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‘It doesn’t sound like you’re giving me much choice,’ Giles grumbled.

‘You’re right, I’m not. I’ll see you at five thirty at Jamie’s. Do not be late.’

‘Hold on,’ he said, before she could hang up. ‘There was that other thing you asked me about, too.’

63

Rounding up the troops wasn’t just a case of Jamie and Fin. Obviously, Evan and Hope were going to be there too, and it didn’t seem fair not to include Ben, given that he was next door. However, once she’d rung Ben to check that he could make it, she’d felt bad that Caroline wasn’t included too, and so had rung her and extended the invite. With them all gathered in Jamie’s kitchen, it made for one of the fullest houses Holly could remember in some time.

‘Why won’t you just tell me why you’ve turned up here?’ Jamie said, looking decidedly frantic.

‘Because it’s not my place to tell you,’ Holly said, unable to suppress her grin. ‘But it’s good news, I promise. And he’ll be here any minute. He better be…’

‘And who is it we’re waiting for, exactly?’ Fin asked, a question Caroline clearly seconded from the way she was nodding her head.

‘The guest of honour.’

‘This is ridiculous, Holly. Even for you.’ Jamie scowled.

Holly hadn’t even let Evan in on the secret. No, the first people to hear the news had to be Jamie and Fin, and theyneeded to hear it from Giles. But she was starting to think that he had chickened out. After all, it was already five thirty-five, and she’d been quite insistent that he needed to be prompt.

She picked up her phone, ready to call him and yell, when the doorbell buzzed.

‘I’ll get it!’ she said, and raced to the front of the house, closing the door to the kitchen en route so that they couldn’t see out into the hallway and spot Giles.

‘You’re late,’ she said, as she let him in.

‘And you clearly didn’t trust that I’d turn up. Had you got all nervous and started babbling yet?’

She slapped him on the arm. ‘Just hurry up. Everyone is waiting.’

‘What do you mean, everybody? I thought you said it was only going to be Jamie and Fin.’

Holly decided not to say any more. Instead, she opened the door, and walked through into the kitchen.

All eyes stared straight at them.

‘Is this some kind of joke?’ Jamie said. ‘What’s he doing here?’

The comment was definitely loud enough for Giles to hear, but when Holly turned to look at him apologetically, he apparently hadn’t heard. It looked as though he wasn’t listening to anyone. Instead, he was staring at Ben, or more precisely, Hope in Ben’s arms.

‘Wow, she’s gotten so big,’ he said.

He took a step forward and stretched out his hand towards Hope, only for Holly to slap it away.

‘You can give her all the cuddles you want in a minute. First, you need to tell them. Now.’

In all her years of knowing him, she couldn’t remember seeing Giles this nervous before – except on the occasions he had professed his love for her. And it would’ve been amusing had itnot been for the butterflies flitting around her stomach and the extreme confusion on everybody else’s faces. If he didn’t spit it out soon, she knew she was going to, but she gave him one more moment.

‘Giles?’ she said again.

He took a deep breath in.

‘So, I don’t know how much Holly has told you?’ he started.

‘Nothing,’ Jamie said immediately. ‘She’s told us nothing at all. Honestly, we have no idea why you’re here.’

‘Well, my mum is a registrar.’