Page 40 of Summer in the Scottish Highlands (The Scottish Highlands #5)
Gayle crossed the lawn to the house with a spring in her step, delighted by Jake’s suggestion.
Natty had overheard every word of the conversation about keeping the tents up in the garden as a permanent fixture, and additional accommodation, albeit a bit quirky.
‘That means we can stay here all summer if you book the tents, Mummy.’
Faye rolled her eyes, thinking nothing gets past my daughter . ‘Why don’t you go back into your tent and finish that pillow fight with Evie?’
‘But can we, Mummy, stay here?’
‘As much as I love …’ She looked at the tents festooned with fairy lights that Gayle had switched on. ‘… glamping—’
Jake butted in. ‘Oh, I’ve tried to make it as comfortable as possible, but I wouldn’t go so far as to call it glamping – it’s not exactly luxurious.’
Faye said, ‘All right, let’s christen this gamping – garden camping.’
Jake laughed. ‘Great! You’ve just invented a new name. I think Gayle should use that to advertise her new accommodation. Not to be confused with glamping, obviously.’
‘Obviously,’ said Faye, smiling.
Natty knitted her brow and repeated her question. ‘But can we, Mummy, stay in the tents for the summer?’
‘Ah, Natty, what I was saying before I invented my new word was that as much as I love gamping, I don’t think Mummy and Daddy will want to sleep in a tent for the entire summer – do you?’
‘All right. But can we stay in The Lake House then?’
Faye sighed. ‘Just go and play.’ When she turned to look at Jake, he was staring at her open-mouthed.
Faye looked at Jake. ‘What?’
‘You just called me her daddy!’
‘I did – didn’t I? Sorry, I don’t know where that came from.’
‘I do. At least I hope I do. I hope you see me as father material. Oh, Faye, I so want to be her dad – if you’d let me.’
It was Faye’s turn to stare at Jake open-mouthed.
It hadn’t occurred to her the implications of falling in love with him.
Of course she saw him as father material – why wouldn’t she?
He and Natty had a close relationship – just like father and daughter.
She should know; it reminded Faye of her own relationship with her father when she was growing up.
Now she was fast-forwarding their relationship. Would they get married? Oh god, she hoped so. But where did that leave Natty – officially speaking? What if Jake wanted to adopt? Did she want Natty to be a Ross?
Jake leaned across the table and took her hand again.
‘Look, I don’t want to get ahead of myself.
Of course I’d love to adopt her, but I’m happy, ecstatic actually, if she just calls me Dad, unofficially, you know?
She does not have to be a Campbell-Ross.
In fact, you don’t have to be a Campbell-Ross if you don’t want to get— ’
‘Yes! I want to get married to you,’ she blurted.
Jake sat back in his chair. ‘Did you just propose to me?’
Faye shook her head. ‘No, I think you proposed to me.’
Jake grinned. ‘Just sit tight and hold that thought!’
Faye watched Jake get up and rush to the tent where Natty and Evie were playing. She craned her neck, wondering what on earth was going on. She heard whispering in the tent.
‘What’s going on?’ Faye called out.
Nobody answered. Although she heard Jake ask, ‘What about this one?’
Natty replied, ‘Uh-uh, this is her favourite colour.’
‘Got it! Thank you, Natty.’
‘Can we come and watch?’
‘Of course you can.’
‘Watch what?’ said Faye, as Natty, Evie, Jake and Olive emerged from the tent. She looked at Jake. He had one arm behind his back. ‘What’s going on?’
He walked over to the table, picked up his glass of wine, downed the remains in one big gulp, and set the glass down.
‘Jake, what on earth …?’
From behind his back, he produced a box. Faye looked at it, then looked at him. She recognised the small box. It was one of Natty’s travel games. ‘Travel connect?’
‘Pretend it’s just a little box.’
Faye stifled a giggle. ‘All right. I’ll try.’
He slowly opened the box to reveal a ring-shaped piece of ribbon in her favourite colour, and then slowly lowered himself beside her chair until he was on bended knee.
‘Jake – what are you doing?’
Jake got out the ribbon. ‘Faye – I know this is our first date, but in the last few months I’ve learned something – life is short, and it can change in a heartbeat. I don’t want to wait.’
Faye looked at Jake, and then at the ribbon. She held out her finger. ‘Neither do I.’
‘Did you just say yes – for real?’
‘For real.’
Natty ran over and put one arm around Jake, and one around her mum. ‘This is my best day – ever!’
Faye said, ‘And mine!’
‘And mine!’ Jake added.
‘Now you two have to do the smoochy-smoochy.’
Faye rolled her eyes at her daughter. ‘You’re thinking of the wedding when the groom kisses the bride after the ceremony.’ Faye happened to glance at the tent, thinking there’d be plenty of time for that later.
She caught Jake looking at the tent too.
They were about to spend their first night together, under canvas, on two camp beds, with two extremely excited, giggly girls in the next tent, who were going to be awake into the wee small hours.
It wasn’t a recipe for the most romantic night together, but Faye didn’t care one jot.
There would be plenty of nights for romance.
All she wanted tonight was for Jake to hold her in his arms – and finally kiss her.
Jake got off his knees. ‘So, I wonder what plans I should make for our day out tomorrow, with my future wife.’
‘Well, I think my future husband shouldn’t make any plans.’
‘Huh?’ Jake looked at her quizzically.
‘The future Mrs Jake would like to have a slow day with her future husband.’ She watched Jake’s face light up. ‘You mean just wake up and take the day as it comes?’
‘Oh, yes. Let’s just wake up and do what takes our fancy, no plans, just live in the moment.’
‘I like the sound of that.’
‘Until teatime, when Annie is going to pick me and Natty up to go to the snow disco.’
Jake laughed. ‘Until teatime then.’
‘Sorry you can’t come. Should I cancel?’
‘Of course not! As I said, I want you to spend some time with Natty without me.’
‘What will you do while we’re gone this evening?’
‘I’ll think up another surprise for when you get back.’
‘Well, good luck with that! I don’t think you’ll better this!’ She flung her arms wide, indicating the tents, and then caught sight of the purple ribbon on her finger.
‘You’ll need a proper ring,’ Jake pointed out.
Faye looked at the tents, thinking, we’ll need a proper home too. Her gaze shifted to the hedge at the bottom of the garden. She was thinking of the house, Jake’s house, beyond that hedge.
‘What are you thinking?’
Faye would rather not say, although she did comment, ‘I’m wondering what your next surprise will be.’
Jake’s phone buzzed with a text.
Faye’s heart leapt in her mouth, afraid that it was Marcus, or Lydia to tell Jake that Marcus had done something stupid as a result of Jake’s text, and he had to return to London straight away.
‘Is that a text message?’ Faye asked, wide-eyed.
‘Ah,’ Jake checked his phone. ‘It’s just a reminder I put in my phone calendar of our return train journey on Monday.’
Faye exhaled in relief.
Jake said, ‘I can’t believe we’ve got just two days left here.’
‘Me neither. I’m going to be so sad to leave.’ She knew who else was going to be sad to leave. She glanced at Natty, who was lying on her front on the camp bed. Evie was doing the same. They were both reading a book. Lying on the floor between their beds was Olive, head on paws, eyes closed.
‘Me too,’ Jake said, commiserating. ‘Do we have to?’
‘Leave?’
‘Yes. It’s not like I’ve got to return to London now I’ve sent that text. I get to spend the whole summer with you and Natty.’
Jake stood up and moved his chair to sit next to Faye. ‘How about it?’
‘As much as I love this …’ Faye cast her eyes around their little camp in the garden. ‘I don’t think I could spend the rest of the summer living in the tent.’
‘I know. First things first. Do we want to stay on? I’ll have to change our return train tickets if so.’
Faye turned in her chair to face Jake. ‘I can’t think of anything I want more.’ That wasn’t true. Faye leaned forward in her seat and put a gentle hand on Jake’s cheek. The studied each other for a long moment before their lips met, and they kissed deeply.