It was the perfect day for a wedding. Endless blue skies and the cooling waft of breeze to soften the heat. The gardens, bright with color, sloped down to meet the sparkling sea.

Catherine stood at the edge of the terrace with Maria.

Her family were all waiting for her, gathered around the floral archway that the wedding planner had arranged. Oliver, sweating in the heat, hand in hand with Cassie who couldn’t stop smiling at him.

He’d been staying in the guest cottage, which had given Adeline an excuse to quietly pack her things and move along the coast to be with Stefanos. She’d said that she wanted to give her sister privacy but given that there were four perfectly good spare bedrooms in the main villa, no one was fooled by that.

And now Adeline stood close to Stefanos, and Catherine saw his fingers brush briefly against hers and saw her glance up at him and smile.

And there was Daphne, her agent and friend who had flown in from New York to share this special moment with her favorite author.

She’d already sold Catherine’s new book to a publisher in a whirl of excitement and multiple phone calls. They all agreed it wasn’t a Catherine Swift, and that she should write under a new name for this new chapter in her career.

That suited Catherine. A fresh start. Another step forward into a new life.

She was willing to leave the old Catherine Swift behind and embrace the new version of herself.

She’d already decided on the dedication for her new book.

To Miss Bennett, who started it all.

Would she have had such a successful career if she hadn’t constantly been trying to prove herself? Possibly not.

Gazing at them all gathered there, she knew she had all that she needed.

In the end, life was enriched not by material things or even by personal attainment, but by people. It had taken her a while to understand that. Too long, but she understood it now, which made it all the sweeter that she had the people who mattered most to her, right here.

She turned to Maria and hugged her and Maria hugged her right back.

Neither of them said anything. They didn’t need to. It was all there in the tightness of that hug. Some friendships came and went, but some deepened and lasted for a lifetime. She knew that while they were both breathing, she and Maria would always be there for each other.

When Maria eventually pulled away, there was a tear in the corner of her eye. She thrust the posy she’d been holding into Catherine’s hand.

“Go.”

She stepped forward onto the terrace, and there was Andrew, looking smart in a linen suit, not so very different from the man she’d met in the café all those years before.

She felt a flicker of excitement and a rush of anticipation.

People said that you couldn’t go back, but who wanted to go back when you could move forward? When the future promised to be a better place than the past?

She walked toward him, past the smiles, greetings, compliments and the flurry of rose petals until she stood in front of him.

Andrew held out his hand. “Ready?”

She smiled and took his hand.

Source: www.seynovel.com