by Jules Wake
His heavy exhale made her touch his lips, charmed to see the slight tremor of his hands as he opened the box.
When he solemnly slipped the ring on her middle finger for now, she thought her heart might burst at the serious expression on his face. ‘This is commitment, big time.’ And then the sunshine came out in his smile as he added, ‘Do you think you’ll cope?’
She grinned up at him. ‘I can, if you can.’
‘It’s a deal, then.’
‘It most definitely is.’
She held up her hand out in front of them, the brilliant stone twinkling in the sunshine. Will laced his fingers through hers and they stood together hand in hand, with a future that sparkled as brightly as the diamond on her finger. Life was so much better when you had someone to share it with. Thank goodness she’d realised that before it was too late.
THE END
Epilogue
It took a few seconds and the first few bars of the explosive notes before Lisa identified the unorthodox music. She turned to Will, frowning in puzzlement. Had the organist got it wrong? He shrugged, equally puzzled.
However, when she saw Cam’s shaking shoulders and his lips pressed tight and heard the gale of laughter from the row of pews opposite, where a bevy of very brightly dressed ladies of varying ages sat, she realised that the dramatic rock music, which had now exploded into a fast tempo, was a very deliberate choice. She should have realised super-organised Laurie had planned every last detail.
Cam struggled to hold it together as the music rattled along at a tremendous pace, the most unlikely wedding march ever. He’d ducked his head, almost doubled over. Next to him, Jason elbowed him the ribs, as if to say come on, pull yourself together.
Then the music settled into a more gentle rolling piano melody and everyone shifted and rustled, peering around at the back of the church to look at Laurie framed in the light, on the arm of Eddie, who looked after the cars. With a serene smile on her face, she walked down the aisle. No gliding for Laurie, her purpose was clear in every step, with her eyes fixed on Cam at the front.
Tears sprang to Lisa’s eyes and her heart did a funny salmon leap when she saw his face. The previous mirth replaced with guillotine swiftness, with such a solemn tender gaze, steady love beaming out like a beacon to bring her home. There might as well have been no one else in the room.
Will squeezed her hand and out of the corner of her eye, she could see that even he was swallowing hard. With a sudden rush of emotion, she realised that this what she wanted with Will. She’d missed him these last few weeks while she stayed at Merryview, but she hadn’t felt she could abandon Cam and Laurie, not when there was so much to do in the house and for the wedding. They’d managed to spend some time together, with Will making regular visits, despite trying to get the restaurant ready for opening, and she’d made a trip to the pub for a very brief weekend, most of which had been spent in his bedroom.
When he looked down at her, those blue eyes boring into hers, warmth bloomed in her chest, making her breath come a little faster and her head swim in dizzy happiness.
As the glowing bride drew level with their pew, the heavy silk of her dress rustled, Lisa smiled, even that was pure Laurie. Classic, simple and beautifully cut. Her hair had been caught up in a chignon, dotted with tiny white flowers and her bouquet was a beautifully bound arrangement of scarlet red roses, which echoed the colour of the groom and best man’s cravats, as well as Siena’s dress.
A collective sigh whispered through the pretty chapel as Eddie relinquished Laurie’s arm and she stepped up to stand beside Cam. Siena took Laurie’s bouquet, looking angelically demure, her blonde hair loose down her back, a golden contrast to the scarlet of her dress. The butter-wouldn’t-melt expression lasted a few seconds and then she gave Jason a mischievous smile, to which he responded with a quick wink, which lit up his saturnine, dark face.
The rest of the service was considerably more traditional after Meatloaf’s ‘Bat Out of Hell’ musical intro, although Lisa was slightly concerned about what people would think about the buffet that awaited them back at Merryview. Seriously? Sausage rolls and Cornish pasties for a wedding buffet? She’d have expected something rather more sophisticated.
As they left the church, to stand in one happy crowd, the roar of a car engine pierced the cheerful chatter and everyone stopped as a silver Ferrari pulled up. Cam grinned and scooped Laurie up in his arms and carried her over the car. Eddie, who must have sneaked off to bring the car round, opened the passenger door and, with absolutely no regard for the beautiful wedding dress, Cam squished her and the dress into the front seat. As he walked around to the driver’s side he mouthed something to Lisa.
She nodded and gave him the thumbs-up and pointed to the boot.
Laurie, who was laughing and shaking her head, whipped her head around to look at her groom and then turned back and waved as Cam revved the engine and the little silver Ferrari disappeared with a dragon’s roar.
Siena came rushing over to Lisa’s side. ‘Are they coming back?’
Lisa shook her head. At Cam’s request, she’d packed Laurie’s bags for her. ‘Nope. They’ve got a train to catch. Cam wanted to be in Paris in time for dinner.’ And tonight, after all the guests had gone, she’d hand the keys over to Norah and return with Will tomorrow morning.
Jason and Will joined them. ‘Personally, I think that’s the way to do it,’ said Jason, straight-faced, as Siena rolled her eyes. ‘None of the speeches malarkey and having to mingle with all the relatives.’
Siena pulled a face. ‘You have a point there.’ And then a horrified expression crossed her face. ‘Merde! Typical Laurie! She invited mother and now she’s gone.’
Everyone burst out laughing. Jason pulled her to his side. ‘So you’ll agree to an elopement, then.’
Siena’s head shot up, her eyes widening as her hands twisted together, the picture of uncertainty and a contrast to her usual perky confidence. ‘Are you asking?’
Lisa didn’t hear the answer as he led her away to the cedar-shaded corner to the side of the chapel.
‘That’s one way of doing it,’ said Will. ‘But I think we’d better make sure Nan keeps taking her medication.’
Lisa frowned, not quite following.
He kissed her. ‘She’d be pretty pissed off if we did that – just eloped. And despite our complicated families, I’d want them all there. Maybe Sir Robert would give you away.’
‘I think he’d like that,’ she said in a choked voice.
She’d had an emotional meeting with Sir Robert over dinner. He’d cried, which made her cry too. It was still early days and she couldn’t imagine calling him ‘Dad’ yet, but they had plenty of time to get to know each other better.
With a warm smile, Will took her hand and slid her ring from the middle finger on her right hand before slipping it on to the fourth finger on her left hand. It was a touch loose, but she didn’t care.
‘Three weeks apart have been too bloody long. I want to marry you sooner rather than later. What do you think?’
Lisa’s heart bumped unevenly in her chest, beating with an awkward rhythm not unlike a car with a flat tyre. She held his serious gaze, giving the question careful consideration before answering with a tremulous shake in her voice, ‘I think it’s a yes.’
‘Oy, Ryan.’ They both whirled around at Jason’s shout, who was grinning and gesticulating with a thumbs-up.
Will groaned, ‘Oh hell, I’m never going to hear the last of this.’
Jason mimed drinking a pint. ‘Think I’ll name my next beer in your honour. I’m thinking of calling it Head over Heels.’
Will grinned and pulled Lisa to his side.
‘Absolutely fine by me.’
Acknowledgements
For all the lovely readers who were so keen to find out what happened to Will and Lisa and for those who wanted to see more of Laurie and Cam – this is for you.
Thanks go to my office besties, Gordana Sikora and Alison He
ad who are endlessly supportive, and put up with me muttering, from the desk at the back, about the imaginary people in my head, edits and deadlines.
The apartment where Lisa and Will stay is based on a wonderful house which really is built within the arch of an ancient aqueduct. It’s situated in the grounds of the British Ambassador’s residence, the Villa Wolkonsky, where I was lucky enough to stay as a guest of the wonderful Briscoe family, Neil, Olivia, Theo and Minna, who were posted there at the time. They were fabulous hosts and gave a real insight into life in the Eternal City, particularly the importance of not ordering Cappuccino after eleven!
And a special thank you to the brilliant team at HarperImpulse, especially editor extraordinaire, Charlotte Ledger, Special Agent, Broo Doherty and my Prosecco partner, writing buddy and ace friend, Donna Ashcroft. Last but not least, an enormous thank you to the lovely Lisa for letting me use her name.
Also by Jules Wake
Escape to the Riviera
From Paris with Love This Christmas
From Italy with Love
About the Author
Jules’ earliest known declaration that she planned to be a writer came at the age of ten.
Along the way she was diverted by the glamorous world of PR and worked on many luxury brands, taking journalists on press trips to awful places like Turin, Milan, Geneva, Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam and occasionally losing the odd member of the press in an airport. It gave her the opportunity to eat amazing food, drink free alcohol as well as providing opportunities to hone her writing skills on press releases and to research European cities for her books.
Eventually the voices in her head persuaded her it was time to sit down and write the novel she’d always talked about. Her debut novel, Talk to Me in 2014, was quickly followed by the best selling From Italy With Love, published by HarperImpulse which reached the top ten in the Amazon Kindle charts. This was followed by From Paris With Love This Christmas and more recently, the best-selling Escape to the Riviera published by Avon in June this year.
@juleswake
www.juleswake.co.uk
About HarperImpulse
HarperImpulse is an exciting new range of romance fiction brought to you from the women’s fiction team at HarperCollins. Our aim is to break new talent from debut authors and import the hottest trends from the US, bringing you the very best in romance. Whether that is through short reads for your mobile phone or epic sagas that span the generations we want to proudly publish romance fiction that gets everybody talking.
Romance readers, come and meet the team at our website www.harperimpulseromance.com, our Facebook page www.facebook.com/HarperImpulse or follow us @HarperImpulse!
Writers, we are simply looking for good stories! So, what are you waiting for? To submit, e-mail us at [email protected].
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