Honey finished filling glasses then raised her own.
‘Ladies!’ She cleared her throat. ‘I would like to make a toast to the bride. When I came to Heatherlea, my life was very different. I was lonely, directionless and had never really known what true friendship was. Then one day, I went to the café and met three wonderful women. Now my life is so full of love and happiness that I count my blessings every day. Thank you my dear friends for your love and support. Thank you Jenny for making us all look rather fancy. Here’s to the beautiful bride and to her lifetime of happiness! You deserve it, sweetheart!’
They raised their glasses: ‘To the bride and to a lifetime of happiness.’
They took it in turns to say a few words, and Dawn smiled at the warmth of this circle of women. Laura came and stood next to her then gave her a hug, and Dawn’s throat tightened even more.
This was a beautiful start to what would hopefully be a beautiful day, a day when she’d see two people she adored agreeing to spend the rest of their lives together.
Camilla held her skirts up with one hand and her bouquet in the other. The dress was so beautiful and she didn’t want to get the hem dusty or to snag it on any stones. She was a combination of excited and nervous, a strange feeling but it was such a special day. She hadn’t been sure that the silk and chiffon dress would suit her but when she’d gone for the final fitting, and saw how it fell from her bust to her feet, she’d known that it was a perfect dress for her baby bump. She was nearly five months along now and everything was going well. The horrid morning sickness had disappeared at around fourteen weeks and she’d had two scans to confirm that everything was okay with the baby. She and Tom had agreed that they didn’t want to find out the gender of the baby but at the second scan it had been impossible to ignore the fact that they were having a son. Tom had grinned at her when they’d seen the evidence on the monitor then he’d kissed her and told her how happy he was. His happiness matched her own. The pregnancy might have been a shock but Camilla wouldn’t change a thing now. She was getting more and more excited about the prospect of motherhood every day and had started to prepare one of the bedrooms as a nursery after she’d rented out her cottage and moved in with Tom.
When they neared the street of The Cosy Cottage Café, the women slowed down and Jenny did a quick check of dresses, hair and makeup.
‘Time for us to go and join everyone else,’ Jackie said, as she hugged her daughters and granddaughter, while Connie hugged Allie.
The older women headed to the café, then the remaining women got into the order in which they were going to enter the café garden to walk along the aisle that Jordan and Max had created.
‘You all look so perfect,’ Jenny said. She took some photographs on her mobile phone, including a selfie with her in, then she hugged them all quickly. It had been agreed that guests would take lots of photo on their mobiles or with their own cameras then send them to the bride and groom, and the money that would have been spent on a photographer would go to a local charity instead. ‘Right, ladies, are we ready?
‘Yes,’ they said in unison.
‘I’ll go and let them know you’re ready.’
Jenny gave a wave then hurried off along the road, going as fast as her gold platform heels and tight red satin dress would allow her to move.
This was it then… the wedding was about to begin…
Allie breathed deeply, trying to fill her lungs with the warm fragranced July air. She couldn’t believe the day had arrived. This wedding had taken quite a lot of planning and preparation, in spite of it being a relatively small affair, with friends and close family as guests and the rest of the village invited to join in the celebrations at the café afterwards.
‘Do I look all right?’ she asked.
‘Mum, you look amazing. Everyone does.’ Mandy smiled. She was looking so much better herself, Allie thought, as she took in her daughter’s glossy hair and rosy cheeks. Her heartbreak had knocked her down but just as Allie had hoped, Mandy had got back up and was almost back to her best. Almost. She’d returned to London and her job after a week but had come home every other weekend since Easter, something that had delighted Allie, Chris and Jordan. They hadn’t seen so much of Mandy in years, but it was as if running to her family when she was at her lowest ebb, had reminded her how much she loved and needed them, and it had definitely brought them all much closer. Allie wouldn’t have seen Mandy hurt for all the world but she couldn’t deny that seeing more of her daughter again was absolutely wonderful.
She took Mandy’s hand and they walked along the pavement to the café then slowed before they reached the gate. Allie opened her arms and hugged her daughter then hugged Dawn, Camilla and Honey. Their shared friendship and the love and support they offered one another had carried them all through some tough times and that made the good times all the more special.
And now, there was to be a wedding at The Cosy Cottage Café.
Allie watched as her friends took their places in front of her, starting with Dawn and her two daughters, with baby Alison in her pram, the hood of which had been decorated with white roses, sweetpeas and ribbons. Next was Camilla, then Honey. The three of them were like beautiful angels in their pale pink gowns with their happy smiles and sparkling eyes.
Mandy took her arm and as if by magic, Jordan appeared at her other side. Her children had agreed to walk her along the aisle. Her father could have done it, but as Mandy and Jordan were older now, they’d decided that this would be their way of showing that they trusted Chris to love and care for their mum.
‘Ready?’ Jordan asked.
She met his eyes and nodded. ‘I’m ready.’
‘Ladies.’ He gestured at the café.
The gate to the café was open ready, and the murmur of conversation in the garden faded as the enchanting melody of a harp floated through the air, playing an instrumental version of Christina Perri’s A Thousand Years.
The bridesmaids made their way along the aisle first, and from either side of the path, the guests smiled and nodded their approval. Jordan and Mandy led Allie to the gate and she looked up to find all eyes on her. She smiled at her mum and dad and at her friends, then her gaze was drawn to the door of the café, where under an arch of cream roses and purple lavender, Chris was waiting.
And from that moment, she saw nothing except for Chris.
As she walked towards him, with Jordan whispering under his breath: ‘Right together, left together,’ the years fell away and memories of time spent with Chris flashed before her eyes. Laughing as he handed her an ice cream from the van, then when he turned with his own, the top scoop of vanilla falling from his cone and landing on his black T-shirt. Giggling hard after they’d been caught in a summer thunderstorm in the park, their clothes soaked through. Baking together in the café kitchen, then Chris sliding his arms around her waist and kissing her neck, flour everywhere as she turned in his arms and held him tight.
When she reached his side, Mandy and Jordan kissed her and Mandy took her simple lavender bouquet, then they went and sat next to their grandparents.
Chris took her hand and kissed it.
‘You’re so beautiful, Allie.’
She was glad that she’d chosen the simple silver gown made of silk and chiffon. It was light and floaty and cut in the same style as the bridesmaids’ dresses. Her blonde hair had been gently curled and she wore a silver headband set with grey and cream freshwater pearls.
‘You look pretty good too, Chris.’
And he did, in his white shirt, lavender waistcoat, light-grey jacket and matching trousers. His salt and pepper hair was cropped short and his brown eyes were warm and familiar as they roamed over Allie, making her tummy flip with love and happiness.
The majority of the ceremony took place in the café garden under the flowered arch, but Allie, Chris and their chosen witnesses, Camilla and Tom, had to go inside the café, along with the registrar and her assistant, for the contracting and declaratory words.
When they emerged from the café as husband and wife, they were met with cheers and applause, and handfuls of rose petal confetti. Chris led Allie across the lawn to the area they’d had set up as a dancefloor and there, before their family and friends, he lifted her and twirled her round then lowered her, cupped her face in his smooth hands and kissed her.
It had taken them half a lifetime to get to this moment and to be married, but now they were joined together for the rest of their lives and Allie wouldn’t have it any other way.
The dancing went on all afternoon, and guests enjoyed a summery buffet made up of local produce. Allie and Chris had worked hard through the week to prepare the food for the buffet. Savoury dishes included lemon, asparagus and ricotta tart, herby salmon and couscous parcels and the local butcher had brought a large mustard-roasted beef fillet as a wedding present. For dessert there were mini lemon meringue pies, red cherry bakewell tarts and white chocolate berry cheesecakes. Mandy had insisted on having the wedding cake made by a friend of hers in London. It was a beautiful three-tiered chocolate cake with rich shiny chocolate frosting and juicy red strawberries dotted around the sides.
Jordan and Max served the drinks, including pink champagne, rum punch with slices of lemon, lime and orange, and there was freshly-made cloudy lemonade or virgin mojitos for the children and those adults not drinking alcohol.
As the sky darkened and stars appeared like diamond pinpricks set in ebony silk, Chris and Allie wandered away from the dance floor and over to the pergola, which was fragrant with honeysuckle and roses. Tea lights flickered in colourful jars on the tables set up on the lawn and the fairy lights draped around the pergola and the trees twinkled. The air was intoxicating and Allie couldn’t tell if it was the champagne she’d drunk, the heady scent from the flowers or the fact that she was so happy making her feel lightheaded.
Chris slid his arms around her waist and gazed into her eyes.
‘Thank you for making me the happiest man alive, Allie.’
‘You’ve made me happier than I could ever have imagined, Chris.’
‘You’re my wife,’ he whispered, his eyes shining as they reflected the candlelight.
‘You’re my husband.’
‘It’s how it should always have been. I love you, Allie.’
‘I love you too.’
Chris lowered his head and kissed her softly, and the world around them dimmed, until it was just them and their love for each other. When they finally broke apart, Chris took her hand. ‘Shall we dance?’
‘I’d like that.’
And they headed back to their family and friends, to the warmth and love that the community of Heatherlea offered.
It truly had been a wonderful wedding at The Cosy Cottage Café.
The End
DEAR READER,
Thank you so much for reading A Wedding at The Cosy Cottage Café. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Did the story make you smile, laugh or even cry? Did you care about the characters? Which ones and why?
If you can spare five minutes of your time, I would be very grateful if you could leave a short review. Genuine word of mouth helps other readers decide whether to take a trip to The Cosy Cottage Café too.
If you’d like to connect with me, you can find me on Twitter @authorRG and my Facebook page Rachel Griffiths Author.
With love,
Rachel X
Acknowledgments
Firstly, thanks to my gorgeous family. I love you so much! XXX
To my wonderful agent, Amanda Preston, for your hard work on my behalf, your advice and for your support. X
Special thanks to Tom Quinlan for the beautiful cover.
To my author and blogger friends, for your support, advice and encouragement and to everyone who has interacted with me on social media – and supported me – huge heartfelt thanks. This is a crazy, exciting journey and I’m having a great time with you all!
To everyone who buys and reviews this book, thank you. Without you, there would be no Cosy Cottage Café.
A Wedding at The Cosy Cottage Café_A delightful romantic comedy to make you smile this summer Page 10
