Page 113 of Commitment Issues

“You’ve no romance in your soul. I rather like Elleddie. We could have a plaque made, and have it spelled out in fancy script on a piece of slate. Very smart.” We walk into the master bedroom, at the end of the short hallway. “Oh, wow!”

Two little words, an exclamation, it’s the exact response as when he walked into my house that first time and looked out at the city, spread out below. And he’s right, but this time it’s the sea, gun metal grey against the blue sky.

“The view — it’s spectacular,” he says, his eyes wide and bright.

“It’s perfect, isn’t it?” I wrap my arms around him.

“It is.” He nods. “This is it, isn’t it? This is the one. We’ve found everything we’ve been looking for.”

He turns in my arms and we hug each other tight. Freddie’s right, and my heart flips. We have found what we’ve been looking for, but it’s so much more than a cottage in a tucked away little village.

When he eases back, his eyes are glittering, and he blinks away the tears that threaten to fall. He’s felt the truth of his words and I brush a soft kiss across his lips.

“We’ll make the offer today, set everything in motion.”

“Yes, because there may be others who—”

I press a finger to his lips, and see the question in his eyes.

“Don’t worry about anybody else, we’ll offer at the full asking price if we have to.”

“Then what…?”

My heart rate picks up, and I lick my suddenly dry lips.

“I want this to be in both our names. Not mine, not yours, but ours.”

“What? But I don’t have the money to put into it.” His eyes cloud, as though he’s seeing his dream fade.

“Freddie, listen to me. I’m not asking you to buy it with me. I was always going to get a place down here, somewhere to escape London when needed. You know that.” He nods, but his eyes are still troubled. “You were talking about naming the cottage, something that was a mix of us both.”

“I was only joking.” A light flush washes over his face, and he drops his head forward to hide his shy smile.

“But I’m not. We put our names on this together. It’s us, Freddie, you and me going forward as one.”

“As one?” he says, slowly.

I nod. “Yes, now and forever. That’s my commitment to you, Freddie, now and forever. Come on.”

We’ve got deals to make and papers to sign, setting the wheels in motion as we put our names to the future.

And I think I rather like the idea of Elleddie.