Marry Me Tomorrow: The perfect, feel-good read to curl up with in 2017!. Carla Burgess

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СКАЧАТЬ tears of frustrated anger started to run down my cheeks and I swiped them away angrily with my hands.

      ‘Oh my God, are you crying? Please stop now! I’m sorry, all right? I didn’t realise I was offending you.’ He reached for my hand but I slapped him away, lifting my bag up onto my lap and rummaging inside for a tissue.

      ‘Oh you didn’t, did you? Well maybe you should think before you speak in future.’

      ‘Okay, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.’ He leaned forward, horrified, but I turned away from him, blowing my nose angrily into a tissue. I couldn’t believe I was crying and felt so angry with myself for being so weak. I drew in a deep shuddering breath as I pulled a clean tissue from the pack.

      ‘You’re like the world’s worst passenger; do you know that?’

      ‘I’m sorry, I just like to be in control.’

      ‘Oh well that’s ironic seeing as your life is totally out of control,’ I snapped.

      ‘True.’ Sam went very still and I immediately felt like a complete bitch. I stayed with my back to him, picking at the tissue with my fingers.

      ‘What do you want me to do?’ Sam asked, at last.

      ‘What do you mean?’

      ‘Do you want me to go?’

      ‘Of course not.’ I turned around slowly to look at him. ‘I just want you to stop commenting on my driving.’

      ‘Okay.’ He nodded. ‘I could drive, if you w –?’

      ‘No.’

      ‘Okay.’ He raised his hands and turned back to face the front.

      ‘Is my mascara smudged?’ I blinked at him, running a finger under each eye and sniffing. He shook his head, his eyes wary. I settled back down against the seat and looked away, across the lounge.

      ‘Are you nervous? About seeing your mum again?’

      I shook my head and then shrugged.

      Sam watched me. His laid-back stance of just a moment ago had disappeared and now he sat defensively, legs and arms crossed in front of him. ‘What’s she like? Is she scary?’

      ‘No.’

      ‘So why are you so wound up?’

      ‘Because of you! You wound me up!’

      He frowned. ‘Oh come on. I think this is about more than just me.’

      ‘Bloody men! See, things like this are why I don’t have a boyfriend.’

      ‘Things like what?’

      ‘You, trying to shirk responsibility for upsetting me. Men never admit fault; it’s always the woman’s hormones or something else that’s stressing her out.’

      ‘Did I mention hormones?’

      ‘You didn’t need to. I could see it in your eyes.’

      His eyebrows shot up. ‘In my eyes? Wow. You women, you’re so intuitive.’

      ‘Oh shut up!’

      He laughed and nudged me with his elbow. ‘Hey, I said I was sorry, didn’t I? I’m not saying I didn’t upset you, but your stress levels went up as soon as we reached this airport. Why are you so wound up about seeing your mum?’

      ‘I’m not wound up about seeing her!’

      Sam sighed and looked away. ‘I’d give anything to see my mum again.’

      I opened my mouth to reply and then shut it again. There wasn’t much I could say to that really. And it was true; I was lucky to still have my mum around, even if she did constantly nag me to find a man.

      ‘I’m sorry,’ I said at last.

      ‘You’re sorry, I’m sorry.’ He shook his head and shrugged. ‘So, tell me about your ex-boyfriends then? Were any serious? Did you ever consider marrying any of them?’

      ‘Not really.’

      ‘Really?’ Raising an eyebrow, he leaned his head towards me a little. ‘Are you sure you’ve ever had a boyfriend?’

      My mouth fell open at the sheer audacity of his questions. He was really pushing his luck tonight. ‘Yes I’ve had boyfriends. God, what is it with you?’

      He laughed and shrugged. ‘Just trying to make conversation.’

      ‘If that’s the best you can do, don’t bother.’ I stared off into the distance and we sat in tense silence.

      ‘Wow, this is great.’ Sam breathed. ‘It’s uncanny really, you know…’ he leaned forward to try and make me look at him ‘…because this is what marriage is actually like.’

      Suppressing a smile, I glanced at him from the corner of my eye and he pressed his arm against mine.

      ‘I was only joking.’

      ‘Am I so ugly that you think no one would ever want me?’

      ‘Of course not! I just meant that you’re obviously a very choosy lady. I mean, you chose me, didn’t you?’ He nudged me with his elbow. ‘Come on. I’m sorry, all right?’

      I gave the smallest of shrugs and Sam sighed and leaned forwards, his elbows on his knees.

      ‘D’you know what?’

      ‘What?’

      ‘You’re not wearing a wedding ring. What’s that about then? Were we in too much of a rush to buy one or something? Was I too skint or too tight?’

      ‘Oh!’ I looked down at my naked finger. ‘I had a plain silver band I was going to put on. If Mum asks, I’ll say I took it off to wash my hands or something.’

      ‘Silver?’

      ‘I’ll say it’s white gold.’

      Sam sighed. ‘What about this one?’ He held up his little finger and showed me a gold wedding band. Easing it over his knuckle, he passed it to me. ‘See if it fits.’

      With shaking fingers, I took the ring from him and slipped it onto the third finger of my left hand. It sat in place, golden and shiny. ‘It fits.’ I frowned at him. ‘Is this your wife’s?’

      ‘No, it was my mum’s. Mandy wouldn’t wear it so I bought her a different one. You can wear it for now and I’ll have it back when we’re done, okay?’

      ‘Oh okay.’ I stared down at my hand, not quite believing my eyes. ‘So Mandy was your wife’s name?’

      ‘Yeah.’ Sam’s voice was flat and his lip curled with distaste.

      ‘Well, СКАЧАТЬ