There’s a rumbling sound from the side of the house, and I look up to see Dad loading our suitcases into the car. All ready for us to go.
“So,” says Luke, following my gaze. “Our famous honeymoon. Am I allowed to know where we’re going yet? Or is it still a secret?”
I feel a spasm of nerves. Here it comes. The last bit of my plan. The very last cherry on top of the cake.
“OK,” I say, and take a deep breath. “Here goes. I’ve been thinking a lot about us recently, Luke. About being married, about where we should live. Whether we should stay in New York or not. What we should do…” I pause, carefully marshaling my words. “And what I’ve realized is… I’m not ready to settle down. Tom and Lucy tried to settle down too early, and look what happened to them. And I adore little Ernie, but seeing what it was like for Suze… It made me realize I’m not ready for a baby either. Not yet.” I look up apprehensively. “Luke, there are so many things I’ve never done. I’ve never really traveled. I’ve never seen the world. Neither have you.”
“You’ve lived in New York,” points out Luke.
“New York is a great city and I do love it. But there are other great cities, all over the world. I want to see those too. Sydney. Hong Kong… and not just cities!” I spread my arms. “Rivers… mountains… all the sights of the world…”
“Right,” says Luke amusedly. “So, narrowing this all down to one honeymoon…”
“OK.” I swallow hard. “Here’s what I’ve done. I’ve… I’ve cashed in all the wedding presents we got in New York. Stupid silver candlesticks and teapots and stuff. And I’ve… I’ve bought us two first-class tickets round the world.”
“Round the world?” Luke looks genuinely taken aback. “Are you serious?”
“Yes! Round the world!” I plait my fingers together tightly. “We can take as long as we like. As little as three weeks, or as long as…” I look at him, tense with hope. “A year.”
“A year?” Luke stares back at me. “You’re joking.”
“I’m not joking. I’ve told Christina I may or may not come back to work at Barneys. She’s fine about it. Danny will clear out our apartment for us and put it all in storage—”
“Becky!” says Luke, shaking his head. “It’s a nice idea. But I can’t possibly just up sticks and—”
“You can. You can! It’s all set up. Michael will keep an eye on the New York office. The London office is running itself anyway. Luke, you can do it. Everyone thinks you should.”
“Everyone?”
I count off on my fingers. “Your parents… my parents… Michael… Laurel… Clive, my old driving instructor…”
Luke stares at me.
“Clive, your old driving instructor?”
“OK,” I say hastily, “don’t bother about him. But everyone whose opinion you respect. They all think you need a break. You’ve been working so hard, for so long…” I lean forward earnestly. “Luke, this is the time to do it. While we’re still young. Before we have children. Just picture it. The two of us, wandering through the world. Seeing amazing sights. Learning from other cultures.”
There’s silence. Luke gazes at the ground, frowning.
“You spoke to Michael,” he says at last. “And he’d really be willing to—”
“He’d be more than willing. He’s bored living in New York with nothing to do except go power walking! Luke, he said even if you don’t go away, you need a long breathing space. You need a proper holiday.”
“A year,” says Luke, rubbing his forehead. “That’s more than a holiday.”
“It could be shorter. Or longer! The point is, we can decide as we go along. We can be free spirits, for once in our lives. No ties, no commitments, nothing weighing us down—”
“Becky, love,” calls Dad from the car. “Are you sure they’ll let you take six suitcases?”
“It’s OK, we’ll just pay the excess baggage—” I turn back to Luke. “Come on. How about it?”
Luke says nothing for a few moments — and my heart sinks. I have a horrible feeling he’s going to revert back to old Luke. Old, workaholic, single-minded, corporate Luke.
Then he looks up — and there’s a wry little smile on his face. “Do I have a choice?”
“No.” I grab his hand in relief. “You don’t.”