Page 102 of New Beginnings on Railway Lane

She turned back to look at him. ‘Any problems?’ she asked.

He shook his head.

Katy frowned. ‘Are you okay?’ she asked gently.

‘I’m fine,’ he said, finally able to find some words. ‘So how did it go?’

She went to reply when a loud burst of laughter came from nearby where Ethan was still holding court.

‘Shall we go outside?’ she asked, gesturing with her head.

‘Okay.’

Ryan followed her outside, his heart sinking as he went. Bracing himself for what Katy had to tell him.

* * *

The platform was quiet as Katy headed outside with Ryan beside her.

The party continued inside, the lights and laughter drifting out to where they stood. But the air was still and cold and she was thankful for the peace so that they could talk.

‘So what happened?’ he asked.

His tone was casual, but Ryan looked so nervous that she reached up to give him a kiss on the cheek.

She felt nervous too. What if he didn’t want her there after all? What if he had changed his mind?

She took a deep breath. ‘It was a great job and they offered it to me there and then,’ she told him.

He gave a little choking sound in his throat so that she stepped forward to take his hand.

‘But I turned it down,’ she told him.

He looked stunned and stared at her in amazement.

‘I’m sorry to hear that,’ he said, sounding dazed.

‘Are you?’ she asked, surprised. Perhaps she had misread the situation and his feelings for her after all.

‘No, not really,’ he told her, breaking into a wide, relieved grin.

She instantly relaxed as he reached out for her and pulled her close to him. In response, Katy automatically slid her hands around his neck. The feel of his warm skin through his shirt felt right. It felt like home. She belonged here. With him.

‘What if you might be stuck with me for a while longer? Like forever,’ she asked him, keeping her voice casual whilst she relished being in his arms.

There was a pause before he spoke again. ‘I think forever sounds perfect,’ he replied, his voice thick with emotion as he pulled her closer.

The eyes that stared down into hers were full of love and warmth and, she realised, relief as well.

She stared up at him. ‘I love you,’ she said. ‘I love you so much I can’t bear to live anywhere else but with you. I love you so much that I turned down a major promotion because you mean far more to me then my career ever will. Is it okay if this is my home now as well as yours?’

He smiled and stroked her face. ‘I love you too,’ he told her. ‘And it’s been your home for a very long time. You’ve brought life back into all of our lives. You’ve made the station feel like a home again. But, more importantly, I cannot live without you.’

‘Nor me,’ Katy told him. ‘I thought I wanted a career and all of that, but none of it matters. It’s just work. This, here, with you, right now, that’s real. That’s life. And it’s love too. So much love.’

Then he closed the gap and kissed her.

Somewhere in the background, she thought she heard murmurings and a cheer or two as they continued to kiss. She lost track of everything until she heard someone clear their throat.