Sweet as Honey (The Seven Sisters) - By Caitlyn Robertson Page 0,61

across her cheeks. Blushing again, he thought with amusement. Would she still blush once he’d taken her to bed, and they knew each other in the most intimate way a couple could know each other?

He noted her beautifully applied makeup, the fancy way she’d pinned up her hair with flowers that matched the bouquet in her hand, and loved the fact that rebellious tendrils of her silky hair were already escaping to curl by her cheeks in the light breeze. She wore a lovely pinky-red lipstick that made her lips looks luscious and soft. He wanted to kiss her—God, how he wanted to kiss her. But he contented himself with holding her hand for now. There would be plenty of time for that later.

Peter paused and gestured for them to face each other, and Dex took both Honey’s hands in his.

“Do you confirm that you are Dexter Mark Concannon?” Peter asked him. Dex answered yes. “And do you confirm that you are Honeysuckle Summers?” Peter asked the bride-to-be.

Honey nodded. “Yes.”

Peter went on to explain the short ceremony they’d chosen. Neither of them had wanted elaborate readings of poetry or friends playing music, and they’d decided to keep it simple. Peter said they had to declare in his presence that they knew of no impediment to the marriage, and they would then say the vows they had written themselves, proclaiming that they took the other to be their legal wife or husband. Then they would exchange the rings.

Peter asked Dex to repeat after him, “I solemnly declare that I do not know of any impediment to this marriage between me, Dexter Mark Concannon, and Honeysuckle Summers.”

With a brief thought whizzing through his head that they’d nearly made it, Dex opened his mouth to answer. But before he could say anything, a muttered, “Fuck,” from Koru and an outraged “Hey!” from Lily among the guests made him turn.

Cathryn stood to one side. She must have approached the hotel via the long walk across the beach, he realised, and had avoided the two plain-clothes police officer friends of his he’d asked to wait on the hotel door. And then she’d waited until the appropriate moment to interrupt.

How predictable. He’d expected something like this. She’d always had a talent for the theatrical and had known exactly when and how to pull stunts to draw the most attention—had thrived on it, in fact. So different to quiet, unassuming Honey, who’d stiffened beside him, but remained quiet.

He waited for Cathryn to walk closer. His heart thundered at the coming confrontation, the final showdown.

She walked closer, to the top of the aisle, and stood with arms crossed defensively over her breasts. Lily—still angry over being tricked—tried to pass her father, but Cam gestured for Daisy to hold her, and instead he stood and walked down the aisle toward the trembling Cathryn.

Koru twitched at Dex’s side and went to join them, but Dex put a hand on his arm. With his other hand, he squeezed Honey’s fingers gently and gave her a smile before releasing her and walking down the aisle.

“I’d like you to leave,” Cam was saying firmly. “You are not welcome here.”

Cathryn didn’t appear to have heard him, her eyes fixed instead on Dex. She’d obviously spent a long time getting ready in a tight black dress that showed off her fabulous figure, and her makeup was immaculate, but with her black lashes and scarlet lips she looked overblown and tarty next to Honey’s fresh and subtle beauty.

He’d expected her to shout, to scream, to throw things, even to attack him, but instead she stood still, silent tears beginning to roll down her face, genuinely broken. “You can’t marry her,” she whispered. “She’s not right for you, Dex. We were perfect for each other, you know that deep down. I’m sorry I tried to trick you—it was only because I loved you. I won’t do it again—I don’t care if we never get married, but please come back to me.”

He hesitated. He’d planned to get aggressive with her if she turned up, to make a show of throwing her out of the grounds for Honey and her family, to put her in her place once and for all and to sink the point home cruelly in the hope that she’d finally get the message, but suddenly he didn’t have the heart. Although she’d hurt him terribly with the false pregnancy fiasco, he’d treated her badly most of the time, aware of the fact that she was