The Truest of Words Page 27

  “Excuse me, what about you and Jeremy? ‘I don’t chase; I replace,’ my ass.”

  “Yeah, yeah.” She giggled, twisting my hair into a spiral and clipping it into place. “I think I did know almost right away he was the one. Like, the one…”

  “Holy shit!” I spun in the chair to look up at her. “Are you guys talking marriage?”

  She shrugged. “It’s sometimes implied. When we were talking about moving in together, there was a lot of, if we’re gonna be together anyway, we might as well get a place, blah blah…that sort of thing. What about you and Daniel? Does he ever drop hints?”

  “Not really. I can’t even wrap my head around a wedding. Besides, we have so much to learn about each other.”

  “Aubrey, that’s the point of marriage. You spend your life learning about each other.” She rested her hands on my shoulders and looked at me in the mirror. “You know the important things. He loves you; he’d do anything for you. He has goals and aspirations, a decent family…”

  I shook my head and grabbed one of her hands. “You’re right, bun-head. I think when your parents are divorced, you tend to be a wee bit gun shy, that’s all.” I smiled at her in the mirror as she pushed more pins into my hair. “I’ve missed talking to you, Jul. I don’t know what I’d do if you weren’t here this weekend.”

  “For one thing, girl, you’d be doing your own damn hair.”

  Chapter 30

  Together

  They are in the very wrath of love, and they will together…

  (As You Like It, Act V, Scene ii)

  IT WAS QUARTER TO THREE. Julie and I had been standing behind the rows of assembled white chairs just long enough for my heels to sink into the grass, anchoring me in place. Julie frowned as she scanned the crowd.

  “Shouldn’t they be here by now? We can’t take our seats without the groomsmen, right?”

  Just then, a movement in the hedged laneway caught my eye. Jeremy and Daniel were striding toward us, both of them looking like they’d stepped off a runway in Paris.

  Julie waved, and they spotted us, both raising a hand in greeting.

  “Holy fuckballs. They look amazing,” I murmured.

  Daniel’s eyes were focused on me, his lips curled into a smile that could charm the bra off a nun. A mere three hours ago, he’d been vulnerable and sweet, marveling at my unconditional love for him, and now here he was all debonair confidence and fuckhawt swagger.

  Despite the numerous greetings awaiting them as they passed through the crowd, Jeremy and Daniel headed directly for us. As Jeremy slipped his arm around Julie’s waist, telling her how great she looked, Daniel lowered his face to my cheek, kissing me and nudging my earring gently with his nose.

  “Hi, beautiful.”

  “Hi yourself, handsome. Thank you for the earrings. I love them.”

  “They look nice. You, on the other hand, look gorgeous.”

  “I had a feeling you’d like this dress.”

  He slid his hand up my arm, his eyes moving appreciatively from my waist to my chest.

  “Hey, you two, quit undressing each other with your eyes,” Julie said, interrupting Daniel’s admiration of my cleavage.

  He cleared his throat. “You’re absolutely right. We should get things rolling, shouldn’t we?” He offered me his arm. “Aubrey, may I have the honor of escorting you to your seat?”

  Daniel led me to the front row. As we walked down the aisle, he smiled and I beamed at him, recalling what I’d told Julie earlier.

  All of a sudden, a wedding didn’t seem all that difficult to imagine.

  One of life’s little ironies is the ridiculous amount of decision-making and stress that goes into planning a wedding ceremony, an event which is often over and done with in less than half an hour.

  When Penny and Brad clasped hands and walked down the aisle as husband and wife, a mere twenty-six minutes had passed. The receiving line after the ceremony looked as if it might take longer. Jeremy emerged from the crowd, telling me that Daniel was waiting for me by the fishpond. I made my way carefully across the lawn and out into the gardens to find Daniel sitting on a bench in front of the pond.

  “Hey, there you are.” Daniel waved me over and gestured for me to sit beside him.

  He wasted no time on pleasantries, kissing me softly. “Do you know how difficult it was to pay attention with you looking so delicious in the front row?”

  “You seemed attentive as far as I could tell.”

  “I was saying the alphabet backward in my head to stop myself from staring at your legs.”

  “You were not.” I laughed, shoving him with my shoulder.

  “I might be exaggerating slightly.” He grinned and clasped my hand.

  Jeremy appeared arm in arm with Julie, an attractive dark-haired man following closely behind them.

  Daniel held his hand up to greet him. “Aubrey, this is Gavin, a friend of mine and Penny’s. He played the piano during the ceremony.”

  So this was Gavin. I’d seen his pictures on Facebook. I’d thought him handsome in the photos, but he had a charisma that made him even more attractive in person. He closed in on Daniel, shaking his hand and clapping him on the shoulder.

  Daniel gestured to me proudly. “Gavin, this is Aubrey.”

  Gavin took my hand and brought it to his lips. Yep, totally swoon-worthy.

  He winked at Daniel. “Ah, Lewis. Plus ça change, plus c’est pareil. Des jambes incroyables, mon ami.”

  “Yes, she has incredible legs. She also has a fantastic command of French, Gav. Bilingual, in fact,” Daniel said.

  Gavin put his hand over his mouth, feigning embarrassment. “Oh, shit. Stepped in that one, didn’t I?” he said. “Sorry about that.”

  I waved off his apology. “Ne t’inquiète pas. J’étais juste en train d’admirer tes bras.”

  “You cheeky monkey. Did you hear that, Lewis? Your girlfriend is ogling my arms.”

  “She’s brazenly lecherous,” Daniel said, matter-of-factly.

  Gavin put his hand over his heart. “I think I’m in love.”

  “Unthink it. She’s spoken for.”

  “Shame.” Gavin gave me another once-over, a roguish grin dancing on his lips. Their lighthearted sparring warmed my heart.

  Jeremy reluctantly interrupted the banter, bobbing his head at Daniel. “I think we have to go, man. Picture time.”

  Daniel sighed. “I guess you’re right.” He kissed my forehead. “Why don’t you relax? Have a drink and some canapés. We could be a while.”

  I straightened his bowtie and said, “You behave yourself. If Penny wants a picture of you holding a daisy between your teeth, do as you’re told.”

  “Yes, dear,” he said resignedly. “Listen, keep an eye on Gavin, okay? Make sure he doesn’t break anything or run off with anyone’s wife?”

  “That sounds like a lot of responsibility for just one person.”

  “Julie will help.” He laughed.

  Julie and I called good-byes over our shoulders. Jeremy and Daniel watched us leave, both of them shaking their heads.

  “Ladies, I’ve been given strict instructions to keep you thoroughly entertained until dinner,” Gavin said, gallantly holding out both elbows. “You could drink non-alcoholic punch and do a stuffy garden tour, or you could listen to a boring string quartet while drinking afternoon tea in the dining room. Or—and this is the option I strongly suggest—you could watch an incredibly attractive and remarkably talented fellow play the piano. It’s worth noting that I am the aforementioned fellow, and the bar is right next door to the music room.”

  “Gosh, the last choice sounds pretty good,” I said, smiling brightly at him. “Julie?”

  “I wonder if the bartender knows how to make mojitos,” Julie mused.

  Gavin grinned impishly and quickened his step. “Lewis was right. This is going to be fun.”

  “Okay—I have to ask,” I said as we reached the side entrance to the house. “What’s with the nickname? W
hy ‘Lewis’?”

  He held the door open for us. “Now that is a fascinating story,” he said. “One best told with a drink in each hand…”

  Wedding receptions are predictable events, but having the inside scoop shed a different light on the events of the evening. I was aware that Daniel was concerned about becoming overly emotional during his speech, and we all knew Brad was terrified of speaking in front of a room full of strangers. Then, of course, there was Penny and Brad’s nervousness about their first dance. For Julie and me, being forced to brave dinner with the Grants without Jeremy and Daniel at our sides was a minor feat compared to the anxiety brewing at the head table.

  Daniel’s emceeing duties kept him busy during dinner. As the dessert dishes were cleared and champagne poured, he took his place behind the podium for one last time to direct post-dinner speeches. He rested his glass on the podium and smiled at the assembled guests.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, before I hand things over to the bride and groom, I’d like to say a few words. I’ll be brief. I’m sure everyone is more interested in hearing what Brad has to say.”

  Brad grimaced and rubbed his face. A few people tittered.

  “First of all, thanks for putting up with me all evening,” Daniel said. “Emceeing this event has been one of the most stressful tasks of my life. I wanted to do a great job for Penny and Brad.”

  There was a unified “Aww” from the audience, and my throat tightened.

  “So, what can I say about Penny?” Daniel frowned as if he were pondering the question deeply. “I’ve known Penny for almost ten years. She’s been a great friend, a constant companion, and a trusted confidante during some difficult times. To be honest, in the time I’ve known her, I’ve come to think of her as a sister. The only difference today, I suppose, is that Brad’s made it legal.” He looked over at Penny and took a deep breath. “Love you, Penn.”

  She blew him a kiss and dabbed under her eye. How she wasn’t blubbering like a fool was beyond me. I blew my nose quietly. Across the table, Gwen was sniffing up a storm. Patty held out a tissue, and Gwen snapped it up gratefully.

  “As for Brad,” Daniel continued, surveying his brother, “he’s everything a big brother ought to be—loyal, and fiercely protective. He wasn’t going to stand for anyone pushing me around. As far as he was concerned, that was his job.”

  The crowd laughed, and Brad nodded as if to say, Yeah, that’s pretty much true.

  “Bottom line, Brad, Penny, I love you both, just as everyone in this room does. We all wish you good health and happiness. Oh, and my mother has requested lots of babies ASAP.”

  Amid more laughter, Gwen covered her mouth and shrugged guiltily.

  “Now, I can’t let the day go by without sharing a brief passage to mark the occasion, if only because I know it’ll drive my brother crazy. I hope Master Shakespeare will forgive me for meddling with a couple of his words to suit my purpose.”

  Daniel turned to Brad and Penny, and began to recite a passage from memory: “‘For my brother and my new sister no sooner met but they look’d’; no sooner look’d but they lov’d; no sooner lov’d but they sigh’d; no sooner sigh’d but they ask’d one another the reason; no sooner knew the reason but they sought the remedy—and in these degrees have they made a pair of stairs to marriage… they are in the very wrath of love, and they will together.’”

  He addressed the assembled guests to deliver the closing line: “‘Clubs cannot part them.’” He nodded with an air of finality, drawing applause from around the room.

  I was too busy gripping my Kleenex to clap. Not that his performance warranted concern. He was a vision of poise and self-assurance, the Daniel I’d fallen for in the seminar room months before, cool as a cucumber and suave as hell.

  “I now have the distinct pleasure of calling upon the bride and groom.” Daniel stepped back while Brad and Penny made their way to the podium. Brad fumbled around, adjusting the height of the microphone and clearing his throat.

  “Oh, man, I’m so nervous for him,” Julie said.

  I squeezed her elbow. “Think positive thoughts.”

  Brad put his arm around Penny’s waist. She patted his chest and whispered something. He nodded and leaned over the mic.

  “Okay. First of all, thanks to everyone for coming, and a huge thank you to Penny’s family and friends for all their work while we were four thousand miles away. Today wouldn’t have been possible without you. And thank you to my family for coming all this way to share our day. We love you guys.”

  “So far so good,” I said quietly.

  Julie nodded and reached for my hand.

  “This is kind of stressful,” Brad confessed, tugging at his bowtie. “Daniel and Jeremy are the creative ones. Public speaking isn’t my thing.”

  Penny smiled at him supportively.

  “I’m gonna put my feelings in terms that make sense to me. I’m a business-minded guy—that’s just the way I think…” He shifted his feet and put his hand in his pocket. “So, the way I see it, marriage is like a merger. If I was a company looking to increase my value, Penny’s assets would make her a great acquisition.”

  A few people snickered, and Brad frowned as Penny put her hand to her forehead.

  “That didn’t sound too great, did it?” Brad asked, sneaking a look at his bride, his eyes dropping to her chest.

  She waved her hands, indicating that he should get on with things. Brad peered over his shoulder at Daniel who was patting his left lapel, his advice to his brother quite simple. Speak from your heart. Brad frowned and rested his hands on the podium.

  “Okay, let me try that again. Um, two years ago I came to England to visit my brother, Daniel. When I got to his apartment, his roommate was packing her things to stay with a friend so I could have her room. In case you don’t know, that roommate was Penny.

  “The first thing I thought when I met her was ‘Whoa, she’s beautiful.’ After talking to her for a while, I realized she was funny, too. She stayed at the apartment for dinner, and over the next couple of hours, I saw she was gutsy and smart and pretty much everything I was looking for in a woman.” Brad turned to Penny and took her hand. “What she doesn’t know, is that after dinner when she grabbed her bags and headed for the door, all I could think was, ‘Please don’t go.’”

  “Oh my God,” Julie squeaked. “Brad…”

  Penny covered her mouth with her hand, and I found myself doing a quiet cheer in my seat.

  Come on, Brad. Bring it home…

  “Luckily, she did come back. She kept forgetting stuff, and had to swing by the apartment every day to grab something. I think she kept coming back because she couldn’t resist my charms.”

  Penny rolled her eyes and slapped his arm.

  “That’s okay, babe,” he assured her. “I couldn’t resist yours, either.”

  I snuck a look at Daniel, who seemed to be bracing himself for Brad to start publicly lauding Penny’s boobs. Happily, Brad steered clear of explicit references to his bride’s ample bosom.

  “Anyway, Penny and I have been a perfect match since day one. Every day is brighter because she’s around,” Brad said, appearing bolstered by his own heartfelt admissions. “When I screw up, Penny steps in to fix things. I hope I’m there for her when she needs me too.”

  He sought her confirmation, and she leaned in to kiss him, which led to a rousing chorus of oohs and aahs. Brad held up his hands, and the crowd quieted.

  “So, getting back to the business side of things for a sec, when two companies merge, the goal is for the new corporation to be stronger than it was before. This is how it is for Penny and me. I know she makes me a better person. This is what I’d call a profitable merger.”

  He turned to kiss her, and the room erupted into cheers and ear-splitting glass clinking. At the Grant table, we breathed a collective sigh of relief.

  Finally the speeches were over, and Penny and Brad’s first dance was executed without a single crushed toe. Daniel turned thi
ngs over to the DJ and pushed his way through the crowd on the dance floor. At our table, he held out his hands. He drew me onto the dance floor and held me close. “It feels good to have you in my arms. I’ve missed you today,” he whispered.

  “You did such a great job.”

  “It helped having you here. You always anchor me.”

  Nestling into his neck, I closed my eyes, perfectly content. Falling into a comfortable rhythm, we chatted as we danced.

  “Have you had an okay day?” he asked. “It must have been a bit boring for you.”

  “Julie and I had each other. And Gavin was great.”

  “Ah, yes, my delightful womanizing friend.”

  “He was a perfect gentleman.”

  “Didn’t try to woo your panties off with more of his dazzling French?”

  “No, but that was pretty funny, him talking about my legs and thinking I wouldn’t understand.”

  “Your comeback was spot-on. I’m sure you kept him on his toes this afternoon.”

  I laughed, tightening my arms around his shoulders.

  “He misses you. He said he thinks you’ve lost weight.”

  “I don’t drink as much beer as I used to. I’m sure that’s what it comes down to.”

  “You don’t smoke as many doobies either, I gather.”

  “Oh, shit.” He grimaced. “I was so hoping he wouldn’t tell you that story.”

  “I started it. I asked him why he called you Lewis, and he told me about your drug-induced poetry. I can imagine you giving Lewis Carroll a run for his money, but I totally can’t picture you smoking pot.”

  “I only did it a few times. I didn’t particularly enjoy the sensation. It made me too paranoid.”

  “How old were you?”

  “Eighteen. Experimentation. Trying to fit in, I guess. You don’t think I’m a total ass, do you?”

  “Of course not. Can you imagine if everyone were held forever accountable for the dumbass things they did at eighteen?”

  “No, I suppose not,” he said, looking at me with a strange expression.