Ethan thanked them both for coming and sensed my need to move on. He was so good with reading me. I felt nothing but relief when we made our way over to Neil and Elaina.
“You’re still walkin’, mate,” Neil teased, delivering a hearty clap to Ethan’s back.
“Indeed I am.” Ethan returned a half hug, half back-slap to his friend and partner.
But Neil wasn’t done with the tongue-in-cheek I was pretty sure. I’d seen these two in action for the last months and they went ’round and ’round all the time. “So, how did he do, Brynne?” Neil asked me, before breaking out in a snickering laugh. “You look absolutely glowing this morning by the way.”
Elaina smacked her fiancé’s arm and told him to shush.
I laughed back and told Neil a lady never tells, before accepting hugs and kisses from our closest friends as a couple. Neil worked with Ethan as partners in Blackstone Security, while Elaina and I had hit it off from nearly day one. They lived right across the hall from us in London and we spent a lot of dinners and down time together.
“In six weeks or so we’ll be doing this again, only then it will be you two that are fielding all the wedding night innuendo comments,” I said to Neil, reminding him that his own special day was right around the corner.
Neil grinned widely and pulled Elaina up against his big body. “I know, and I’m counting the days ’til I can make this one an honest woman.”
“Ha, more like Elaina making an honest man out of you, my friend,” Ethan shot back.
“That’s true, but you’ll finally get to bring Brynne up to Scotland so she can see the place.”
“Trust me, Neil, I would give just about anything to be up there in beautiful Scotland right now, seeing your place and enjoying your post-wedding breakfast,” I told him truthfully.
I looked over at Ethan and we shared a co-conspirator smile, because it had been originally their idea to have the overnight weekend thing in the first place. Neil owned a great estate up in Scotland, and since people were coming all the way up there, they had organized a guest sleepover for their wedding, too. It’d sounded like a nice idea at the time.
“Why’s that?” Neil and Elaina asked together.
“You’ll find out,” Ethan and I answered innocently.
“AND Gaby, is where? I need to say goodbye.” I’d scanned the room repeatedly for my best friend but she was nowhere that I could see.
“That’s a really good question,” Ethan answered. “For that matter, where in the hell is Ivan?”
I shrugged. “Looks like our best man and maid of honor have ditched this party for greener pastures.” I giggled. “Maybe they’re off ditching together. That would be interesting.”
“I know, right? Gabrielle is Ivan’s flavor for sure.”
“I could swear I was picking up on a vibe between them last night when I was with Ben, and we were stalking them as Simon was snapping candid pictures. Do you think your cousin and my friend just might have a little somethin’-somethin’ going on?”
“If they do, Ivan hasn’t said a word to me about it. But, there was that night at the Mallerton Gala when the alarm went off. I always wondered what happened with the two of them, because I saw them both within seconds of each other coming from the same direction, when we were all running out. Like maybe they were together…”
“You never told me that, Ethan.” I shook my head at him in disbelief. “Honestly, you men just don’t tell details very well at all.”
“Well, it wasn’t important at the time, baby. I was a little preoccupied on finding you.” He pulled me against him and kissed me firmly on the lips, making me forget we were in a very public room of people watching us, until the tinkling of silverware on crystal rang out to remind us. I felt my face flush, and heard Ethan groan as we pulled apart, muttering something under his breath about “four more f**king hours.”
“There they are. Mr. and Mrs. Blackstone have arrived finally.” Ethan’s dad, Jonathan, opened his arms and embraced us in a three-way hug. “You did it, my dears. And very well too, I might add.” He kissed me on the cheek and clapped Ethan on the back, meeting him eye to eye, man to man, in a moment of silent communication, which they both understood without a shadow of a doubt.
I could only guess as to what they were both thinking, but I had my theories. They were acknowledging Ethan’s mother as being here with them, for this special occasion along the road of his life’s journey. Jonathan looked up at the ceiling for just a split second, before nodding to Ethan. I saw Ethan return the gesture to his dad, and then I felt a squeeze to my hand from him.
My hand which had remained clasped so very tightly in his because he’d never let go of it.
And so we began our marriage, on a summer’s day in late August, just barely four months after laying our eyes upon one another for the first time. It had all begun across a crowded room one night in the spring—at a gallery tucked away on a London street—when fate had stepped in and forever changed the course of our lives.
CHAPTER 4
30th August
Italian Riviera
THE Italian sun shining down upon the village of Porto Santo Stefano warmed me, and although the view of the rock islands in the small cove was stunning, I didn’t want to open my eyes and see it. I was too warm and sleepy, too perfectly content to even think about anything but letting myself indulge in the peace we had finally found. What a difference a little under a week made.