Unwrapping Her Perfect Match

Chapter Eighteen

Gwen trudged up the slushy street to the house she'd grown up in in Islington. It had started snowing that morning, around the time Gwen had been chopping the bases off sprouts so she could roast them with walnuts for John, Caroline and Agnes's dinner. She'd heard Agnes's delighted shout from the living room, but the sight of the fat flakes falling to the ground hadn't done much to lift Gwen's own spirits.

The street was dark, but the houses were bright. Though it was only five in the afternoon, the sun had disappeared nearly an hour ago. Christmas lights strung along the outsides of the terraced houses threw colorful reflections on the already-melting snow. Most of the houses along this street had bay windows looking in on living rooms and dining rooms. As Gwen walked along, the warmly lit interiors showed family after family settling down to eat or to play games.

She reached her parents' house, opened the squeaky black gate and walked up the little path to their door. She slid the key she'd had since she was fourteen years old into the lock and let herself in. Shaking a few flakes of snow off her parka, she stripped off her winter clothes and hung her jacket, scarf and wooly hat in the hall.

"Gwen!" Tess stood in the doorway to their living room. "You're here."

Her tone betrayed her surprise. Gwen tried not to acknowledge that she was surprised herself. "Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

Tess's brows drew together. "Uh, okay. Of course you're here. I'd just thought-never mind. Come into the living room. I want to tell you something."

Just then, one of the lights wrapped around the staircase banister twinkled in exactly the right way to create a spark of reflection on Tess's finger. Gwen gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. "Oh, my God! What is that?"

She rushed over to Tess, who failed miserably to bite back a gleeful grin. Gwen grabbed her left hand. "Tess, Tess, oh my God!"

"He asked me last night."

They squealed together and Gwen bent down to throw her arms around her little big sister. Tears pricked her eyes. "Oh! How wonderful! You two are so perfect together, and I'm just...just..."

And then the pricks of tears burst into floods. Tess pulled back, her expression morphing from shock to concern to fury in about one second flat. "What did he do to you? Tell me. If he hurt you, I'll break his fucking face."

And somehow that threat made Gwen snort. She covered her nose, but she couldn't contain herself. She laughed and snorted again as the tears streamed down her face. "Don't do that. I quite like his face. That's the problem."

"Wait, I'm confused. You're crying because you like his face?"

"No, I'm crying because he's going to take that face to France."

"Wha-"

"He's moving to France. He got an offer from a club there. He's going at the end of the season."

A masculine curse came from inside the living room, and Gwen stuck her head in to find Liam on the sofa looking dumbfounded.

"He's moving to France?" Liam asked.

Ah, bollocks. Gwen cringed. "You're probably not supposed to know that."

"I'm definitely not supposed to know that." Liam's head fell back against the sofa cushions. "Arse. Do you know who he's going to?"

"To Agnes."

Liam scrunched up his face, tilting his head a bit. "Uhh, I don't know any clubs named Agnes."

"No, it's not a club. He's going there to be with his daughter. Agnes."

Liam's face cleared. "Ah. Is it Toulon?"