Chapter Twenty #2
Autumn tutted. “When have I ever wanted glitter?” she said, clearly amused.
“It’s your wedding day!” Bluebell pointed out.
“Exactly,” Autumn said. “I want to look more like myself than I ever have before. Marley is marrying me, not someone who looks like me.”
Bluebell smirked. “I’d be careful about saying that if I were you — you’ve let yourself go a bit recently.”
“It is not too late for me to ban you from my wedding,” Autumn warned.
Bluebell reeled theatrically. “Please don’t even joke about that — I couldn’t handle the FOMO.”
Maddie and Autumn laughed.
* * *
The morning progressed just like that — relaxed, peaceful, joyful.
Katherine, Lilly and Daisy arrived slightly behind schedule, closer to one o’clock than midday.
Autumn spent the first half hour calming down her mother, who she insisted did not need two hours to get ready — and could sit down and have some lunch.
Emma had prepared an entire kitchen table of Autumn’s favourite foods — vegan scones, cucumber sandwiches, falafel and hummus, fried potatoes, spicy stuffed peppers, vegetable couscous, pasta salad, carrot cake, chocolate cake, and lemon drizzle cake.
There was enough to last the entire family at least three days. Maddie was amazed.
“When did you do all this?” Maddie asked, incredulous.
“I did some of it yesterday and some of it this morning. Dad helped, too.”
“Where is Dad?” Bluebell asked.
“He’s with Marley, Pip, James and Benjamin,” Emma said. “At Autumn’s and Marley’s house. Apparently, they’re terribly organised and have been ready for hours. He said they’re sitting in their suits playing video games.”
“Do they have food?” Autumn asked.
“No idea,” Emma said.
“Tell them to come up here,” Autumn suggested. The women at the table stopped eating and stared at her. “Fuck tradition, it means nothing to me. If they want to come up here, tell them they can.”
Maddie met her mother’s gaze, shaking her head knowingly.
If the offer was extended to the men, they would be here in a heartbeat, eating their food and causing a ruckus, overly excited by the weight of the day.
Maddie couldn’t imagine anything better.
She missed them, truth be told, and she suspected Autumn missed them, too.
This was a special day. When things were special, Autumn wanted to be with Marley.
With everybody, actually. For a woman who had spent the first thirty-two years of her life feeling completely alone, she was surprisingly family-orientated now.
“I’ll text Dad,” Maddie said, picking up her phone.
“Tell Jennifer she should come, too?” Autumn suggested.
Maddie nodded dutifully, typing out her text.
Autumn grinned, satisfied, happily stuffing a falafel into her mouth.
“You better eat as much as you can,” she warned her mum through a mouthful of food.
“They’ll set off immediately, and when they get here, they’ll clear this whole table in about fifteen seconds. ”
* * *
At two o’clock, while the rest of their family set out chairs and decorated the altar with flower garlands, Maddie and Bluebell helped Autumn step into her dress — a crêpe, champagne-coloured midi dress she’d found in a vintage shop.
It had a delicate sweetheart neckline and puff-ball sleeves.
It was romantic and feminine, whimsical and elegant, beautiful and timeless — all words Maddie would use to describe Autumn.
They helped put the finishing touches to her hair and make-up — a pretty pink lipstick and a crystal headband to hold back the Hollywood waves they’d diligently curled into Autumn’s straight, brown hair with a straightening iron — before stepping back to admire their work.
Maddie was speechless. Autumn looked breathtaking.
“You have never looked more like yourself,” Bluebell said, her smile wide.
Autumn grinned, turning on the spot. “I feel very pretty,” she said.
“You’re gorgeous, Autumn,” Maddie found her voice.
“Thank you,” she said, sliding her feet into strappy gold sandals. “Bluebell, can you help me tie my shoes? Maddie, would you go and get Marley, please? I want him to see me before everyone else.”
Maddie nodded, setting off in search of her brother, wiping happy tears from her eyes as she went.
She knew why Autumn had suddenly decided they should have a ‘first look’, a private moment for the two of them to share.
Marley was struggling with his grief today.
Maddie had seen it in his eyes when he turned up at the house.
Autumn wanted some uninterrupted time alone with him to check he was OK.
Perhaps she too needed to cry. It made Maddie emotional.
Their love for each other was so wholesome, so pure, she felt lucky she got to witness it, and was immeasurably happy that her brother and her friend were the ones who got to experience it.
She composed herself between the living room and the kitchen, because she didn’t want to panic Benjamin.
As it turned out, her nephew wasn’t there.
Maddie presumed he was off with Emma somewhere.
Having finally finished setting up the garden, Marley, Ben, Pip and James were sitting at the kitchen table. They stopped talking when she entered, their expressions sheepish. Their sudden silence threw Maddie off. She stalled in the doorway, her eyes roaming over the four of them.
“Hey, Mads!” Marley said, wincing guiltily. She knew he was afraid she had heard what he’d said. Clearly, whatever they’d said was not for her ears. She narrowed her eyes at him, irritated.
“Autumn wants to see you,” she said, gesturing to the living room with her head. “She’s ready to go. She wants you to see her first.”
Marley was clearly surprised, but stood straight up, quick and eager, hurrying ungracefully towards the door.
As he sprang excitedly past her, Maddie grabbed his hand.
He stopped, stock-still, his eyes wide with worry.
“Brace yourself. She’s literally the most gorgeous creature I’ve ever seen in my life. ”
Marley smiled and nodded. He faltered for a moment, then leaned forward, kissing her gently on the cheek.
“Love you, sis,” he said, squeezing her arm affectionately.
The gesture was clearly an apology of sorts, an acknowledgement that the men shouldn’t have been talking about her.
Frustratingly, Maddie felt her anger dissipating.
She had never been good at staying mad at people she loved for very long.
“I’m going to check on Emma and the others,” Ben said, standing. “Pip, would you help me?”
“Why would you need me to help you check on Mum?” Pip asked, confused.
James avoided Maddie’s gaze. He was staring at the table, nursing a tumbler of whiskey, his shoulders hunched, his features pale.
Whatever he was about to say, her family was pressuring him into it.
Maddie muttered several swear words under her breath. She really didn’t need this today.
“I think I’ve forgotten the way,” Ben said, pointedly taking Pip’s beer from him.
“To your own bedroom?” Pip frowned. “You should really get that checked out, Dad.”
Ben biffed Pip on the arm with the back of his hand. “Upstairs,” he said. “Now.”
Pip stood, turning to Maddie and rolling his eyes. “I tried.” He kissed her on the cheek. Maddie smiled at him gratefully. She waited awkwardly in the doorway until they had gone, then headed for the table, sitting down in the seat beside James, who was still refusing to look at her.
“What’s up?” she asked, in an even tone of voice.
James lifted his head and planted his eyes on her. As uninterested as he had seemed a minute ago was as fixated as he appeared now, his eyes boring into hers, his face fraught with tension. “ What’s up? ” he repeated, glaring at her. “Are you seriously making small talk with me, Maddie?”
Maddie sighed, shaking her head. “We’ve been over this. I don’t know what you want from me, James. I can’t rehash this all over again. I really want to enjoy today.”
“I never asked you to,” James said. “It’s your brother and your dad, Maddie, they’re the ones trying to force us to talk.”
Maddie felt bad, because that was most likely true.
Until just a moment ago, he’d looked like he wanted to be absolutely anywhere else, so it was plausible that he felt forced into this.
She thought about getting up and leaving the room, but that didn’t seem fair.
They had so little time left to spend together, she didn’t want to avoid him, or fight, or sit in stony silence, so she reached out and grabbed his hand, squeezing it tightly.
He accepted the gesture, raising their clasped hands to his mouth and kissing her fingers lightly.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I want to enjoy the day, too.”
They sat in silence for a few minutes, their hands still clasped together, their bodies tilted towards each other.
Maddie didn’t know what James was thinking about, but she was growing increasingly excited to watch Marley and Autumn marry each other, and for an evening of good food, drinks and dancing.
There were caterers arriving later to prepare the wedding breakfast and they’d be joined by just a few close, personal friends. Maddie could hardly wait.
“I should go and get ready,” she said eventually, dropping his hand. “Will you save me a dance later?”
“Abso-fucking-lutely I will,” he said, sipping from his tumbler.
“You know, I’ve never slow-danced before,” she said, thoughtfully.
James considered this for a moment. “Me neither!” he admitted, grinning. “We can do it for the first time together.”