Page 105 of Plot Twist

‘Someone who might leave,’ I said, eventually.

I had to say it out loud. I knew when Riley left he was worried about the possibility of cancer. The cells. The impact that an illness would have on Ivy. I’d worried about that too, of course I had.

We followed a path that led to a small, sandy beach, with rocks to one side stretching out to the sea. I gazed out into the distance, watching two seagulls glide above the water. Riley. I wondered if my expression portrayed the excitement I felt fizzing in my stomach when I looked at him. I’d managed to get pretty good at hiding it over the time we’d spent together but I had to be more guarded now than ever. What I felt towards Riley had taken a complex twist when he’d left.

He nodded and let out a long sigh. ‘I can’t believe I let you down like that. When I got home, I realised I’d made a huge mistake but I didn’t think you’d want to talk to me, not after I just buggered off and left. I’m so sorry.’

In a weird way, I understood. I’d told him my mum had passed away after a cancer battle when I was four. It was perfectly logical to think that the same could happen to me, with Ivy the same age. It was also reasonable to want to steer clear of that possible heartbreak on his daughter’s behalf, as well as his own. It stung, but I understood.

‘I guess I get it.’ I shrugged. ‘So, what are you here for now?’

Trying to appear casual, like my whole everything wasn’t completely invested in waiting for his answer, I picked up a stone and tried to skim it in the water. Instead it plonked near the water’s edge. I looked up at him tentatively and he smiled.

‘To make it up to you, if you’ll let me. I thought coming to support you at Rae’s memorial would be a good first step,’ he explained. ‘And then, maybe we could see where it goes with us? Give us a try? If you want. No pressure or anything.’

It reminded me of arriving in Bellinder Cottage at the start of the summer and Riley persuading me to stay. No pressure. He edged closer to me, his fingers touching mine as the familiar bolt of energy fizzled through my body.

‘Wait,’ I said, arching an eyebrow. ‘Is this because you can’t write without me? Did you discover that I was actually your muse all along?’

He laughed.

‘Not quite. Actually, I’ve been in the zone since you left. I think the whole heartbreak thing helped. But before you say anything, it’s not something I want to keep exploring.’ He turned to face me. ‘I want to be with you, Becca, no matter what your results are. I know that now. I really do.’

I exhaled. It was exactly what I wanted to hear. What I needed to hear.

‘I got the all clear. Just before I came here,’ I said eventually, smiling up at him.

He turned around and paused for a second, a grin slowly spreading across his face, before he threw his arms around me, lifting me from the ground.

‘That’s brilliant news, Becca,’ he whispered in my ear, holding me tight against him. I breathed in his familiar scent.

‘It is,’ I replied. ‘I think it was Rae’s birthday gift to me.’

‘I think it was,’ he agreed, placing me back on the ground.

I moved back slightly, but Riley pulled me back into a tight hug.

‘Not yet,’ he murmured.

We stayed still, huddled together on the beach, without saying a word. The wind whipped my hair and I shivered, so Riley pulled me closer into his dark blue jacket. It felt cosy. Like home.

‘But what about Ivy?’ I asked, eventually. ‘She’s just getting used to having her mum back, Riley. I shouldn’t get in the middle of all that.’

He pulled back and held my arms at either side, gazing intensely into my eyes.

‘Ivy was the one who told me to come for you. She told me to stop moping around.’ Riley gave a lopsided grin. ‘I’ve been miserable since you left, Becca. I explained to Ivy that Jackie and I aren’t getting back together. She’s happy to have her mum back in her life, but she misses you, too. We both do.’

‘And Jackie?’

‘She’s sorting herself out,’ Riley said, as we started walking along the beach. ‘Going to narcotics meetings, so I guess it’s one day at a time. She’s living in one of the cottages Bridget and Ellie rent out, for now. I guess she’ll get her own place at some point. . . She actually asked me to apologise to you. I think she’ll be sticking around this time. Will that be a problem, do you think?’

He stopped in front of me and took one of my hands in his. I blinked.

‘For me?’

‘Yes, for you. I’m in this, Becca,’ he said, staring me out with his green eyes. ‘For the long haul. I came to the hospital that day and now the memorial because I want to be here for it all with you. I’ll keep turning up for the big events and small stuff, too. If you’ll have me.’

I was under no illusions that what I was contemplating agreeing to was a lot. If Jackie stuck around, if Riley and I got together, if I moved to Ireland at some stage, I would be right in the middle of it all. The problem was, I couldn’tnot. It seemed that, somewhere along the way, I’d fallen for Riley head over heels. Maybe quite literally the evening I’d decked it outside the pub, or perhaps it was before that. As soon as I laid eyes on him and put his face to the person I’d been conversing with for months, I knew Riley was someone pretty special. Despite all the baggage, obstacles and plot twists we’d faced along the way, I had to give us a try. It was our own chance at a happily ever after.