Page 123 of A Wedding in Tuscany

Eventually, our crying subsides, and we pull apart to wipe our eyes and blow our noses. When I look at Sarah, her carefully applied makeup is now smeared across her face and adorns a wad of sodden tissues. No doubt, I look the same.

Why did we even bother with makeup this morning? Blind optimism? Gross stupidity? The Parsons sisters are criers. We should have been gifted shares in Kleenex rather than frequent flier points?we’d both be retired by fifty!

The giggle starts deep within me and bubbles up, bursting out and now I’m a tear-stained woman, standing in an airport, laughing maniacally. Sarah starts laughing too, wiping away her errant tears and we share the joke, even though I’m not certain she knows what the joke is?or that I do, for that matter.

‘Uh, what’s so funny?’ asks Josh.

‘I have no idea,’ replies Sarah through laughter.

‘Ohh-kay …’ he replies.

‘Chérie?’

Sarah and I continue giggling a few moments more?I wonder if she’s enjoying the release as much as I am?but eventually the laughter dies. She grabs both my hands. ‘Love you, dear darling adorable little sister.’

‘Love you back, dear darling adorable older sister.’

She pulls me in, plants a kiss on my cheek, then turns and calls out, ‘Bye,’ over her shoulder. Josh raises a hand, then rushes to catch up to her. I sigh and wipe my nose again.

‘Catherine, come here.’ My husband wraps me up in his arms, his chin resting on my head and holds me, his fingers gently stroking my back. I’m emotionally spent, so there are no more tears, but I wish I could just crawl into bed and snuggle up with my handsome hubby and forget about the world for a while. Instead, we need to get on a plane now.

‘Are you all right?’ he asks, his voice soft.

‘Yes,’ I reply. Because I am all right. I am more than all right. I am loved, I am appreciated, I am supported, and I am about to embark on the biggest adventure of my life with the man I love.

‘Then let’s go.’

Eight months later

London

Sarah’s face appears on my phone screen. We’ve woken her?and Josh?but with good reason.

‘So? Am I an aunt or an uncle?’ she asks. I chuckle softly as Josh appears next to her.

‘You’re an uncle!’ I reply, playing along.

‘A boy!’ she exclaims. To Josh, she says, ‘We have a nephew!’

‘I know, babe, I heard.’

Jean-Luc leans in, our son swaddled and sleeping in his arms, and holds him up to the camera.

‘Ohhh.’ Sarah starts sobbing and through her tears, manages, ‘He’s beautiful.’

Jean-Luc and I grin at each other. ‘We think so also,’ he says, looking back at Sarah.

‘So, does he have a name yet?’ asks Josh.

‘Oh, yes! He’s called Sebastian.’

‘Sebastian,’ wails Sarah. ‘I love it.’

‘So, are we calling him Seb or Bash or Bastian?’ asks Josh.

‘Seb?’ I screw up my nose and look pointedly at my brother-in-law. ‘We are not calling him any of those?we’re calling him Sebastian,’ I say.

‘Got it.’ Josh’s mouth quirks, but I know he’ll honour our wishes.