“Anna, you should come to training more often. There seems to be a whole other level of encouragement I could use.” Joel laughed. James appeared as if he could kill with a look as he splashed water at him.

“Come on, Anna, I think we’ve had enough excitement for one day. We’ll see you at home,” Michael called out to James as he pushed Anna towards the exit. Anna blew him a kiss and then she was gone.

“So,” Ian was still laughing. “You’ve got your girlfriend living with you and Daddy’s babysitting. That’s so sweet.” James was used to Ian acting up and being the class clown. That’s just who he was. Normally, James never bothered to think of a witty retort for Ian’s snarky comments, but today was different. “What’s the matter, chicken boy? You look like someone ruffled your feathers. Got something to say? Spit it out then.”

“Anna’s not my girlfriend,” James snapped, unable to mask the annoyance.

“What? She is so your girlfriend otherwise what’s your Dad doing with her? Don’t tell me I was right and she has moved on and is dating your father.” Ian had stopped mucking around and looked crestfallen.

“She’s my fiancée,” James mumbled. None of the squad knew, only Joel had been told about the most recent development. It was strange in many ways. Australia knew that they were engaged yet James’s training squad had no idea. It was almost as if when they weren’t in the water they lived in a bubble so the world was locked out and nothing penetrated.

“Excuse me. What was that?” Ian asked.

“Anna’s my fiancée. We’re engaged.” James lifted his head up and smiled straight into Ian’s shocked face.

“Oh, my god, man, that’s awesome. Congrats.” He bellowed as loud as he possibly could, which drew the attention of the entire team. “I can’t believe you’re getting married. That’s really great. I really am happy for you.” Within moments the congratulations were rolling in from team members, coaches, and even the pool staff.

The old man, who had been running the pool since it opened years ago, said, “Saw your press conference and heard that you were engaged, but no one knew who the unlucky lady was. It was that little girl, the one we saw leaving with your dad, wasn’t it?” James just nodded proudly and accepted the pats on the back.

Chapter 6

Anna

A few weeks later Anna was feeling much better. After a visit to the doctor, she had been allowed to get rid of that horrid wheelchair and plaster cast. Instead she was fitted with a fibreglass cast and given crutches. Anna liked the idea of being able to move again. Her independence was back and she no longer had to rely on anyone to babysit her. She was once again mobile. James’s face lit up when he saw his fiancée with a beautiful dazzling smile on her face.

Sitting on the lounge, book in hand, Anna couldn’t help but grin when Diana came in carrying a large white box with a big blue bow wrapped around it. Diana’s eyes were alight with mischief. “Here you go, sweetheart.” She smiled, sliding the box into Anna’s lap.

“Diana.” Anna’s heart melted. Everyone had been so nice to her while she was invading their home and now Diana was giving her yet another gift. “You didn’t have to do this. Thank you.”

“Open it.”

Anna felt like a princess, a very spoilt princess. Carefully Anna untied the bow and opened the box. Anna was surprised by the heaviness in her lap. Removing the lid, Anna spied the pile of magazines. Bridal magazines. Absentmindedly she flipped through the pages—dresses, cakes, flowers, and anything else that could somehow have taffeta attached to it.

“Diana, I can’t possibly thank you enough for…for everything,” Anna spluttered, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. “I hadn’t even started thinking about it, let alone planning a wedding. Thanks.” Anna felt better that she was at least telling the truth. It felt like an eternity since Anna had even felt like she’d been able to just tell the whole, honest truth. And the truth was she hadn’t even considered beginning to plan a wedding. It was too early. Anna felt like she’d barely had a chance to catch her breath. After all they hadn’t even been engaged that long, it wasn’t as if she was exactly dragging her feet. As a silent tear slipped down Anna’s cheek, James chose that moment to stroll through the door.

He had just arrived home from some sponsorship meeting, looking sexy as hell but completely exhausted. “Oh, isn’t that sweet—my two favourite ladies together.” He grinned, leaning over the back of the lounge kissing his mother and Anna on the head. “What’s this?” he asked, picking up the bow off the ground.

“Well,” Anna began, “your mother brought me a present.”

“Where’s mine? Nah, just kidding.” James laughed. “What is it?” he asked, plonking himself down on the arm of the lounge. Anna didn’t answer, she just held up one of the magazines.

“So, which one have you picked?” James inquired, raising a quizzical eyebrow.

“Excuse me?” Anna was startled. She hadn’t even thought about the wedding and now James was asking her which dress she wanted.

Before Anna could summon an answer, Diana cut her off. “It’s tradition. You’re not allowed to know until she walks down the aisle and takes your breath away,” Diana stated matter-of-factly, grabbing a magazine. “Now my favourite son…”

“I’m your only son,” James grumbled.

“Yes, you are, so you’re the favourite. You know I love you but we have secret women’s business to attend to, so if you don’t mind…scat.” Diana waved her hand dismissively.

“Fine! I can take a hint…” James protested.

“Who has secret women’s business?” Renee questioned, gliding through the front door.

“I’m definitely leaving. Love you.” He smiled, blowing Anna a kiss.

Moments later Anna and Diana were perched at the kitchen table sipping steaming cups of coffee. Diana had her pen poised, ready to write down any and all decisions that Anna made. Renee was still ruffling through the kitchen cupboards in search of some chocolate biscuits. After all, it couldn’t be women’s business without chocolate. No decision ever made was a good one unless it was under the influence of chocolatey goodness. The table was covered in magazines, Renee’s wedding photos, and they had even managed to find some of Diana’s. The women had morphed into planning mode without batting an eyelash.

“So, let’s start at the beginning. The date. When do you want to get married?” Diana’s face was full of excitement. She reminded Anna of an impatient child on Christmas Eve.

“I don’t know. I need to talk to James about that sort of stuff.” Anna giggled happily.

“Listen to me carefully, Anna. I am James’s mother and I love him more than life itself, but he can’t even decide whether he wants vegemite or jam on his toast in the morning. The only thing we need to consider on James’s behalf are the World Championships early next year.” Renee could barely hold herself together. She was laughing at her mother, who was finally admitting that perhaps her precious baby boy wasn’t perfect.

***

James

All three women were laughing as James strode through the kitchen and dived headfirst into the fridge. “Watch this.” Renee smirked. “James, when do you want to get married?”

“That’s a stupid question. I would be happy to get married today if it meant that I didn’t have to go through all the crap. I did the hard part. The rest is Anna’s decision,” James declared.

“The hard part?” Renee enquired.

“Yep, the hard part.” James grinned, pulling his head out of the fridge, half an apple hanging out of his mouth. “I convinced her to say yes!” James’s eyes gleamed and Anna felt heat rush to her cheeks.

“Really, I don’t want a fuss. Can’t we just elope?” Anna suggested with a shrug.