‘I’d love that,’ Molly said, beaming. ‘I may have passed the audition but I still want to get the application just right. This means so much to me and I can’t tell you how happy I am that you’re helping me to go.’
Haydon smiled warmly. But then his gaze flitted to Ella, who was quietly watching the exchange, and he gave her an encouraging smile too.
‘Both of you – whatever you need, remember that you can come to me any time. It’s what I’m here for and I want to give you both the best start in life that I possibly can.’
Ella’s mouth briefly stretched into a smile of acknowledgement, but Haydon could sense that she was still troubled. He felt pretty sure that not all of it was down to the news that he had another daughter and that he’d have to talk to Janine about her emotional welfare when he got back. Ella had told him that she felt guilty about keeping Janine’s pregnancy from him and she couldn’t seem to get past that, no matter how many times he’d reassured her that she’d only done as her mother had asked and that he didn’t blame her at all. As for Haydon himself, now that he was over the initial shock of Janine’s pregnancy and moved on to a whole new level with Ashley, the idea didn’t worry him all that much. Janine had a new life to live and so did he, and at least he had a good solid friendship with his ex-wife for them to support each other through the trials that their new lives apart would bring.
Ashley pushed her plate away and gave a contented sigh. The sun filtered through the branches of a vine heavy with deep green leaves and threw dappled shadows on her face. She was dressed simply in a white vest and jeans, her hair gathered in a loose plait, and yet he didn’t think she’d ever looked lovelier. When he’d first spotted her in a crowded bar in Ibiza all those years ago the effect she’d had on him had been like a punch to the stomach. Something had clicked and he’d known, crazy as it would have sounded had he said it out loud, that she was the one. He hadn’t been able to believe his luck when she’d accepted his offer of that first drink and he’d known without knowing that he’d been falling for her as soon as they’d started to chat. Now, it was like that first night all over again, except this time he was more certain than ever that they had a future – the one he’d been convinced of at the start. He’d had to wait a good deal longer than he’d ever imagined, and the road had been fraught with detours, but it had come at last.
Ashley stretched and glanced at her watch. She frowned.
‘I didn’t realise it was that late,’ she said. ‘We’re not even packed to leave yet.’
‘Do you absolutely have to pack?’ Haydon asked. ‘Can’t you stay here and I’ll help you throw your knickers into the boot of Maurice’s car later?’
‘No.’ Ashley giggled. ‘But I appreciate the offer. Anyway, don’t you have a flight to catch too?’
‘I can pack for us,’ Molly put in. ‘If you wanted to stay here with Haydon’ – she blushed – ‘Dad for a while longer.’
‘It’s OK,’ Haydon said. ‘Your mum’s right, Ella and I have packing of our own to do and a flight to catch.’
‘Right,’ Molly said. There was a brief pause. ‘Can we see you next weekend?’
Haydon’s smile would have split his face if it had got any wider. ‘I’m sure we can figure something out if that’s OK with your mum…’
‘It’s more than OK with me,’ Ashley said. ‘I can’t believe you even have to ask.’
Haydon turned to Ella. ‘What do you think? Reckon your mum will be OK with us going to York next weekend?’
‘You want to take me?’
‘Of course I do!’
‘Only if you want to come,’ Molly added. ‘I could show you around if your dad doesn’t mind me taking you out. There’s some really cool shops.’
It was Ella’s turn to smile broadly now. She turned to Haydon and he nodded.
‘It’s OK with me,’ he said. ‘As long as I get to drop you off in town and you keep me posted where you are I’m sure it’ll be fine.’
‘I’ll ask Mum!’ Ella squeaked, and she raced off to get her phone.
‘We’d better go,’ Ashley said, and he could hear the regret in her voice. It was the same regret settling over him now, but he forced a cheery tone.
‘OK. We should be getting sorted now anyway.’
At the garden gates, Molly threw herself into his arms. ‘See you next week,’ she said.
‘You bet,’ he replied.
With a quick glance between her mum and dad, she gave a knowing smile and then began to walk ahead.
‘Catch me up when you’re ready, Mum.’
Ashley turned to Haydon and reached to kiss him.
‘You’ve got my phone number?’ he asked.
She nodded. ‘You know I have; I’ve been texting you.’
‘But I don’t want to take any chances. So you’ve absolutely, definitely got my phone number this time?’
‘Yes.’ She smiled. ‘I’ve got it, tattooed on my heart. How’s that?’
‘Will you be able to put it on speed dial from there?’
‘You’re funny.’
‘Ella doesn’t think so.’
‘Well she’s had more time to get bored of you. I’m looking forward to having enough time to get bored of you myself.’
‘I think there’s every chance of that happening. The girls will be nagging us to get together at every opportunity for a start.’
‘So you need nagging to see me?’
‘Of course not…’ He pulled her close and kissed her. ‘I need nagging to stay away. And even then I’m not listening…’
She smiled. ‘You know that thing you said last night?’
‘I said a lot of things last night.’
‘When you said you loved me. Tell me now. Tell me you love me.’
He smiled down at her, his heart thudding. He’d never imagined he’d get to say it out loud, that he’d ever have the right to say it out loud to her, but here it was. And a more perfect moment, underneath the cornflower skies of Saint-Raphaël, he couldn’t imagine.
‘I love you,’ he said.
‘I love you too,’ Ashley said. ‘Tell me again.’
‘I love you,’ he repeated, dipping to kiss her.
Her smile was broad and content as they broke apart. ‘I don’t think I’ll ever get sick of hearing that.’
‘I’ve got a good few years to make up for so I’ll be saying it a lot.’ He frowned. ‘Do you think Molly will forgive me? For not being around.’
‘It wasn’t your fault.’
‘I know, but I kind of feel like it was.’
‘You worry too much. She likes you. Especially now you’re helping out with the music school.’
‘Yeah, but she doesn’t know me, not like a daughter should know her dad.’
‘But she knows enough to see that you could be a good dad and you know what they say about better late than never.’
‘I think they were probably talking about arriving at parties and things when they invented that saying.’
‘I think they were talking about just this sort of situation. Yes, we’ve all lost a few years but what’s past is past. The important thing now is where we go from here.’
‘York?’
‘No, silly!’ Ashley prodded his chest and he grinned.
‘So you think we can be a proper family?’
‘I know we can. Just as soon as we can work out the actual logistics of it.’
‘Where will we live?’
‘I’ve no idea!’ Ashley laughed. ‘Talk about forward planning.’
‘It’s just going to kill me being apart from you all the time.’
‘It’s going to be hard for me to move south – for the next few years at least.’
‘I know, and I wouldn’t expect you to make that sacrifice anyway. You have so much up in York with your family and I would never ask you to leave that behind.’
‘I would if I had to.’
‘I know that. If anyone ought to move it’s me, but… I can’t leave E
lla just yet to come north. Things may change when Janine has her baby and they move to London, but at the moment…’
She reached to kiss him. ‘I wouldn’t ask you to make that sacrifice either. There’s no rush – for now we’ll just visit tons until you work it out. I think you’d like York, though.’
‘It sounds to me like you’ve already decided where we’re going to live.’
‘Just saying,’ she replied, aiming a coquettish smile at him. ‘It’s cool.’
‘If all the people there are like you and Molly then I believe that.’
‘I can’t speak for all of us, but there’s a fair few. So for now I get to see you next week?’
‘Whether you like it or not.’
She kissed him again. ‘I can’t wait,’ she whispered.
She’d never been one for emotional goodbyes, but there had been tears as Ashley kissed a fond farewell to Violette Dupont and Nanette and the rest of the wonderful people she’d met that week. She’d miss waking up with the sun on the walls of her tiny guestroom at Villa Marguerite and having breakfast on the veranda where butterflies played kiss-chase and bees hummed a drowsy tune, lunch at whatever pavement café caught her eye and late suppers in the cool kitchen listening to Aunt Violette’s stories, Maurice’s translations broken up by his sporadic laughter.
As Maurice now started the engine and the little house with its pink walls and wildflower garden moved slowly away, she spared a moment to reflect that it hadn’t all been idyllic plain sailing. But that was OK. If someone had told her to go through meeting Haydon again with all the anxiety and uncertainty that had brought, knowing what waited for her at the end of that rocky road, she still wouldn’t hesitate, not for a single heartbeat. During what had simultaneously been the worst and best week of her life, the shape of her future, though still hazy, had changed beyond recognition. Molly’s too, because Ashley trusted Haydon completely when he said that he’d do everything in his power to make Molly’s dreams come true. Now that Ashley herself had a partner in her struggles to give Molly all that she deserved in life, she was sure that between them they could do just that.
As for Ella, Ashley was sure that having Molly in her life would eventually be a good thing, despite Ella’s own uncertainty. In Molly she had a role model, someone to look up to, someone to turn to when life with Janine’s new baby got too much, someone more her own age she’d be able to confide in. Haydon had been concerned about their relationship but Ashley didn’t think he needed to be.
The countryside flashed by now and she settled back in her seat with a contented sigh. Glancing over to Molly, who sat next to her, Ashley could see that she was texting Ella already, despite the fact they’d only left them an hour before. It just added to her growing confidence in their future as a family. A year down the line, maybe even less, all that was new and strange now would be normal and comfortable and it was a lovely thought. Even lovelier was the idea that she and Haydon might be together, a proper couple living in the same house with their daughter. She smiled as her tummy did somersaults that were nothing to do with the bump in the road Maurice had just taken at speed. It didn’t matter that she’d lost sixteen years with Haydon, because they had so much more to come – a future better and brighter for the years they’d had to wait – and she just knew it was going to be amazing.
If you enjoyed The Summer Getaway, get ready for a gorgeous romance on the beautiful Silver Hill Farm in The Summer of Secrets.
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The Summer of Secrets
Can new love grow when you dig up old secrets?
* * *
Recently engaged, Harper Woods wakes up every morning on Silver Hill Farm feeling like the luckiest woman in the world. She has escaped her troubled past, outside the rolling yellow cornfields go on for miles and just downstairs are the gorgeous tea rooms she’s always dreamed of owning.
* * *
But Harper is about to discover something that will change her luck forever. For better or worse? She has no idea. Not until an expert can identify whether the jewellery she found hidden in the farm’s foundations is priceless, or utterly worthless…
* * *
As news of the discovery spreads through the village, there are others who’d like to lay their claim to the fortune. In particular, Will Frampton, handsome recluse and Lord of Silver Hill House, the crumbling stately home on the other side of the hill in desperate need of renovation.
* * *
It seems everyone wants a piece of the sparkling prize hidden under the Silver Hill tea rooms. But as relationships are tested and tea cakes begin to fly, will anyone catch the romance blossoming in the most unexpected of places?
* * *
Love and laughter are the biggest reward of them all in this utterly heart-warming romance, perfect for fans of Jane Linfoot, Debbie Johnson and Jenny Colgan.
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Also By Tilly Tennant
The Summer Getaway
The Summer of Secrets
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An Unforgettable Christmas series:
A Very Vintage Christmas
A Cosy Candlelit Christmas
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From Italy with Love series:
Rome is Where the Heart is
A Wedding in Italy
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Honeybourne series:
The Little Village Bakery
Christmas at the Little Village Bakery
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Hopelessly Devoted to Holden Finn
The Man Who Can’t Be Moved
Mishaps and Mistletoe
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Mishaps in Millrise series:
Little Acts of Love
Just Like Rebecca
The Parent Trap
And Baby Makes Four
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Once Upon a Winter series:
The Accidental Guest
I’m Not in Love
Ways to Say Goodbye
One Starry Night
A Letter from Tilly
Wow, I can’t believe I’ve just released my eighth novel for Bookouture and my eleventh full-length novel overall! If you ever want to catch up with me on social media, you can find me on Twitter @TillyTenWriter or Facebook, but if you don’t fancy that, you can sign up to my mailing list and get all the latest news that way. I promise never to hassle you about anything but my books. The link is below:
Sign up here!
The last few years have been a whirlwind and I’ve loved sharing it with you! I really hope you’ve enjoyed reading The Summer Getaway as much as I enjoyed writing it. If you’ve loved Ashley and Haydon’s story then I’d be hugely grateful if you could spread the word or leave a quick review. The more people who hear about it, the more we can share the love.
So, thank you for reading my little book – as always I’m so grateful for your support. And please look out for my next book, The Christmas Wish, coming out around… well, Christmas!
Love Tilly x
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www.tillytennant.com
Rome is Where the Heart is
Get it here!
* * *
Can a holiday romance ever have a happy ending? Escape with Kate to the sun-drenched city of Rome where a love affair is just about to begin …
* * *
When Kate’s husband Matt dumps her on Friday 13th she decides enough is enough – it’s time for her to have some fun and so she hops on a plane to Rome. A week of grappa and gelato in pavement cafes under azure blue skies will be just what the doctor ordered.
* * *
What she doesn’t count on is meeting and falling for sexy policeman Alessandro. But the course of true love doesn’t run smo
othly – Alessandro has five meddling sisters, a fearsome mama and a beautiful ex Orazia. They’re all certain that Kate is not the girl for him.
* * *
Can Kate and Alessandro’s love last the distance? Or will she return home with the one souvenir she doesn’t want – a broken heart …
* * *
Fall in love with the colourful cafes and the cobbled piazzas of Rome and follow Kate’s dreams and her heart in this enchanting escapist read. Perfect for fans of Debbie Johnson and Carol Matthews.
* * *
Get it here!
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What everyone's saying about Rome is Where the Heart Is:
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'What an absolute gem of a book. A lovely feel-good story.' Stef Loz Book Blog
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'Every page of this novel was a delight to read...I loved this book, it picked me out of my wintertime blues!' The Anxious Canadian
The Summer Getaway_A feel-good romance novel perfect for holiday reading Page 29
