‘Can I come?’ Tyler interrupts.
‘Of course!’ Robert agrees.
‘Sam, would you mind bringing Dad back to my place? I ask. It’s all happening so quickly, but I agree with Robert – it’ll be a great surprise for Abbie to have us rock up with the van.
‘Yeah, no problem. Then you can make us all a cuppa!’ Sam laughs.
After Terry hands over the keys and the appropriate gratitude is given, Tyler climbs up onto the bench seat between Robert and I. We all look around our little coffee van and smile at each other.
‘It’s a great little van,’ I say.
‘It’s going to do well for us,’ Robert agrees, slapping his hand on the dash in satisfaction.
I start the engine and she purrs nicely – well-oiled and happy. And I’m happy too.
‘Let’s get her home to show Abbie,’ I say, pushing the gearstick into first and taking off down the driveway.
Here’s to new beginnings.
Chapter 22
The days leading up to our Christmas Eve wedding flash by in a blur of activity. I try to keep the wedding Abbie thinks she’s having, separate to the secret wedding I’m planning for her, and it almost drives me crazy. Tyler and I work tirelessly with Abbie’s family and friends, to sort out furniture for the house and preparing the wedding decorations, all the while, trying not to let it slip to Abbie that Christmas isn’t actually going to be the way she’s expecting it to be.
Zane and Jed work with the girls to arrange the cake, Abbie’s dress and everything a bride could possibly need for her special day. Of course, I’m following Abbie’s plans to the letter – her choice of gown, her choice of cake, the style of the decorations – they are all based on Abbie’s decisions. She’s just not aware that they’re not for the wedding she thinks we’re planning.
The day before the big event, I take one last stroll through the house. It’s now filled to the brim with classic, heritage-style furniture; the perks of having two fags for best mates to help with the interior design. Zane has fitted out our bedroom in tones of mushroom and white, that’s what he calls it anyway – a delicate balance of contemporary and vintage. Abbie is going to be blown away by the way the guys have transformed this cottage into a stylish home fit for a growing family.
Sam has set up the art gallery area with easels and work benches of solid jarrah; the perks of having a friend in the carpentry trade. He’s added sheer white drapes to the large sliding doors that open out to the alfresco and garden, so Abbie will never feel closed in. It looks and feels amazing in here.
We even managed to snatch Abbie’s reading chair, after telling her I was having it reupholstered, and it’s got a special place in the new baby’s room. I’ll have to thank the girls with something special for getting the bedrooms done for Tyler and the baby. Tyler’s room is perfect for a boy. A bunk bed with a desk underneath; a cubby-house style bed which I know he’s going to have a lot of fun with. He’s got a huge wooden box for his treasures and a bookcase for his books and model airplanes. He’ll be so damn excited.
The baby’s room. I catch my breath and hold back a gush of emotion that swells in my chest. It’s so pretty. Every shade of pink. White lace drapes and soft pink carpet. A white wooden cot with pink bedding and little stars hanging from the ceiling. It’s nothing short of magical.
I don’t deserve this. But Abbie definitely does. She deserves the moon, just for putting up with me.
I make my way out to the kitchen and gaze out at the alfresco area where we’ll make our vows to one another. With our very dear family and friends; the people who are going to be on this journey with us as we share our life together. Tomorrow, I show Abbie just how much I appreciate her sticking by me.
∞~∞~∞~∞
I know it’s bad luck to see the bride before the wedding, but to be honest, I couldn’t think of a good enough reason to explain why I’d suddenly spend the night away from Abbie, so here I am. Here in our bed, watching her as she sleeps, with the morning sun beginning to filter through the drapes. I don’t want to wake her, but I feel a bit like a kid on Christmas morning – when I was about seven and Dillan was just a baby, I’d always wake him up so we could open our presents together. That’s exactly how I feel this morning. As if I need to wake Abbie up so we can start our new life together. It’s a huge gift, wrapped in a big red bow, in a huge box. Oh God, now I sound like an absolute twit.
‘Hmmm,’ she stirs and my heart jumps.
‘Good morning, Princess.’
‘Good morning,’ she purrs, as she stretches her arms out and winds them around my neck.
I let her pull me closer, but I can’t dawdle here for very long, as much as I’d love to. ‘It’s Christmas Eve,’ I whisper.
‘I know,’ she replies, with a glint of excitement in her eye. If only she knew just how exciting the next few hours are going to be for her. For both of us.
‘I’ve got to pick Tyler up and he’s coming to work with me. We’re parking down near Hyde Park for a couple of hours.’ Liar! God, I hate lying to her. But it’s for all the right reasons – if that even counts.
‘Okay,’ she agrees sleepily. ‘I’m spending the day with Mum and the girls, apparently we need to go and taste some different varieties of cake, to choose which one we want for the wedding cake.’ She waves her hand in the air in a royal-type gesture. ‘Oh, so fancy!’ she adds, with a giggle.
‘I guess cake tasting is important, if you want the right cake for your big day.’
‘I do, it’s just…’ she stops and sighs. ‘It seems as if it’s all getting too extravagant. You know? Maybe too much.’
‘You deserve the best,’ I say, kissing her before climbing out of bed.
Her family are picking her up in an hour and I have to get over to the house. ‘Have a shower and you’ll feel better,’ I say, slipping on my joggers. ‘I’ll make you a cup of tea.’
‘Okay,’ she agrees, climbing out of bed and wrapping her dressing gown around her body. Her baby bump is really round now. Geez, I hope the girls got those wedding dress measurements right.
When she appears at the kitchen door, my heart skips a beat. She looks radiant. Wearing a long cotton dress the colour of lemon sherbet and a white cardigan, she looks as if she belongs in a Monet painting. She crosses the floor, closing the space between us and I wrap my arms around her, breathing in the scent of lavender from her slightly damp curls.
‘You look beautiful,’ I whisper.
‘I don’t feel beautiful,’ she replies.
‘Well, you are. And don’t you forget it.’ I press a kiss to her forehead. ‘You’re going to have a nice day, I’m sure of it.’
‘I will, I know. The girls and Mum have been spoiling me so much. But I wish I was spending the day with you.’
‘I’ll see you tonight. And I have something special planned for our first Christmas Eve together.’ I tilt her freckled face up to mine, so I can look into her eyes.
‘Okay, but don’t cook anything too heavy for dinner. I’m sure I’ll be full of cake.’
I smile widely, and nuzzle my lips against her cheek to hide it. ‘I won’t.’
Chapter 23
While Gail and the girls keep Abbie occupied with the ‘fake wedding’ stuff, us guys have had a day I don’t think any of us will ever forget. There’s no way I could have pulled this off without them and as I stand at the flowered arch on the alfresco, looking out at the trail of white rose petals creating a pathway to the gazebo, I’m overwhelmed with gratitude.
‘You’re one lucky man.’ Zane’s voice pierces my thoughts and I turn. He’s as handsome as I would expect him to look on a day like today, but even more so with a special glow of happiness radiating from his smile.
‘I know,’ I agree, putting out my hand to shake his. ‘Thanks so much for helping out with all this,’ I add, gesturing to the arch and the white chairs and the small white table where we’ll sign the wedding certificate.
‘Oh, it was fun. An
d there’s nobody else she’d rather be with; believe me, I know.’
I catch the smallest glint of humour in his tone, but I take the sincerity of his words and return his smile. ‘Thanks.’
Sam catches my attention as he steps through the open double French doors carrying a bottle of champagne and a bunch of long-stemmed glasses. ‘Hey, Val, you’ve scrubbed up pretty good!’ He places the glasses on the small white table and works to extract the cork from the bottle. ‘Wow, and this looks so romantic. Look at the gazebo! She’s gonna love it.’
‘I hope so,’ I reply, butterflies now erupting in my gut.
‘Your dad is in the front lounge, dressing Tyler in his monkey suit,’ Sam says, popping the cork and quickly pouring the fizzing champagne into the glasses. ‘Here, this’ll calm your nerves a little,’ he laughs.
I take the glass and gulp down the entire contents. It tastes sour, but the alcohol helps to dampen the butterflies. ‘Thanks,’ I say, putting the empty glass back on the table.
Sam and Zane tap their glasses together and share a look of amusement, obviously finding entertainment in my nervousness.
Jed breezes out into the darkening garden, with some paper towel gripped in one hand. ‘Here, Val, use this to wipe the sweat away before you drown us all.’
‘I’m not that bad! Am I?’ I glance around at the guys and they’re all grinning.
‘No, but just to make sure,’ Jed says, checking his reflection in the windowed door and adjusting his jacket. He looks like he belongs on one of those daytime soaps – with his clean-shaven, olive skin and dreadies pulled back. These guys have really laid it all out for Abbie and I today.
‘I’ve set up your stool over there,’ Jed adds, pointing to the corner of the gazebo.
I refill my glass and hold it up. ‘Thanks guys,’ I pause and swallow hard, ‘for everything. I couldn’t have done this without you.’
‘Dad! Princess Abbie is here!’ Tyler shouts as he bursts out onto the alfresco in a whirl of activity.
‘Oh, shit!’ Sam says.
I’m certain the colour has drained from my face and I place the glass down on the table. Zane immediately starts fixing my tie.
Jed takes hold of Tyler’s shoulders, ‘Okay, Tyler, you ready?’
Tyler nods and glances over at me. His eyes are wide with excitement. I just feel nauseous.
‘Valentine?’ Zane says quietly – his face just inches from my own. ‘Focus. You need to go and meet her at the door. Tell her what’s going on – or we may be all be greeting this baby a little earlier than expected.’
I take a deep breath. ‘You’re right.’ I pull my nerves into line and straighten my jacket sleeves. ‘I’m ready. I’ll go meet her at the door.’
I stalk off toward the entrance, feeling as if I’m on a very important mission. Well, thinking on it, I actually am. I have to tell Abbie this is our house and we’re getting married – tonight. Where did the debonair, confident Valentine go? I need him, really badly right now.
At the front entry, I peek through the small glass window which runs along the side of the door frame and see Gail helping Abbie out of the car. She’s gazing up at the house with admiration and her sisters are whispering to each other. She looks tired, but I know she’s enjoying the beauty of the house and I’m sure she’s wishing it was hers. I flick the light switches, so that Abbie will have a good view of the house as she approaches.
As Gail leads her up the front pathway to the steps that will bring her to our front door, I open it and step out onto the verandah.
‘Valentine!’ she gasps, sounding both surprised and relieved. ‘What are you doing here?’
Time to spill the beans. ‘I have a confession to make.’ I’m not sure this is a good way to start a confession, but it’s all I’ve got. I’m going with it. ‘This is our new house,’ I wave my hand around expansively and watch for her expression to change. But, it doesn’t move much. Her eyes widen just a little more and her smile slides into a kind of ‘o’ shape.
‘Ours?’ she murmurs.
Gail releases Abbie’s hand as I take hold of both her hands and look deeper into her glassy grey eyes. She’s very tired, her skin drawn, her eyes shadowed in darkness. Maybe I shouldn’t have done this?
‘Valentine, keep going,’ Gail whispers, breaking through my hesitation.
I glance around at Gail and the girls and suddenly feel compelled to finish my confession. I clear my throat. ‘Ahem, well, I wanted to surprise you, so with everyone’s help I bought this house – for us.’
Abbie’s expression changes now. It’s as if bright morning sunlight has just burst through the clouds and warmed an aching chill. She lifts her face and smiles like I’ve never seen her smile before. I half expect some ethereal beings to appear, floating around us, bestowing their blessings on our new home. She moves her gaze from me and begins to inspect the verandah, the doorway and the garden she just walked through. ‘Ours? Really? It’s… oh my God, Valentine, it’s beautiful!’ She pulls her hands from mine and places them over her mouth, taking in a deep breath. ‘It’s just absolutely beautiful!’
The smile on my face grows wider at seeing her so happy, and as I glance around at Gail and the girls, they too are smiling, their eyes tear-filled. ‘I’m glad you like it, because there’s more.’
‘More? Oh God, Valentine, I don’t think I can take anymore!’ She looks up at me, appearing slightly confused, but I’m revealed to see the green has returned to her eyes, so I know she’ll manage to cope with the rest of what’s in store.
‘Princess, I just need you to give me a couple more hours, then we’ll let you rest as much as you like.’
She swings around to look at her sisters and says, ‘I knew you were all up to something!’
‘Just helping a brother out,’ Jade giggles.
Abbie closes the space between us and I take the opportunity to lift her up and carry her over the threshold. ‘Close your eyes, my love,’ I command, gently. She nuzzles her face into my neck and although she’s a lot heavier these days, I manage to carry her right out to the French doors.
The fairy lights trimming the gazebo are on and twinkling like tiny stars. The soft glow of the full moon beams down onto our little home, and time seems to stand still. I glance around at everyone’s smiling faces and Tyler looks fit to burst, as through all his Christmas wishes have come at once.
Zane and Jed are standing beside the flowered arch, clutching their glasses of champagne and filled with pride for their part in the surprise. And Dad is seated on one of the white chairs placed in front of the gazebo, grinning at us like he’s living a dream.
‘Take a look,’ I whisper.
She lifts her head and gasps. Emotion floods her words as she cries, ‘What on earth?’
I lower her carefully onto her feet and watch her face closely as she scans the alfresco. Her eyes sparkle with tears – happy tears – as she catches sight of Zane, Dad, Tyler, Jed and Sam. Then her gaze hovers over the gazebo, decorated with fairy lights and white roses, and her hands cover her cheeks.
I take the opportunity to explain a little more. ‘Princess, tonight, we’re getting married.’ She turns to me and looks deeply into my eyes, remaining utterly silent. ‘I wanted to start the new year as husband and wife and I knew in my heart of hearts that you didn’t want a big wedding. Everyone helped me to plan this little moment and all you need to do is put on your wedding dress.’
She stares at me for another long moment. I wait patiently for it all to sink in and there isn’t a sound as Abbie thinks.
‘Okay,’ she replies softly, looking around again and realising her sisters and Gail are now standing right beside her.
‘Come on honey, let’s get you ready,’ Gail says, taking hold of her daughter’s hand.
Abbie looks back at me with a wide smile. ‘I love you,’ she says.
‘I love you, infinity,’ I reply.
The minute she disappears into the house, there’s an audible sigh
of relief from everyone.
‘Right,’ Zane says, clapping his hands together. ‘Robert and Patrick will arrive any minute with Minister Turner, to start the ceremony. And I’ve invited Hanna and Ethan, as well as Sarah and her boyfriend, Ryan.’
I roll my eyes. ‘Thanks, mate, I really appreciate you doing that – I’d forgotten to invite any of her friends,’ I admit.
‘Not a problem,’ Zane waves his hand dismissively, taking a sip of his champagne. ‘It’s going to be a perfect wedding,’ he adds.
And I agree. It will be. The place looks exactly like one of those intimate little weddings I’ve seen in the hundreds of wedding magazines Abbie has left lying around, only it’s an intimate little wedding in our house. This is where it’s all going to begin. Our little family is going to be happy here.
And as I begin to fall into a daydream of endless days of living and loving with my new wife, my thoughts are interrupted by a screech of excitement.
Sarah.
‘Oh my God! How the hell did you pull this off, Valentine?’ she shrieks as she swans onto the alfresco leading Ryan by the hand and closely followed by Hannah and Ethan. They look as if they’ve just stepped off the set of one of those teenage Hollywood college movies – so young, vibrant and good-looking. I have the sudden realisation that Phillip never really fitted into Sarah’s world. She’s better off with Ryan.
‘Hey guys!’ I greet the girls with a kiss on their cheeks and the guys with a handshake, before adding, ‘I had a lot of help.’
‘I bet she’ll love it,’ Hannah says warmly. She really has a special warmth to her smile, so much like Abbie’s – genuine and caring.
‘She’s already seen it,’ I reply. ‘She’s inside, getting ready with Gail and her sisters.’
‘Of course she loves it!’ Sarah declares, gazing around, her eyes coming to rest on the gazebo. ‘It’s like a fairy tale; who wouldn’t love this?’
Absolution (The Infinity Series Book 2) Page 13
