Chapter Twenty-Nine
“Come on, dude. Cheer the fuck up. It’s a wedding.”
Arran raised an eyebrow at Nico. “I am cheery. This is my cheery face.” He kept his expression deadpan for comedy value.
Nico laughed. “I’d hate to see you pissed off, then.”
Arran smiled and moved away a couple of paces to adjust a chair that didn’t need adjusting, trying to distract himself from his nerves. They were at the venue for the ceremony—under a gazebo at Maya and Sam’s favorite stargazing spot, where Arran had been on the receiving end of Sam’s pep talk a few weeks ago. The top end of the gazebo was open so that the majestic mountains became the backdrop for the ceremony.
His eyes were drawn to the view, his heart aching with the romance of it all. The chairs were all arranged neatly on the flooring under the gazebo, adorned with pretty fabric in hues of blue and green. It gave off the effect of sea waves rolling over the chairs. Immediately his mind settled on Liv’s eyes. Not that it took much nowadays, but these sea tones were very evocative of her eye color.
Across the field, he thought he spied his pal Hamish the Highland cow cozying up to a lady cow. “Nice one, Hamish,” he murmured. “Hopefully I’ll get my girl too, before the day is out.”
Nico came over and gave him a pointed look. “Are you talking to yourself now?”
“No. I’m talking to my friend Hamish.” He nodded toward the cows.
Nico let out a deep breath. “You’ve finally lost it.”
Arran pursed his lips. “No, I haven’t. We’re kindred spirits.”
A smile played at Nico’s mouth as he reached out to straighten Arran’s green cravat. Arran tried to bat him away, but Nico was having none of it. “Let me sort it. You need to look your best for when your lady love arrives.”
Arran sucked in a breath, letting Nico work his magic on the cravat. “I really hope she wants to be my lady love.”
“She will,” Nico said, frowning in concentration. “You’ve put in a fuckton of groundwork. I might marry you myself.”
Arran managed a smile, despite his escalating nerves.
“Anyway.” Nico stood back to survey his cravat tidying. “You’re a handsome artist who’s also a single dad. Last I checked, that ticked a lot of romance-hero boxes.”
A noise at the front of the gazebo had Arran snapping his gaze up to see whether the bridal party had arrived. But it was just Sam shifting a chair.
Nico was watching him with a frown. “You okay there, champ? I thought it was only Holland I’d have to coach through today, not you too.” He brushed his hands down his own navy waistcoat, taking hold of the sides of his jacket. They were all wearing matching navy waistcoats and jackets, with a blue-green tartan kilt, black kilt socks, and sporrans. Nico’s cravat was sky blue, and Arran’s sea green. Like Liv’s eyes.
“Yeah,” Arran said. “I was just so sure she felt the same as me and convinced that I could show her how good we are together. But now today is here and I’m absolutely shitting myself that I’ve failed.” He rubbed his eyes. “Maybe I should’ve given in and called her or gone to see her.”
Nico shook his head. “You promised her space. And you outlined exactly when you were going to see her to talk about it—today. You made everything clear and safe for her.”
“I hope you’re right.”
Nico shrugged, a wry smile on his face. “I’m always right.”
Arran let out a laugh.
Nico shifted closer, lowering his voice. “By the way, I need to tell you how proud I am of you, bro.”
Arran raised his eyebrows. “Are you being sarcastic?”
Nico rolled his eyes. “No. I’m not. I’m proud of you for getting over yourself and going for it with Liv. You’ve laid it all out there, which is the most fucking courageous thing a guy can do.” He gave Arran a nudge. “It’s good you didn’t let your pride get in the way. You’re not actually Mr. Darcy, despite those analogies Maya makes about Liv finding him.” Nico glanced over his shoulder, as if checking that no one could hear. “I’m glad you didn’t make the same mistakes I did.”
They both looked up as guests began to arrive along the walkway to the gazebo, where Sam was greeting them with a smile and a handshake.
Arran frowned, searching Nico’s face. What mistakes? But before he could ask, Nico smiled. “Now, come on. We have duties to perform.” He turned and walked down the aisle toward Sam, and Arran hurried after him.
The guests were all seated and the groom’s party waited at the top of the aisle. Sam stood with Tara and Angus at either side, and he and Nico behind them. Sam and Maya had opted not to go for the “traditional” giving away of the bride because Maya had said that she wasn’t her father’s property to give away, nor did she intend to become the property of her husband. So the arrangement was more akin to two families coming together, with Sam’s side waiting at the top of the aisle for Maya, her family, and her best women to arrive. Of course Liv had a place on both sides, though she’d be arriving with Maya. But that made it all the more poignant.
Arran’s thoughts raced. Liv would be here soon, but he wouldn’t get a chance to speak to her until after the ceremony, once they were at the castle. And even then, it would likely be after dinner and once the dancing began. He was due to accompany Liv to join in the first dance, and Nico was going to dance with Elise.
But when she arrived, would he be able to tell how she felt? Would she give anything away to help put him at ease?
He thought back to what Nico had said. Nico didn’t give out compliments very easily, and Arran felt a warm glow that his friend felt proud of him. He suspected that, deep down, his pride probably had been a secondary factor in not telling Liv he was in love with her as soon as he’d realized. His main objective had been not to overwhelm her when she was so vulnerable, but self-preservation might have played a part. Maybe he should have just said it in the moment, and then perhaps she would have trusted in his feelings when Jess had put a spanner in the works. Though he suspected the outcome would have been the same—Liv needed extra reassurance, through actions, not just words. And he was more than happy to give it to her. He’d give her anything she wanted.
The piper began to play just outside the other end of the gazebo, standing next to the temporary walkway on the grass and just visible through the sheer curtain of fabric that covered that end. That signaled the imminent arrival of the bridal party, and Arran’s heartbeat took on a steady thrum in anticipation of seeing Liv.
Arran glanced at the piper squeezing his bag. He’d never been a huge fan of the instrument’s rather shrill tone. Just then the bagpipes let out a squeak as the piper nearly slipped in something on the grass. A glance down confirmed that Hamish had left a little present underfoot for their noisy friend. Arran looked across the field at where Hamish was canoodling with the fluffy-looking lady Highland cow.
He smiled to himself. When I marry Liv, we’ll have a string quartet instead.
Fuck. That organic thought had come out of nowhere. And it felt so right.
Arran snapped his gaze up to where Omar and Yvonne, Maya’s parents, were coming down the walkway at the opposite end. He couldn’t see the rest of the bridal party yet.
As they drew closer, he realized he was the only one in the entire congregation who wasn’t straining to see the bride. It was Liv he wanted to lay eyes on.
Maya came into view walking behind her parents, flanked by Hana—her heavily pregnant sister—and her soon-to-be sister-in-law, Rosie, Hana’s fiancée. Maya was beautiful, wrapped in a gown of sea green and blue. But those tones reminded him of only one woman, who was walking behind Maya and her family, holding Elise’s hand.
Elise did look stunning in a floor-length blue gown, but by God it could’ve been any one of the hottest and most beautiful of celebrities walking next to Liv, and they still would’ve paled in comparison.
He couldn’t take his eyes off her. The long line of her neck and the smooth skin of her bare shoulders. The way her sea-green dress clung to her chest in a fitted bodice, flaring out into a short skirt that swished about her thighs and made him imagine sliding his hand up the outside of her leg, his mouth following suit up the inside of her thigh…
He shifted in an attempt to get his sporran into a shielding position, lest his thoughts be betrayed by what was straining underneath. A true Scotsman wears no underwear with a kilt, after all. A fact that would no doubt be proven at the reception when someone would get pissed and give everyone a flash. Probably Nico.
Then Liv lifted her gaze to his, and it almost appeared that she lost her stride a little. Arran nearly reached out to hold on to Nico’s arm, she made him so weak at the knees.
Liv didn’t look away, continuing to meet his eyes as the party arrived and the two sets of parents greeted each other. He prayed to God that was a good sign.
Arran eventually managed to drag his gaze away from Liv and take in Sam’s face as he met Maya. There were tears in his eyes as he held her face to kiss her, the two sets of parents hugging and taking seats in the front rows.
Arran’s heart swelled as he watched Sam and Maya, knowing with absolute certainty that they were perfect for each other. Not like Jess and me. The more hindsight he gained, the clearer it became that it hadn’t been right. Arran glanced at Nico and noticed that he was staring across at Elise in her satin gown.
Sam took Maya’s hand at the altar and the registrar began the ceremony. Arran sat forward a little, glancing over at the bridal party to sneak another peek at Liv. Her bare legs were crossed as she watched her brother and her best friend.
Nico leaned in. “Check out Ben and Brodie.”
Arran turned his gaze farther back into the congregation. Ben and Brodie were holding hands a few rows back. He shot Nico a smile. “Love is in the air.”
“Yeah,” Nico said in a low voice, smiling back.
Arran had trouble keeping his eyes on the bride and groom, and off the best woman in the green dress. He kept tuning in and out, admiring the way that Liv’s eyes lit up when there was a tender moment between her brother and best friend, and smiling broadly when something humorous was said.
Her hair was swept up and piled on top of her head, with a couple of waves coming down to frame her face. Her eyes were huge and luminescent, outlined in a smoky hue and minus her signature glasses. She must have been wearing her contacts; otherwise, she would’ve stumbled up the aisle. He smiled to himself just as she glanced over and caught his eye, sending a shock wave into his heart.
Sam was saying the vows he’d written. “I promise to always tell you you’re a much better skier than I am.” There was a chorus of laughter from the congregation. “And I promise to keep you in as many scones as you can eat.”
Maya smiled. “I promise to lie to you and say that you’re the best skier.” An even bigger laugh. “And I promise to love and support you, no matter what.”
Sam took her hand. “I promise to love and protect you, no matter what.”
Arran swallowed hard, his gaze drawn back to Liv, finding that she was watching him too. Unable to take his eyes off her, Arran leaned in to Nico. “Liv wouldn’t need me to protect her. She’s such a badass.”
Nico glanced at him, clearly taking in that he was still staring at Liv. He spoke in a low voice. “Guys labor under the misapprehension that all women need from them is their physical protection, when most of the time, what they really need from us is emotional validation and support.” He seemed to dart a quick glance at Elise as he uttered that last sentence.
Arran allowed his eyes to slide back over to Liv’s lovely green-clad form. She’d let him in emotionally. Confessed to him her deepest and most private vulnerabilities, things she’d never told anyone else. Sam had told him that it had enabled her to confide in both her brother and her best friends.
He’d helped her to do that.
His pride rose, but this time for positive reasons. He was proud to have supported the woman he loved. Proud of her for being brave enough to trust him with her emotions. That was where his pride should be rooted—in positive experiences. Not in creating barriers in the way of his own happiness.