Chapter 35
Alice
Alice had never felt so beautiful. Her hair curled and tied, her makeup professionally applied, her gorgeous crimson bridesmaid dress making her feel like a princess.
She stepped out of the maroon vintage car that had brought the bridesmaids to All Saints Church, then helped Sophie with her long white dress as she climbed out of a cream vintage car with Jed, looking trim in a grey top hat and tails with crimson cravat.
‘You look stunning, Soph,’ Alice told her.
Sophie had the biggest smile as she took her grandfather’s arm.
A photographer darted around, snapping away with his chunky camera before heading inside to get ready for the church photos.
Samuel came over with Lottie’s standing electric wheelchair and helped her settle with her bouquet, then gave her a kiss on the cheek before heading inside the church.
Will pulled up in the car park with Beth and their respective children. They set up the prams and had the bridesmaids cooing over Archie and Robert’s mini pageboy outfits straight away.
‘You get them inside, and we’ll be in next,’ said Ginny, waving Will towards the entrance.
Will and Beth went into the church with the children, and the others got ready for the walk down the aisle.
Alice fanned her face with one hand. ‘Do not cry,’ she told herself out loud, making everyone laugh.
Lottie shook her head. ‘You’d better not. Your makeup is perfect. No mascara runs allowed.’
‘Not even me?’ joked Jed, beaming at Sophie.
‘You can cry later,’ said Alice.
Ginny gave Sophie the once over. ‘You ready, chick?’
Sophie grinned from ear to ear. ‘Yep.’
Ginny then looked at Jed. ‘Are you ready?’
Jed nodded. ‘And ever so proud of my Sophie.’
Sophie nudged him. ‘Stop, Grandad, or I’ll be the one crying.’
Alice gestured to the entrance. ‘Come on then. Your groom awaits.’
Sophie let out a small squeal of delight as they all moved forward, taking their places.
The music in the church started to play, and the guests stood.
Alice saw her family first, then caught Jamie’s eye as she made her way down the aisle. If only she could have met him at the altar on their wedding day. She quickly shrugged off the thought and went back to concentrating on her friend’s big day.
‘Beautiful,’ Jamie mouthed as she passed.
Alice smiled at him, then at Matt, Robson, and Spencer up front, wearing the same outfits as Jed, except Matt had a white cravat.
The wedding started and everyone took their seats, except the bridesmaids who were in a line beside Sophie for a while.
The church was cool and filled with everyone Sophie and Matt cared about. Dark-pink and white flowers were arranged by the altar and at the end of each pew, and the service was personalized by the Berry Buoys singing a sea shanty towards the end, which had everyone tapping their feet.
For Alice, the ceremony went far too quickly. She wanted to be in the church longer, enjoying the love on display, the joy in the air, and the way Jamie was looking at her as though she were the most beautiful person on the planet.
The bells rang out as the happy couple departed, confetti sprinkled all around. More pictures were taken, then it was off to Seaview B&B for the reception, which thanks to Sophie’s friends now looked like a winter wonderland at Christmas.
Toasts were made, champagne and non-alcoholic bubbly held high, and Demi had made a feast fit for a king.
Jed shed a tear when making his speech, and Alice had to clean her mascara at that point, along with the other bridesmaids.
Then Matt got up to speak, staring only at his blushing bride. ‘Sophie, you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I certainly didn’t see you coming my way, but if I had known you were here, I’d have walked a hell of a lot quicker from London.’
Everyone laughed, and Sophie blew him a kiss.
Matt turned to his audience. ‘All of you have been the best. I’ll never be able to thank you enough for your support since I arrived.’ He glanced at Jed. ‘Or for the spa day.’
Sophie reached for his hand.
Matt smiled. ‘I only wish there was a Port Berry in every corner of the land because this is such a happy place. The kindness here is like nothing I’ve ever seen before.
Thank you for coming to our wedding. For making the reception so magical for me and the missus, and thank you for simply being part of my life.
’ He looked down at Sophie. ‘And to you, my love, for believing in me. I love you, Soph.’
‘Love you too.’ She leaned over to kiss his lips as he sat, and the guests cheered.
Alice held Jamie’s hand beneath the cream tablecloth, smiling his way. She glanced down when she felt him stroke her bare wedding finger. The memory came back of them telling the officiate they didn’t want to exchange rings. It wasn’t law, and it wasn’t as if they could wear them anyway.
‘It’s been a nice day, hasn’t it?’ said Jamie.
‘Yes, and I’m so glad everything went well.’
They got up to help some of the others tidy the tables so they could be pushed along the walls to make more space for dancing. When the lights dimmed and Sophie and Matt had their first dance, Alice swiped away another tear.
The party was alive and buzzing, leaking out onto the small front garden, and more food was laid out on the tables, including lots of seafood from Sea Shanty Shack.
Luna came over and put her arm around Alice’s waist. ‘It’s been quite the year, hasn’t it, love?’
‘It’s been quite the month.’
‘And it’s not over yet.’
Alice smiled at her grandmother. ‘Not long to the new year, which, to be honest, I’ll be glad to see.’
‘Ooh, don’t wish your life away, Alice. Enjoy each day. So much can happen between now and next year to make this your favourite year yet.’
Alice side-eyed her nan. Was she being cryptic again or simply teaching the art of being present? Either way, now that it had been mentioned, Jamie being released from prison had made it one of her favourite years. It just had brought a lot of the past with it.
‘You don’t need a new year to make a fresh start, Alice. You can make that happen at any time.’
Alice watched her nan dance off into the crowd gathered in the foyer, leaving her by the reception desk, mulling over life.
Needing a moment to herself, Alice went to her bedroom and sat on the bed.
It had been a challenging month, more so for her emotions.
She picked up a snow globe from the bedside table and shook it to watch the fake snow sprinkle down onto a gingerbread house.
Jamie was going to be with her for Christmas, and that thought alone was just as magical as the ornament in her hand.
Sighing, she smiled softly up at the ceiling.
‘How’s it going, Lisa? Have you been watching?
’ She was never quite sure what words of wisdom her sister would say.
If Lisa could see life in Port Berry, Alice was sure her sister would focus more on Benny anyway.
Still, it was nice to have a chat every so often.
A gentle tapping came from the door, then Benny poked his head inside the room. ‘You okay? I saw you come in and wondered if you didn’t feel well.’
Alice patted the bed, gesturing for him to sit by her side. ‘I’m fine. I was just giving my eardrums a rest from the music.’ It was quite muffled in the bedroom but still possible to know what song was playing. ‘And I was having a bit of a natter with your mum.’
Benny glanced up. ‘Do you really think she hears us?’
‘Who knows for sure? But if it makes us feel good to have that chat, then we should continue to do so.’
‘Do you think she would like my girlfriend?’
Alice leaned gently into his arm. ‘She would want happiness for you. And if Ellie is good to you, then your mum would be pleased.’
Benny smiled widely. ‘Ellie is lovely.’
‘That’s all anyone wants in a partner. Someone nice.’
‘I’m glad you have Jamie now.’
Alice blew out a small laugh. ‘I’ve always had Jamie.
I’m just glad life is more settled for him now.
For us all. We’ve all been through tough times.
’ She shuffled around to face him full-on.
‘Benny, I want you to know that we all make bad decisions for ourselves once in a while, so when that happens to you, or you feel you’ve taken the wrong road, don’t be so hard on yourself.
We’re only human. We don’t always get it right, but it’ll be okay.
We learn, we grow, and change is possible.
So don’t ever feel stuck — you can always move forward. ’
Benny leaned in for a hug. ‘You’re starting to sound like Granny.’
Alice chuckled. ‘Your granny is wise.’
‘And she’s a great dancer. Have you seen her moves out there?’ He laughed as he stood. ‘Come on, Mum. It’s time we joined in.’ He stopped for a moment, losing his smile. ‘Or do you want to be alone?’
There had been many times she had felt alone, but she never really was, not with her loving family and many friends.
Alice creaked to a stand. ‘Nah, I’m not staying here. Let’s go have a knees-up with the others.’
As soon as they joined in with the dancing, Jamie’s arms curled around her, making Alice’s smile grow bigger. So what if it had been an unusual month, what with all that had happened. Having Jamie around made all the darkness fade to light, and Alice had never felt so happy.