, ‘Ladies and gentlemen, friends and family, we are gathered here today to celebrate the joining together in matrimony of Grace Christine Carnegie and Vincent Walter O’Loughlin…’

* * *

Grace’s heart caught in her mouth as she stood outside the bookshop that had lived inside her imagination for so long. She took a deep breath, made her wish and pushed open the heavy glass door. A Tibetan windchime bell tinkled quietly as she gently closed the door behind her and entered the room. It was everything she had dreamed and hoped it would be and more.

Brown leather winged-back armchairs were strategically positioned around the warmly lit room, the smell of cinnamon and spice-scented candles making it so inviting and cosy.

Grace smiled as she noticed him sitting on a squashy, fawn-coloured leather bean bag near the fireplace, a book open on his lap, reading. His glasses were perched on the end of his nose, and he was totally mesmerised by the book and oblivious to everything else going on around him. For a few moments, she just stood and stared at him while her heart melted a little bit more.

A bookworm, just like his mum,she thought as she tiptoed across the distressed wooden floor and bent down to kiss Archie. He looked up at her and his broad grin lit up his face.

‘Oh, hi, Mum. I was just reading this awesome book.’ He got up and hugged Grace and gave her that special smile, the one he saved just for her.

‘I just wanted to see what it looked like from outside,’ she said.

‘Again though, Mum? That must be the tenth time today. And what did you think this time?’ he asked, far more grown up than the twelve years he’d been on earth.

‘I just love it! I think it’s pretty much perfect!’ she replied.

‘It is pretty cool,’ he said with a big grin. ‘I can’t wait till it opens tomorrow morning.’

‘Me too,’ said Grace. ‘Come on, dude, time to get you home. Big day tomorrow.’ She ruffled his hair and looked around her at the shop one last time before tomorrow’s grand opening.

The bookshop was the talk of the town. The three-bedroomed flat above the shop had been featured in a national paper the week before, which described the luxury accommodation as ‘the perfect backdrop for those looking to explore their creative side’ and since then the phone had been ringing non-stop with potential writers and authors, interested in booking it as a writer’s retreat. The French doors from the flat’s lounge opened up onto a huge terrace above the shop, which was decorated with rattan sunbeds, chairs and tables with a breathtaking view of the rolling green countryside. ‘Authors,’ said the piece, ‘could not fail to be inspired to write in such a stunning location.’

She couldn’t believe that her childhood dream of owning a bookshop had finally come true after all this time, and that the following day would be the start of a whole new adventure for the O’Loughlin family.

* * *

My darling big, brave girl. You have travelled such a journey, and I am so incredibly proud of you.

You learned through heartache and tears that you had to believe in yourself and love yourself and all your flaws enough to stand up for yourself and let go of those who don’t treat you right. Loving yourself is not selfish; it’s essential to growing, achieving your dreams and to developing wonderful relationships with others.

Yes, you are a mother, but that is not the be-all and the end-all of your life. You deserve happiness and to have dreams and goals of your own too.

When you realised all that, you let love into your life and I can see how much you and Vinnie adore each other. And you have a beautiful family. When your children go off into the big wide world, and have their own adventures, that’s when your next adventure can start too.

I love you, Grace. You are amazing.

Until we meet again.

Mum

Xxx