‘Oh, my God,’ I breathed, my right hand fluttering against my throat as my pulse throbbed at super speed.
Cam took my trembling left hand in his, his gaze sincere as he looked into my eyes. ‘Johanna Walker, love of my life, I never want to spend another day not waking up beside you.’ He held the ring up to my hand. ‘Will you spend the rest of your life with me? Will you marry me?’
I realized now, after years of waiting for the men before Cameron to ask me that question, that saying yes to any of them would have been absolutely the worst decision I would have ever made. There was one certainty I’d learned in the last few months: when a man asked you that question, there was only one thing you had to ask yourself. Could I live without him?
If the answer was no, then the answer was yes.
I nodded, my mouth quivering as the tears started to fall. ‘Yes. I’ll marry you.’
With a groan of exultation, Cam pulled me towards him for a kiss so deep I was literally breathless when he let me go. I panted against his mouth, smiling crookedly. ‘You know what this means?’
Cam’s eyes glittered, and I was overwhelmed by the happiness in them. ‘What does it mean?’
‘We’ll never be able to live with Joss after this. She’ll think she’s Mrs Matchmaker.’
‘I’ll have a word with Braden. He’ll keep her in line.’ He grinned boyishly. ‘We’re good at that.’
‘You two think you’re in charge, don’t you?’
He shrugged but his eyes said, Yes – yes, we do.
Cupping his face between my hands, I gave him a condescending yet sympathetic smile. ‘Oh, baby, your na?veté is so endearing.’
Laughing, Cam wrapped his arms around my waist and as he stood up he lifted me and threw me on to the bed. ‘Tonight at least, I’m in charge.’ He began to undress slowly as I sat up, braced on my elbows, to watch him, my body already coming alive in anticipation. ‘Now tell me again that you love me, Mrs Soon-to-Be-MacCabe.’
I sighed happily at the simultaneous sound of my soon-to-be surname and the zip on his jeans tugging down. As I prepared to give him what he wanted, it amazed me how easily those words came after having taken me so long to find the courage to say them to him in the first place. Just like I did with Cole, I promised myself there and then that Cam wouldn’t live a day of his life without knowing how I felt about him.
‘I love you, Cameron MacCabe.’
With a cocky grin, Cam dropped his jeans to the floor. ‘I love you, too, Miss Walker-Soon-to-Be-MacCabe.’ And I knew then as I was lying on our bed staring up into his familiar and handsome face that I had something I’d never had before. I had someone who wasn’t going to let me spend a single day of my life without knowing how much I was loved.
I think one of my favourite parts of it all was the fact that finding what we had together hadn’t cost either of us a single penny.
Well … with the exception of an engagement ring and a new paint palette for our flat.
Acknowledgements
Writing Down London Road has been one of the best times I’ve ever had. The process of writing the book, and all the exciting things that were taking place in my life during it, made the entire experience wonderful and unforgettable.
Through it all my fantastic agent, Lauren Abramo, has helped me navigate these new waters. Thank you, Lauren, for your kindness, your sound advice, and for being absolutely brilliant at what you do.
Kerry Donovan: It’s been a dream working with you. Your unbelievable enthusiasm, great insights and support are so appreciated. You see into the souls of my characters, you understand my writing and where it comes from, and then you help make it better. Thank you.
I also want to say a massive thank-you to Claire Pelly. Claire, thank you for your support, for believing in this world I’ve created, and for braving the harsh Scottish weather for me. I know that couldn’t have been easy!
Nina Wegscheider: Thank you for embracing Joss, Braden, Jo and Cam and for introducing them to my German readers.
A lot of hard work has gone into reaching new readers and delivering these characters and the streets of Edinburgh to them. For all the interviews, the Twitter and Facebook Chats, the articles and guest posts, I want to thank Erin Galloway at New American Library and Katie Sheldrake and Kimberley Atkins at Michael Joseph. Ladies, you have been phenomenal, and I want you to know, despite my grumbling about getting my photo taken, I appreciate all the hard work.
An extra wee thank-you to Katie for also braving the cold weather in Scotland and enduring an almost fatal toe situation to be by my side and support me through the wonderful madness of introducing my characters to the UK.