The Best of Fools (Jane Austen Book 2) (45 page)

We texted while I waited for my flight and when I landed I immediately got an email from him.

Dearest Jane,

Thank you for this weekend. Thank you for finding me and caring enough to still come after all of those months of thinking I abandoned you. I'm still sorry whether you want me to be or not. I'm thinking of you. Hope the flight isn't too long. Can't wait to hear from you. (Takes forever to text with one hand, so this is a bit short, but my thoughts of you are anything but.)

Yours,

Alistair

PS- Don't know if I told you, but I thought it the entire time ... You are so beautiful. For so many reasons. In so many ways. That is all.

I emailed him back as everyone filed out of the plane.

My sweet Alistair,

You have bewitched me, body and soul, and I love, I love, I love you. I never wish to be parted from you from this day on.

Yours ALWAYS,

Jane

PS - you'll always be gorgeous to me. Those eyes...

{
Readers - You can LISTEN to a few voicemails by clicking here
}

And that was the start of days and days and days of constant emails, texts, and phone calls. And I do mean constant.

Carpe diem, right?

I couldn't visit during the entire summer. The shop had plenty of orders, but it was at a stage where it was too busy to leave and not busy enough to hire more people, but Alistair and I were faithful in our promise to speak every night. Looking back, I feel like that was one of the happiest times of my life. The joy of getting to fall in love not once, but twice, with the same person.

Occasionally he had some sort of emotional outburst, whether it was frustration, happiness, or sadness. But I read up on people recovering from TBI enough to know that it was the injury causing those reactions, not him.

In September I was finally able to visit again and he had significant more function in his leg and face. So his facial muscles had less spasms and his face was starting to look like his old self again. He was so proud and Mum was too. I met his Dad during that visit and when I left he gave me a really good hug and told me that Alistair had changed since I came back. He thanked me for loving him and told me to come back soon. They didn't know I had plans to move there in the spring. It was my birthday present to myself and I was planning to surprise Alistair on the day we met, which was my birthday.

So when I left his house that day I stayed a few extra days to sort out some details with a shop I found in London. I was hoping for Bristol or something a little less busy, but that's where it ended up working out. Before leaving I signed a lease for a place on Regent Street. It was
extremely
busy, a stream of people always on the sidewalk, and the rent was not cheap, but I thought the populated, heavy shopping area would work out well. Plus it was gorgeous. The building ... just wow. Stone buildings with large windows. I couldn't wait to show Alistair.

I applied for a work visa and was given a Tier 1 visa for being an entrepreneur or having special talents. It took a lot of work and help from Dad, but I prepared an amazing document and business plan when I got home. It helped that I already placed a deposit on the store too.

I was given two years to live and work in the UK and would apply again for a three year extension. At five years I could apply for an Indefinite Leave to Remain, which gave me chills just thinking about it.

Alistair would be so surprised and I couldn't wait for May to come. Of course it came as slow as possible. I spent Christmas in Mansfield with Alistair, Mum, Dad, and his aunts and uncles. Alistair's mobility was even better, but what I loved most was his smile. I felt like he smiled the entire time I visited and the passionate kisses we snuck in the middle of the night brought back old memories.

My next visit would be in May, as a new resident of London. And he had absolutely no idea. And I could absolutely not wait. Soon enough, I kept telling myself, and with every paper I filled out and every detail I planned the butterflies returned and my hands would literally shake. I really, really couldn't wait to see his face when I showed him and it brought tears to my eyes just thinking about it.

May! Beautiful, sunshiney, warm, lovely May! Today was the big day. No, not that big day. My moving day. It was a little complicated, but I had a lot of stuff shipped over to London and decided that in some cases it would be cheaper to buy new stuff once I got there.

Dad, Mom, Eddie, Zoe, Donovan, and Han flew over with me to stay the first few days and help me get acclimated. Once we got there we set up some things in my
flat
and went out to eat in London. I was still weeks away from telling Alistair, but I couldn't focus during dinner and I could barely eat. I kept getting nervously excited that this. was. really. happening. Really, really happening. Really. Really.
Really.
Happening.

I leaned into Zoe while she finished her dessert and whispered, "I want to tell him now."

"I heard that," Don said from the other side of her. "Don't do it. Wait for The Big Day."

We had this fun surprise planned for The Big Day. It would be two years from the time we met, on the dot, and I wanted to bring Alistair on holiday to London, then causally walk by the store and show him.

I had three weeks left to torture myself waiting. I'm horrible at keeping secrets from Alistair. Horrible. Every time I got him a gift I ended up giving it to him early, unwrapped, because I just couldn't help myself.

But Don was right. I should wait.

I looked around the table during dessert and missed Autumn. Since she started college things never got back to normal. She started smoking pot and calling me while high, which annoyed the hell out of me. One, because she laughed the entire time and made no sense. Two, because she only talked about boys and didn't keep one long enough for me to remember who she was talking about. She was one of those sorority peeps too and way, way into her new girl friends. She was a different person and we grew apart more and more each day. Something I never imagined happening when we held each other on her bed before she left. But that's okay. I was okay with it. Broken promises change you for the better if you let them. It was all part of the plan.

"I think I should move here with you," Zoe said. "Would it be hard?"

"Maybe not. I could hire you and you could apply for a temporary work visa."

"Hm. I'll look into that."

Mom and Dad paid for dinner and we all went back to my new flat about forty minutes from the shop. It was a nice one bedroom flat on Floyd Street in Charlton. Even had stairs going up to the bedroom and bath. Unfortunately though, the bath wouldn't fit both of us in it. Yes, I considered that when looking for a place. I'd been wanting to repeat that memory ever since.

It wasn't a big place and everyone wanted to stay the night to make it easier and less expensive, which was fine with me, but cramped. Zoe and Han slept with me in my new queen size bed, Mom and Dad slept on the couches downstairs, and Donovan slept on the floor beside my bed.

Did I mention I loved every second of it?

Over breakfast Mom and Dad told funny stories about Don and me. Eddie chimed in a few times too.

"Remember the time Don tried to throw a pebble at your window and it broke the window?" Eddie said. "You came running in my room thinking someone was trying to shoot you."

"Hey, man," Donovan said. "There comes a point in every boy's life where he realizes the difference between the pebble and the rock." He made a goofy face. "Some of us mature faster than others."

I shook my head. "You're seriously the biggest dork."

"I think he's adorkable," Zoe said, then looked at Han and flushed with pink.

Ah. Yeah. Awkward moment two point O.

"Well, if my opinion counts," Don said. "I know two huge geeks who have Batman pajamas, bathing suits, and tattoos, and throw movie and comic book quotes into serious conversations."

I held my hands up. "Guilty as charged."

"I'm so happy for you, Jane." Mom reached her hand across the table and held my wrist.

"Oh, not the tears, Mum," I said. "You're just happy I'm dating a British boy and living in your favorite place ever."

She held up her hands. "Guilty as charged." She smiled. "No, really, Jane," she said in her English accent. "I'm so proud of my little girl. You've grown so much in the last few years."

Dad crossed his arms over his chest, leaned back in his chair, and chewed the inside of his cheek.

"Dad? You're getting emotional too?"

He pinched the top of his nose. "Just going to miss you, honey."

"Oh, no," I said. "Don't make me cry guys."

Zoe scooted her chair back and hugged me. I stood and hugged her back as she cried into my shoulder. Then Donovan and Han joined in on the hug while Dad kissed Mom's tears away on the other side of the table, Eddie sitting oddly beside them.

"Guys, I'll be visiting and we'll talk," I said, but then it all hit me. My life was changing. These people helped me get to where I now stood. They were there for my first steps. And my first kiss. They raised me and supported me and taught me and ... loved me.

And now they were letting me fly.

Eddie walked over and pulled me from the group hug, took me into his arms, and said, "I admire you and always have. I'd say I'm gonna miss you, but you already know that."

A lonesome tear fell from my eye and into his shirt as I looked at Mom.

She smiled back at me and mouthed, "I love you."

And then the tears ... they were unstoppable.

The. Big. Day.

May 17th.

IT WAS FINALLY HERE!

AHHH!

Okay.

Yes.

Breathe. Breathe. Breathe.

It’s safe to say I didn’t sleep. Alistair didn’t even know I lived in the UK now, much less owned a new store that would be opening in June and had my own flat. I knew it was going to make him so, so happy and I had this little paper taped to the door of the store that told him how I felt and what I did.

He still didn’t feel comfortable driving, so he wanted me to come pick him up first. And since it was almost a four hour drive, I planned to stay the night there and then bring him to London for the surprise. I hadn’t told Mum either. No one knew. It was going to be a long, long night of no sleep again.