Just Say Yes, page 26
‘Yes, well, I suppose so.’
‘Do you have feelings for Vance?’
She looked down at her lap, then back at me, and shook her head. ‘I don’t think so.’ The tears bubbled through and her nose began to run. ‘But it all made sense when he said it and now I don’t know what to do and it all feels too much and I…’ She continued to speak and, although I’d practically earned a degree in ‘crying speak’ through my years as a planner, even I was having trouble translating this time. ‘What am I going to do?’ she wailed at the end.
‘Do you want to speak to your parents?’
Her mouth formed a horrified o. ‘No!’
‘I’m sure they’d understand and would want to help.’
‘Yes, but they’ll take over and the next thing I know, I’ll be back on a plane to California!’ She looked genuinely upset at this prospect, which buoyed my hopes.
‘Have you eaten?’ I asked.
‘I had a macrobiotic plant smoothie jello shot this morning.’
‘So that’s a no. OK, do you trust me?’
Peyton raised her eyes to me, suddenly looking young and vulnerable. There was a nine-year age gap between her and Patrick but right now, unsure and insecure, she looked even younger than her years. ‘Yes.’
‘Good. Then come with me.’
‘Where are we going?’ she asked, following me out of her car and towards mine parked behind, which looked even tinier in comparison to Peyton’s.
‘This is your car?’ she asked, distracted for a moment.
‘Yep. Isn’t it lovely?’
She smiled. ‘It’s cute but I asked them to get you one like mine.’
‘Yeah. I have a confession about that,’ I said as we belted up and I pulled back onto the road, executing a U-turn on the narrow road courtesy of the excellent turning circle of my little car. ‘I asked them to find me something smaller.’
Peyton looked at me and then began to laugh. ‘Well, they sure did that!’
‘Hi. You OK? Have you found Peyton?’ Lorcan’s deep, concerned voice came through the speaker on the car.
‘Yes. She’s here in the car with me now. Are you still at home?’
‘Yep.’
‘Does your mum have space for another one for breakfast?’
‘Yep,’ he said, without missing a beat.
‘OK, we’ll see you shortly.’
Peyton had been making hand-waving gestures the entire time I’d been on the phone.
‘I can’t go to Lorcan’s. What will he think of me? He’s Patrick’s best friend. Please, Maddie, I can’t. He’ll hate me if he knows I’ve been having second thoughts.’
‘No, Peyton. I promise you. He won’t. He wants the best for both of you. If you were having second thoughts, or are, he wouldn’t want you to go ahead and marry his friend, making both of you miserable, would he?’
‘No, I don’t suppose so. I never thought about it like that.’
‘We just need somewhere that’s not full of wedding guests and that’s a little hard to find in the village at the moment. Maria’s place is as neutral as we can get right now.’
‘Is that Lorcan’s mom?’
‘Yes. She’s lovely. Here we are.’
‘What a beautiful house,’ Peyton said, looking out of the window at the large farmhouse.
‘It is, isn’t it? Come on. Let’s get you inside and warm. You’re frozen.’
38
‘Oh, my dears!’ Maria said, bustling up behind Lorcan, who opened the door to us and stepped out into the cold towards Peyton, wrapping her in a huge hug before walking them both back inside. I could have kissed him. If I was honest, it wasn’t the first time that face had inspired such a thought but his action at that moment had been exactly what the bride-to-be – something I hoped she still was – needed.
‘Here you go, sit here and warm yourselves up and I’ll get some breakfast on.’ Maria busied herself as we sat around the table.
‘I’m so sorry,’ Peyton said, looking from me to Lorcan and back to me. I’d filled him in briefly while she nipped to the loo and freshened up her face so he was now up to speed and it was time to decide what our next move was. Or more accurately, Peyton had to decide.
‘There’s nothing to apologise for, Peyton,’ Lorcan began softly. ‘It’s a big step you’re taking and you need to be sure you’re doing the right thing, and for the right reasons.’
She sniffed through her smile. ‘Maddie said you’d say that.’
He turned his head briefly, locking gazes with me for a long moment. ‘Our Maddie knows me pretty well, then, I’d say.’
‘I guess she does.’
‘So, how are you feeling now?’
‘Better, I think.’
‘About the wedding?’
She paused and he reached out across the table, wrapping her fidgeting hands within his own. ‘Forget about the castle, and the flowers and the guests and everything. Just think about you and Patrick. None of the other stuff matters. Maddie mentioned something about Vance?’
Both of us saw her tense.
‘It’s OK,’ Lorcan soothed. ‘I’m just asking. Do you feel the same way he does?’
She shook her head. ‘No. No, I don’t. I think he just got me all confused and wondering if I was doing the right thing. I wish I’d never agreed to let him do the photography. We stayed friends after we broke up and he was always so keen to be around my family and talking about his business plans. Our parties were pretty well attended by influential people and he was always trying to hand his card over and stuff. It got kind of embarrassing sometimes. And I guess when he asked about the wedding and how much it would mean to him to be able to do this for me, I was flattered. But I don’t think it’s really about me at all. For a start, he’s charging more than some of the professionals we spoke to.’
Lorcan gave a small headshake.
‘I’ve been a real sucker, haven’t I?’
‘No, not at all. You’re kind and sweet and sometimes less moral people manipulate qualities like those for their own ends.’
‘I feel so stupid. I don’t even know if I can go through with it all now. When Patrick finds out, he’s going to be so mad and my parents are going to be talking about what a waste all this effort was.’
‘Forget all that,’ Lorcan said. ‘And I can guarantee Patrick won’t be mad. He’s just going nuts with worry. Unfortunately, word’s gone round that the bride is MIA and he’s been ringing every two minutes asking me if we’ve found you. I’ve told him everything’s in hand and you’re safe with us, but he’s been worried sick.’
Peyton’s blue eyes filled with tears again. ‘I never meant to hurt or worry him. I… I just love him so much,’ she said and burst into another fresh round of tears. Without a word between us, Lorcan and I swapped jobs as I wrapped my arms around Peyton and rocked her gently, glancing over the top of her head to where Maria was watching, worry and care creasing her face. Lorcan, in the meantime, slipped quietly out of the back door, shucking on his coat as he did so.
Ten minutes later, Maria and I had combined to calm Peyton back down and I’d taken her up to my room to let her use my bathroom to freshen up and brush her hair before returning to the kitchen. As we entered from one door, Lorcan came in through the back door, Patrick following him in. His brow was furrowed with distress and his hair was sticking up at odd angles from, I imagined, several hours of running his hands through it.
‘Patrick!’ Peyton’s voice cracked. ‘But you’re not supposed to see me the day of the wedding. It’s bad luck.’
He was already hurrying past us to her side, taking her hands in his. ‘I wasn’t sure if there was even going to be a wedding, and, right now, I don’t care about superstitions. I just had to see you.’
‘I wanted to see you too.’ Peyton smiled, tears beginning to flow.
‘Peyton, my darling. If you’re not ready for this, that’s OK. If you don’t want to marry me, that’s OK too.’
Her perfectly sculpted brows shot up as far as the Botox would allow.
‘Now, don’t interpret that as meaning that I don’t want to marry you. I’ve wanted that from about a week after I met you, but if you’ve changed your mind, then I would never try and force you. This has to be your choice and your choice alone. If you want to wait, I will wait for you. If you don’t want to be…’ he swallowed audibly ‘… us any more, then I will accept that but—’
‘I do want us!’ Peyton broke in, almost wailing. ‘I do, I do, I promise. I just got all confused and overwhelmed and then Vance…’ She looked up through her wet lashes, cheeks flaring.
Patrick’s jaw hardened. ‘Yes, Lorcan filled me in about Vance. Don’t worry. Although, assuming you want to go ahead…’
‘I do! More than anything!’ Her voice had shot up several octaves and there was a hint of panic in it now as the tears began once more in full flow as she clung onto him.
‘OK, darlin’. It’s OK,’ he said, his voice gentle as he stroked her hair. ‘God, I love you.’
‘I love you too!’ she wailed. Lorcan winced and, over at the stove, Maria chuckled to herself at his reaction.
‘Well, that all works out well now, doesn’t it?’
‘I can’t guarantee I’m going to want to smile for the photos with this Vance bloke the other side of the camera, though,’ Patrick commented.
‘Not a problem,’ I interjected. ‘Back-up is on the way. She’ll be here within the next half an hour.’
‘Really?’ Patrick and Peyton’s heads both swivelled towards me.
‘Yes. I hope that was OK. She’s excellent. I’ve worked with her a lot and… well, Vance wasn’t really being terribly co-operative so I pulled in a favour and had Ellise on standby.’
‘What about Vance?’ Peyton asked.
‘If you want to use him still, then that’s up to you.’
Patrick’s face suggested he most definitely didn’t want to. ‘No, no, I don’t,’ Peyton said, still clinging to Patrick’s hand but beginning to regain some of her normal poise. ‘I thought he was a friend, but I don’t really think he is. I don’t think he loves me either. All he’s interested in, ever has been interested in, is what my family’s name and money can do for him.’
‘Do you want to tell him that his services are no longer required, or would you prefer me to?’ I asked.
Pick me! Pick me!
Peyton looked at Patrick, then me. ‘I’m happy to do it,’ Patrick interjected.
‘We need to start getting you into a fit state to be seen to marry this woman, mate,’ Lorcan said. ‘That could take a while so I’m not sure you’ll have time.’ He’d been standing behind the two of them, leaning back on the work surface, quietly taking it all in. When Patrick made the suggestion, he gave the smallest headshake to me and I sent him a look of agreement. Probably best not to have the man whose fiancée you just tried to steal deliver the news. There was every chance, something Lorcan’s mini gesture had confirmed, that Patrick might well deliver something else. Especially to someone as smug and underhand as Vance Benson.
‘Very funny,’ Patrick replied, glancing over his shoulder at his old friend.
‘I’m happy to do it,’ I said. Ecstatic, to be truthful.
‘Right!’ Maria said, brushing her hands on her apron. ‘Now that’s sorted, everyone sit down for breakfast.’ She began dishing out the plates, full to the brim with sizzling bacon, eggs, fried bread, beans, fried tomatoes, fresh local sausages and a pile of mushrooms.
I glanced up at the clock. It was only just coming up to seven and it already felt as if it had been a long day.
‘I can’t possibly eat all this!’ Peyton was now sitting and staring at the plate.
‘Just eat what you can, then, lovey,’ Maria encouraged her.
‘But I never eat this sort of thing.’ She was still staring at the food.
‘If I’m honest, Peyton, neither do I, but I can guarantee you don’t want to miss out on this. You’ve already had a tiring morning and it’s only seven o’clock. You’re going to need a lot of energy today. This is the best fuel.’
Maria looked over the heads of the others and gave me a wink and I knew then where Lorcan got it from.
‘But my dress…’
‘One meal isn’t going to make a difference, sweetheart,’ Patrick said, already tucking in. ‘Come on, you need some energy for all that dancing we’re going to be doing later.’
Peyton tried a piece of fried bread, clearly a new experience, and it was as if she’d seen God. Butter could do that to you.
‘You’re not even supposed to see me before the ceremony!’ she reminded him again, tapping him on the arm with her fork.
‘I know. But for a while there I thought I wasn’t going to see you at all, so let’s just enjoy this delicious breakfast and we’ll get back to the plan after that. Deal?’
‘Deal,’ she said, grinning at him with that wide Californian smile, enhanced just a little by a thin layer of tomato sauce, courtesy of the beans.
39
Vance did not take the news well, but I rather enjoyed myself. Lorcan was desperate to come with me to pass on the message because the bloke had irritated him from the start, but I persuaded him to deliver Peyton to the castle, where she was staying, and take Patrick back to his parents’ and begin getting ready. As a compromise, I promised to get Calum to surreptitiously record our conversation so Lorcan could enjoy it at a later date. To say Vance wasn’t exactly complimentary about me was an understatement, but, then again, most of the wedding party came in for it from him. Bearing in mind how Lorcan had reacted last time Vance had been rude, it was probably just as well he wasn’t there as I didn’t have time to clean up blood or bury a body.
‘You look like you need this.’ Lorcan handed me a large brandy and I just about found the energy to lift my arm to take it. I was flopped on the sofa in the snug, the door locked behind us, the wedding party having all finally made their way back to their respective abodes for the night. Calum had looked fit to drop and Lorcan had sent him home and made sure he’d messaged when he was back so we knew he was safe.
‘I really do. What a day.’
‘Are you pleased?’
‘I am. Peyton looked stunning and they both looked so happy, I couldn’t have asked for more.’
‘I think you’d be forgiven for asking for a little less drama at six o’clock this morning, but I know what you mean.’ He sat down heavily next to me, his bow tie hanging loosely around his neck and the first few buttons of his shirt open, exposing a few dark hairs against his skin. When I’d headed out with Ellise to meet him and Patrick approaching the castle, I’d hoped the bolt of electricity that shot through me at seeing Lorcan all dressed up had been calmly covered by my professionalism.
‘This is the guy you’ve been working with?’ Ellise had asked. ‘The taller one?’
‘Umm, yes. That’s him. The owner.’
She’d turned her head and met my eyes deliberately. ‘Lucky you.’
I’d given a wave of my hand. ‘It’s all business.’
‘Sure it is,’ she’d said, taking some candid shots as they’d approached. ‘Don’t forget once the wedding is over, those rules of yours can be tossed out. For God’s sake, take him to bed, woman, otherwise you’re both going to waste.’
‘Ellise!’ I’d hissed. ‘He’ll hear you.’
‘Even better.’
‘I’m regretting getting you down here.’
She’d laughed, throwing her head back. ‘Liar.’ She’d had a point.
‘You look pretty done for too.’
‘Yep. Been a long day, but, unlike you, I wasn’t working.’
‘I know. But it can still be tiring. Thanks for helping this morning. I can’t even remember if I said that now or not. If not, sorry.’
Lorcan shook his head and rested one large warm hand over mine. ‘Not a problem. Comes with the territory of best man anyway. I’m just glad it all worked out.’
‘So am I.’
‘So, are your duties as a planner for this wedding officially over?’
‘They are,’ I replied, sighing languidly as I warmed the golden liquid in my glass with the palm of my hand.
‘Good,’ Lorcan said, shifting on the sofa, taking the glass from my hand and placing it on the coffee table in front of us. ‘Then that means I finally get to do this.’ His hands cupped my face as his lips tentatively brushed mine, sending thrills and sparks of electricity racing through my body. He pulled away, his gaze meeting mine, almost as if waiting for permission, which I willingly gave.
This time the kiss began softly but quickly grew into something more raw, more urgent, the pent-up frustration of our time together bursting through as his hands slid back from my face. A low, guttural moan escaped from him as they met the confines of the clips securing my hair. With a couple of swift moves, they were gone and Lorcan was entangling his fingers in my curls, one hand winding a length around his fist and tightening as he pulled me towards him. The sense of pleasure combined with a hint of pain set my senses spinning as we explored each other’s mouths and then further. One hand dropped to my waist, impatiently pulling at the blouse before sliding up my skin to cup my breast, his kisses moving down my neck as now his hands moved to the hem of my skirt and pushed it up. His fingers found the fastenings of my suspenders and Lorcan momentarily pulled away, my skin suddenly chilled from the loss of his lips. The heavy-lidded gaze dropped to my thighs, straddled as I was across him, stockings on show, and the deep appreciative sound growled again in his throat as he slid his hands around my backside and pulled me closer.
We crept back into the house in the early hours, hoping not to wake Maria, and Lorcan left me at the door to my room. As much as I wanted to be close to him, he’d been right when we’d lain on the sofa earlier. Both of us exhausted and spent, cuddled close together. He’d cupped my face in one large hand and told me we ought to get back so I could rest properly. I’d protested but now, having said goodnight, I knew he was right. I cleaned my teeth, stripped off, climbed into bed and was asleep within seconds of my head touching the soft Irish linen of the pillow.
