Someone to Love, page 29
Zac came over and hugged Matt. ‘We wanted to thank you for all you’ve done, it’s been the best day ever.’
‘We’ve loved every second of it.’ Megan was slurring, no doubt from all the champagne. ‘You’re miracle workers, the pair of you.’
Zac switched to hugging Beth. ‘You don’t know what this day means to us.’
Megan threw herself at Matt. ‘We love you both, you know that, right?’
‘Yeah, we really love you,’ Zac drunkenly concurred. His shirt was hanging open, his hair a mess, and he’d never looked happier.
Matt shook his head, smiling. ‘I’m glad you’ve had a good time.’
‘Have you enjoyed the day?’ Megan leant against Matt’s wide chest, the bottom of her dress grubby from dancing in the barn. ‘Tell me you’ve had a good day?’
‘I’ve had a good day.’
‘It went like clockwork,’ Megan said joyfully, seemingly having forgotten all the drama of earlier.
Matt’s and Beth’s eyes met. ‘Couldn’t have gone better,’ he said, looking over the top of Megan’s head and smiling. ‘The dream wedding day.’
‘I know, right! We’re off to bed now.’ Megan rose up on tiptoe to kiss Matt. ‘Thank you again. And just so you know, my sister thinks you’re hot.’
Beth reeled. ‘Megan!’
‘Well, you do!’ Megan was still leaning into Matt for support. ‘I’m just saying, that’s quite a thing, because she doesn’t normally do relationships. So you should feel flattered.’ She patted his chest.
Matt grinned. ‘I am.’
‘Do you think she’s hot?’
‘Megan!’ Beth went over and pulled her sister away. ‘You’re embarrassing the man.’
Matt looked at her. ‘No, she’s not.’
Beth stilled. ‘She’s not?’
‘I do think you’re hot.’
‘See? I told you!’ Megan stumbled and was caught by an equally tipsy Zac.
‘Whoa, time I got you to bed, I think.’ He helped his wife towards the stairs.
‘Finally,’ Megan said, kissing Zac. ‘It’s about time.’
Beth and Matt watched as the pair continued to kiss, stumbling up the stairs, fumbling and muttering slurred words of endearment. If they made it safely upstairs, it would be a miracle.
But Beth had other things on her mind and turned to Matt. ‘You think I’m hot?’
He stepped towards her. ‘You know I do.’ His hands came up to cup her face again. ‘Beth, I—’
‘Here you are!’ Susan Hardy appeared in the lobby with Connie and smiled at her son. ‘I’m getting a divorce!’
‘And I need to talk to you about your father.’ Connie headed over.
Beth’s heart sank. Would she ever get a moment alone with this man?
But Matt, it seemed, wasn’t going down without a fight and held up his hand. ‘Stop, both of you.’
Both women dutifully stopped in their tracks.
‘Sorry to be blunt, but this is not a good time.’ He turned to face his mother. ‘Mum, I’m glad you’ve finally made a decision. Good for you. I’m happy to support you in any way I can, but not right at this moment.’ His gaze switched to Connie. ‘And with all due respect, Connie, you need to quit moaning to Beth about Kenneth. He might be your husband, but he’s her father, and it’s not fair to put her in the middle of your split.’
Silence descended.
Both women looked at Matt, and then turned to look at each other.
‘I think we might be interrupting something,’ Susan said, with a wry smile.
‘I think so, too,’ Connie agreed. ‘Care to join me for a glass of bubbly in the bar, Susan? You can tell me all about your divorce.’
‘Thank you, Connie. I’d like that. And feel free to tell me about yours.’
‘I’d be delighted to.’ Connie led Susan away. ‘I warn you, it’s messy.’
‘Messy? My husband’s a convicted criminal.’
‘And mine’s a cheating scumbag.’
Susan sighed. ‘We have such a lot in common.’
‘We’re going to be so good for each other.’ Connie glanced back and gave Beth a quick wink. ‘Don’t mind us, carry on as you were.’
Matt let out an exasperated sigh. ‘I swear to god, if one more person interrupts us—’
Beth grabbed his hand and dragged him out of the lobby into the museum.
He didn’t resist, allowing her to lead him further into the dark space, away from prying eyes.
‘We should be safe in here,’ she said, almost running in a bid to escape any further unwelcome intrusions. This conversation was happening, one way or another. When they reached the makeshift bar, with the upturned beer barrels and pirate statues, she turned to him. ‘You were saying?’
He stopped and took a breath. ‘Remind me, I’ve forgotten.’
Her stomach deflated a little. ‘Are you kidding me?’
He grinned. ‘Of course I am.’
She breathed a sigh of relief.
‘Jesus, Beth, if you don’t realise how I feel about you by now then I might as well give up.’
She took a step closer. ‘Please don’t.’
His face fell. ‘Sorry.’
‘No, I mean, please don’t give up. I don’t want you to give up.’
His eyes grew wide. ‘You don’t?’
She shook her head. ‘I don’t.’
He lifted his hand. ‘Just so we’re clear, I’m looking for a relationship. The whole shebang. Romance, trust, companionship, commitment. Nothing less.’
She tilted her head. ‘Did you really just use the word shebang?’
He looked sheepish. ‘I did.’
‘My grandma uses that word.’
‘Well, so do I. So, sue me.’
‘No, thanks.’ She stepped closer. ‘I’ve made a promise never to get involved with legal matters concerning the people I love.’
He stilled. ‘Love?’
‘Worse. It appears I might… adore you.’
For a moment he didn’t speak. Or he couldn’t. She didn’t know which.
He stepped closer, visibly swallowing. ‘For the record, I think I might adore you, too.’
Closing the gap between them and kissing him senseless seemed like the right response. It was a forceful move, a bold act on her part, and one that took him by surprise.
He didn’t object. In fact, he kissed her back. He kissed her with such intensity that they stumbled backwards and knocked over one of the pirate dummies… and then another one, sending Blackbeard’s parrot flying… and then they crashed into a beer barrel… followed by another beer barrel… before getting entangled in the rope netting attached to the front of the bar. It was carnage.
And yet the kissing didn’t stop – despite the hazards. Megan and Zac had nothing on them. They’d merely had stairs to deal with, whereas Beth and Matt faced an entire eighteenth-century obstacle course.
‘Are we really doing this here?’ she asked, breathless from kissing, trying to disentangle herself from the entwined rope.
He caught her when she tripped. ‘You don’t find this romantic?’
‘Not really,’ she said, laughing as his elbow smacked against the bar.
‘Okay. Stop a moment.’ He held her steady. ‘We need to think about this.’ He ran his hands through his hair. ‘You’re right, this isn’t romantic. We need romantic.’ He stepped away and dug out his phone, the screen lighting up his face as he scrolled through it. ‘Give me one minute.’
A few seconds later music began to play. ‘Up Where We Belong’, the theme tune from An Officer and a Gentleman.
Beth started laughing. ‘Seriously?’
He came towards her.
She stopped laughing when she realised what he was about to do. ‘No way! Not a fireman’s lift again! No!’
But instead of hoisting her up over his shoulder, he simply lifted her into his arms, Richard Gere style.
She slid her arms around his neck and leant into him, knowing she was in safe hands.
For once, she wasn’t going to fight it. She was going to relinquish control and allow herself some fun. She’d closed herself off from relationships for such a long time, convinced they were more hassle than they were worth. They’d never been something she needed, but she now realised this was something she wanted, which was an entirely different thing.
It hadn’t been a lightbulb moment with Matt. There’d been no epiphany, no explosive coming together. It had been a gradual process, a softening of her protective barriers. Her feelings for Matt had crept up on her. He’d infiltrated her thoughts, her dreams, her desires. It had taken her a while to believe that what she was feeling was real. And now she did.
Matt Hardy was the man for her.
And she was definitely the woman for him.
Acknowledgements
Thank you so much for reading Someone to Love. I sincerely hope you enjoyed following the story of Beth and Matt as much as I enjoyed writing it. I once attended a wedding where the two families refused to agree on outfits for the men, so the groom’s family were in tuxedos and the bride’s family were in tails – just in case you thought the idea for this book was too far-fetched – apparently not!
The book is dedicated to my lovely dad, who passed away in October 2021. He was such a wonderful man and a huge supporter of my writing. He’d read every book I wrote and always leave me a glowing review – sometimes a little too glowing. I did try to explain that calling my writing a ‘work of literary genius’ was perhaps a little wishful thinking, but he was so proud of me that he wouldn’t be dissuaded. I know I’m lucky to have had such an avid supporter in my corner. I’m going to miss him terribly.
As always, a huge thank you to my agent, Tina Betts, who has stuck by me through the years and always encourages me to keep writing. It’s hugely appreciated. And a big thank you to my lovely editor, Emily Bedford, who always gives me such constructive and helpful feedback and makes editing a joyful part of the process. Thank you! And thank you to the rest of the Canelo team for supporting my books and helping to publicise them and make them the best they can be. It really is very much appreciated.
Finally, thank you to all the fabulous readers, bloggers and fellow authors for supporting my journey, sharing posts, posting reviews and generally being wonderful people. In particular, my wonderful friends at The Quince Players Amateur Dramatic Society, who are always the first to read my books, leave reviews and recommend them to their friends. It’s incredibly humbling. Thank you!
If you’d like to follow me on social media or make contact then I’d love to hear from you:
Twitter: @tracyacorbett
Facebook: @tracyacorbettauthor
Instagram: tracyacorbett
Website: tracycorbettauthor.co.uk
About the Author
Tracy Corbett started writing in her late twenties. As well as writing novels, she’s written several short stories, pantomime sketches and magazine articles. Tracy describes her writing style as modern tales of romance, with engaging quirky characters, who overcome adversity, grow as people and conclude in satisfying optimistic endings. When she’s not writing, she enjoys amateur dramatics, gardening and music. She works part-time for a local charity.
Also by Tracy Crobett
Someone Like You
Someone to Love
A Winter’s Wish
First published in the United Kingdom in 2022 by Canelo
Canelo Digital Publishing Limited
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Copyright © Tracy Corbett, 2022
The moral right of Tracy Corbett to be identified as the creator of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Ebook ISBN 9781800323346
Print ISBN 9781800323353
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places and events are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
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Tracy Corbett, Someone to Love
