The Gift of Friends

by Emma Hannigan

  Chapter 32

  ‘DID YOU TEXT THEM?’ JUSTIN ASKED EAGERLY.

  ‘Yes,’ said Danielle. ‘But only just now, so you’ll have to be patient and give them a chance to reply.’

  ‘And what did you tell them?’ he asked.

  ‘I said I had a big favour to ask and could they be ready at one o’clock to attend an important meeting with me. I said the same to my mam when I rang her. She sounded seriously suspicious, but she finally gave up interrogating me and asked where it was happening. She’s going to meet us on the street outside, although she doesn’t know which building on the street we’re going into.’

  Justin grinned at her. ‘I’m so happy we’re doing this, Danielle,’ he said, coming over to kiss her. ‘I’ve wanted this almost from the moment I met you. It feels right to just take things into our own hands and make our own decisions.’

  ‘I love you,’ Danielle said. As she reached to kiss him, her phone buzzed. ‘That’s Maia,’ she said, looking at the screen. ‘She says she’s free.’

  ‘Great,’ Justin said. ‘Tell her to meet us on Southwell Street, just like your mam.’

  Danielle texted that message back to Maia, and as she did so, Nancy’s reply arrived confirming that she was free as well. Anything for you D, she texted. I owe you big time!

  ‘We have Nancy on board as well,’ Danielle said happily.

  ‘And what about Pearl and Betsy?’ Justin asked.

  ‘I felt Pearl might not be up to it at the moment,’ Danielle said. ‘You know, with everything she’s just been through and putting Seth out of the house and everything. So I hope she doesn’t mind that I didn’t ask her. And I met Betsy earlier when I went for a walk and she told me she has Arnie all day and was making a special dinner to celebrate Graham’s first week at work. So I told her what we were doing and she was thrilled, but she just can’t be there unfortunately.’

  ‘Okay, no problem,’ Justin said. ‘Hugh and Charlotte said they’ll pop in as well, so I think that’s all the people we want, isn’t it?’

  Danielle nodded. ‘That is absolutely fine by me. I suppose I better go get ready, then. And you should do the same.’

  ‘Before we do that,’ Justin said, ‘I want you to stay there for a moment while I fetch something, okay?’

  ‘Okay,’ Danielle said, wondering what he was up to.

  He left the room and came back after a minute, with his hands behind his back.

  ‘I’m so delighted that you’ve agreed to marry me,’ he said, walking towards her, ‘and I wanted to mark our wedding day. I know we’ll have our rings, but I also wanted to give you something that will always remind you of this day and how it belongs to us.’ He brought his hands from behind his back and placed a long, rectangular jewellery box in her hands.

  ‘Oh Justin, you shouldn’t have,’ Danielle said, immediately feeling awful that she had no gift for him.

  ‘This is my last present to you as my girlfriend,’ he said. He kissed her deeply. ‘I want to remember this moment when you agreed to become my wife.’

  Danielle opened the box and gasped. Inside lay a rose gold and diamond bracelet, with a single charm on it – a little rose-gold horse.

  ‘Oh my God, I love it, Justin. It’s too beautiful for me!’

  Justin took it out of the box. ‘Nothing is too beautiful for you,’ he said as he laced it around her wrist and fastened the clasp shut.

  Danielle held out her arm and admired how it caught the light. ‘It’s exquisite. Thank you so much, almost-husband.’

  Justin laughed. ‘You’re very welcome, almost-wife. I don’t know if it matches what you’re wearing today, but I was hoping it might.’

  ‘I’m wearing it no matter what,’ Danielle said. ‘It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever owned.’ She hugged Justin tight. ‘I can’t believe this is really happening. I’ve got butterflies.’

  ‘Well, much as I’d like to carry you upstairs and have my wicked way with you,’ he said, nuzzling her hair, ‘time is ticking on, and we should really go get ready.’

  ‘Hold that wicked way thought,’ Danielle whispered in his ear. ‘We’ll get back to that later.’

  ‘Deal,’ he said, giving her a final kiss.

  She headed upstairs, excited to put on her new dress. She’d wanted a special outfit for this special day, so she’d gone down to the boutique in Vayhill, which was expensive, but where the clothes were gorgeous. The lady had helped her to pick out a dress that she called ‘clotted cream’ in colour. It was a tea length bridal gown, with a lace bodice with cap sleeves and a v-neck, and then a full skirt in the softest satin. The shape of it meant her growing bump was very comfortable, but she still felt like a million dollars in it. The boutique owner had been so helpful, insisting that it be tailored to fit Danielle’s changing body shape exactly. She’d also found the perfect shoes to go with it – a pair of mid-heel t-bar shoes, also in cream satin but embellished with Swarovski crystals. They weren’t totally bling, but they were sparkly and gorgeous and, most importantly, comfortable. They had also picked out a warm fur shrug in the gentlest shade of grey.

  Danielle had forbidden Justin from going into the bedroom where her outfit was hung up, waiting for today to arrive. She went in there now, closing the door firmly behind her. There wasn’t going to be an aisle walk or a big reveal, but she still didn’t want him to see her until the last moment. She had considered asking Maia for Sorcha’s number, to get her hair and makeup done professionally, but then she’d decided she would keep her look very simple instead.

  She got into her dress, tights and shoes and admired herself in the full-length mirror. Then she wound her blonde hair into a low bun at the nape of her neck, using crystal-studded clips at the front. She had a sprig of white freesia from the florist, which she fixed on top of the bun. It was fiddly and took a while, but she finally got it right. She looked in the mirror and smiled at herself. She had honestly never looked so good. The shape of the dress was perfect, and with her hair styled up, it looked fantastic.

  Then she moved on to makeup, which wasn’t something she knew much about, but she had learned from watching Sorcha and Zara. She applied some soft peach foundation, which gave her skin a dewy look. She didn’t usually wear blusher, but she’d been practising with it and really liked how it gave her a healthy glow. She wasn’t good with eyeliner, so she gave her lashes a good lick of mascara instead. Then she applied the red lipstick the boutique owner had recommended. It was Hollywood red, the sort of colour Danielle normally ran a mile from. She’d put it on a few times in the bathroom and scrubbed it off quickly each time, feeling that it was too much. But now, with the makeup, hair and outfit in place, it suddenly looked perfectly right. She pouted at herself, then giggled. The bracelet sparkled on her arm and she suddenly felt like a bride. The feeling was a little overwhelming.

  Finally, she pulled on the shrug and checked the small cream satin clutch bag she’d packed for herself. It was tight on space, but she’d managed to fit in her lipstick, her phone and a tiny phial of perfume that she’d siphoned from her big bottle. She was ready.

  She could hear Justin moving about downstairs, so she straightened out her back, raised her head and walked downstairs in the most regal fashion she could manage. Justin heard her and came out to stand at the foot of the stairs. He watched her with such love, she felt her breath catch in her throat.

  ‘You look incredibly beautiful,’ he said, reaching out to take her hand as she stepped off the last stair. ‘My God, Danielle, you’re absolutely perfect.’

  ‘Thank you,’ she said, smiling shyly. ‘You look stunningly handsome, of course.’

  He held out his arm, crooked at the elbow. ‘Shall we?’ he asked.

  ‘Yes, please,’ she said, laughing with the crazy surrealness of it all.

  Justin led her outside and to his BMW, which he’d had washed and buffed in readiness. Once he had seated Danielle safely in the passenger seat, he went back to lock up the house and put on
the alarm. She admired his lean body in the charcoal-grey suit he was wearing as he walked away from the car. He did look incredibly handsome, she hadn’t been lying. Her heart soared at the idea of him being hers, always.

  It had rained that morning, but the clouds had raced on to somewhere else and the sky was a bright blue. It was really cold, but Danielle didn’t mind about that. She pulled the shrug closer around her shoulders and savoured every moment of the journey, her hand resting on Justin’s on the armrest between them. He had arranged with the register office that they could park around the back, so he drove on past the building and down to the side gate. As they did so, Danielle could see the others milling about on the path, obviously asking each other what they were doing there. She smiled to think of their reaction when they saw them.

  As he helped her out of the car Justin said, ‘Do you think your mam is going to kill me?’

  Danielle laughed. ‘Oh now you get nervous,’ she teased. ‘Remember, we agreed no one else’s thoughts matter today. It’s just about you and me and what we want, right?’

  ‘Right,’ he said, ‘but if she does go on the attack, please put yourself bodily between us and defend me.’

  ‘I’m not sure a pregnant woman is much of a defender,’ she said.

  He placed his hand on her belly and smiled. ‘All this and the baby too. It’s hard to take in. It just makes me so happy.’ He took her hand. ‘Are you ready for your grand entrance?’

  ‘More than ready,’ she said with a grin. ‘Wait until you see their faces.’

  They walked hand-in-hand across the car park and back out through the gate, then down the street towards their unsuspecting guests. It was Maia who spotted them first, and her hand flew to her mouth, eyes wide in shock as she pointed at them. Nancy, Hugh, Charlotte and Rachel all turned to look, their faces a picture of surprise and delight. To Danielle’s astonishment, Rachel started crying.

  ‘Are you okay, Mam?’ she said when she reached her, afraid Rachel might start talking about college and lost opportunities again.

  Rachel nodded her head and took the hanky Nancy offered her. ‘I just hadn’t expected it,’ she said, sniffing. ‘And you look so beautiful.’

  ‘Oh Mam,’ Danielle said. ‘I’m so glad you’re here. Sorry for all the subterfuge, but we just wanted a small gathering and no big fuss.’

  ‘That’s all very well,’ Maia huffed, ‘but you could have told me to dress up.’

  Danielle stared at her in disbelief. ‘You look amazing,’ she said, taking in Maia’s red wrap dress, sky-high heels and perfectly coiffed hair.

  ‘I look okay,’ Maia said, ‘but I would have looked wedding tremendous if I’d known.’

  ‘Wedding tremendous,’ Nancy said, laughing, ‘I love that. But don’t worry, it doesn’t matter what any of the rest of us looks like, it’s only these two lovebirds that matter today.’

  ‘Congratulations,’ Charlotte said, hugging Danielle. ‘I noticed the register office when Hugh was looking for a spot to park, and it did make me wonder. I’m so delighted you’ve allowed us to be here for this.’

  ‘Honoured,’ Hugh added, shaking Justin’s hand. ‘What a brilliant way to do it.’

  ‘We decided to forget everyone else and suit ourselves,’ Justin said. ‘My parents will probably disown me, but I wanted this day so badly, and we’d only put it off because of Mum’s objections. But after that day at your place,’ he grinned at Hugh, ‘we talked it over and decided it was time to take charge of our own destiny.’

  ‘You’re absolutely right,’ Nancy said. ‘Life’s short and love is wonderful, so you should go for it every time.’

  Danielle took Rachel’s hand. ‘Well if everyone’s ready, I very much want to get in there and marry this man.’

  ‘Proper order!’ Hugh said.

  They all trooped into the wide reception area of the register office, and Justin went up to announce their presence. Their celebrant was already waiting, so they were ushered straight into a wood-panelled room with a large table at one end. There were about forty chairs set out, so as there were only seven of them, it felt very empty, but they all sat together up the top and there was a lovely atmosphere of warmth and occasion.

  Danielle removed the shrug and laid it on a chair with her bag. Maia then held up proceedings by insisting on taking about a hundred photos of them all from every angle. The celebrant waited patiently, smiling at them and their tiny wedding ‘crowd’.

  At last, Danielle was standing opposite Justin, looking him in the eye, ready to commit to him for life. She had worried that this moment might bring up old doubts, or make her think about college, but now that it was happening, she was completely present and completely sure. She wanted to follow her chosen career path, but she wanted to do it with Justin at her side. She wanted to raise his children and help him forge his new business and keep making each other laugh and keep making love to him. He was her love, it was as simple as that.

  They recited their vows, all through which Rachel sniffed back her tears. When the celebrant asked them to place the rings on each other’s fingers, there was more than just Rachel crying. But they were all good tears. Danielle slipped Justin’s gold band onto his finger and smiled at him. Then he took her hand gently and pushed her band down to join her engagement ring. He kissed her hand and winked at her, making her giggle.

  Then the celebrant asked for two witnesses to sign the register alongside them.

  ‘Is it okay if we have five witnesses?’ Justin asked. ‘We’d like to have everyone present sign it, if that’s okay.’

  ‘Yes, no problem,’ the celebrant said. ‘That’s a lovely idea. If you’ll all join me up here, just sign the register across this line, please.’

  They each signed their name, and it was done. Danielle was a married woman.

  ‘Three cheers for the newly-weds!’ Hugh shouted, and they all joined him in a rousing hip-hip hooray.

  The celebrant posed with them for more endless photos. Maia was self-appointed wedding photographer and she didn’t want to miss a moment.

  ‘I know I’m annoying,’ she announced as she put them into yet another pose, ‘but you’ll thank me later, you’ll see.’

  Rachel had finally stopped crying, and now was smiling widely. She came up to them and laid her hand on Justin’s arm.

  ‘There’s no point lying,’ she said, ‘I thought this was a bad idea and the baby was a nightmare scenario and that you’d swan off and leave my girl a single mother with nothing to show for all her hard work to get into university. But I want to stand here and look you in the eye and say sorry for that. I can see it now, how mad you are about each other, and it’s gorgeous. I’ll be there for the two of you.’ She smiled at them. ‘For the three of you,’ she corrected herself. ‘And I’m just so happy that Danielle has found a good man. Her own dad was no role model at all, but she hasn’t made my mistake, and I’m proud of her for that. I wish you both a very long and very happy marriage.’

  ‘Oh Mam,’ Danielle said, tearing up. ‘This mascara isn’t going to last.’

  Justin enveloped Rachel in a huge hug. ‘Thank you,’ he said sincerely. ‘That means everything to me. I’d say I’ll be cast out of my own family after this, so having a mother-in-law will be even more lovely.’

  ‘Jesus, me, a mother-in-law!’ Rachel said with a laugh. ‘Does that mean I get to boss you about and annoy the crap out of you?’

  ‘If that’s what you want,’ Justin said, laughing too.

  ‘This could be fun,’ Rachel said.

  ‘Is this one threatening to ruin your happiness?’ Maia said, joining them. ‘Don’t mind a thing she says, Justin, she’s a grumpy ol’ cow at the best of times.’

  ‘Cheek of you!’ Rachel said, swatting Maia’s arm. ‘I suppose you picked the dress and everything, did you?’

  Maia shook her head. ‘I didn’t even know what I was coming to,’ she said. ‘I was as much in the dark as everyone else. But I’m so delighted I was here for this.
I think that’s the most romantic wedding I’ve ever been at. Mad to think my own was twenty years ago. The time just flies by.’

  ‘That it does,’ Rachel said, nodding sagely. ‘Before these two know where they are, their little one will be flying the nest and breaking their hearts.’

  Maia rolled her eyes. ‘See, I told you, she’d make a clown cry, this one.’ She put her arm around Rachel and pressed her cheek against hers. ‘I know exactly what you mean,’ she whispered, ‘and my heart is broken too. We mothers have a heavy cross to bear.’

  Justin clapped his hands to get everyone’s attention. ‘I know we’ve stolen you all away without much warning, but we’re really hoping you’ll be able to join us now at Pino’s Restaurant, which is just down the street. We’ve a table booked for eight, so you’re all welcome, you included,’ he said, turning to the celebrant. ‘We’d like to raise a glass of bubbly to toast our happiness.’

  ‘Bubbly?’ Maia said. ‘I’m there.’

  ‘Wouldn’t miss it for the world,’ Nancy said, smiling in delight.

  ‘Well then,’ Justin said, ‘if you’d all like to follow me and my beautiful wife, we’ll lead the way.’ He took Danielle’s hand and they walked back to the reception area, followed by their tiny gathering of guests. They went outside and walked further on down the road, with cars honking their horns at them and passersby calling well wishes. Danielle felt like she was in a movie, and she was the star. It felt delicious.

  At the restaurant, the staff clapped their entrance and swooped in with trays of champagne. The maitre d’ greeted them warmly and congratulated them, then led the wedding party to a private dining room, where the table was set beautifully, complete with a stunning floral arrangement. As their guests took their seats and chatted, Justin pulled Danielle aside and out of the room, back into the main restaurant. He took a tiny box from his pocket.