31. Chapter 31 #2
I scrambled up the stairs, finding Caitlin staring out at the rain. I reassured her everything was fine. The wedding would go on, and no one would be getting wet.
She looked at me for a moment, unblinking. “Your mascara… here, let me.”
She wiped it away and re-applied it for me—and that’s when my tears spilled over.
I ran my fingers under my eyes. “It’s your wedding and here you are, trying to fix me! You’re the best older sister anyone could ever—”
“Oh, gimme a break. Quit crying or we’ll have to wash your face and start all over. Here, take this.” She handed me a handkerchief.
“Isn’t this your ‘something borrowed’?”
“You can give it back to me.”
Mom approached, and I took a deep breath. “Angus has everything under control. It’s going to be just fine.”
At 1:15 the bridal party started down the stairs.
I took my place next to Max. Although Drew was the best man, we decided I would walk with Max and Drew would walk with Lindsay.
Max smelled like cedar, pine soap, and wool, and his arm in mine felt steady and safe. I took a deep breath and he nodded.
At 1:25 the music began. We took our first steps forward—and with a flash of lightning and a crack of thunder, the power went out.
Fortunately, daylight streaming through the windows meant we didn’t need many lights.
The bar staff scattered some battery-powered lanterns around, adding to the intimate atmosphere.
Meanwhile, Drew and Angus got the generator working, keeping the food cold and allowing the cooks to continue preparing for the reception.
“Looks like the kitchen is under control. Shall we get back to business?” asked Drew.
Angus looked at Caitlin, then Max. “Reset. Back to one. Take two.”
The guests filtered back to their seats.
I took my place next to Max.
The band, now acoustic, played Pachelbel’s cannon on mandolins and guitar.
Melissa and Colin walked down the aisle first. Then Lindsay and Drew. Then Sydney and Elspeth. Max and I walked last. My grandparents smiled at us as we passed, while Caitlin’s college and high school friends turned to watch.
At the front, I watched Caitlin take a steadying breath and slowly walk forward with our father.
Her blue eyes sparkled, her cheeks flushed pink as she walked on Dad’s arm down the aisle, making eye contact with friends and family. The purple flowers in her hair were like something out of a fairy wedding.
I couldn’t help making eye contact with Max, who winked at me.
When the music stopped and Caitlin arrived at Angus’s side, everyone sat down and butterflies stirred inside me.
I have no idea what the officiant said—I was too busy holding back tears—but since I’d designed the program I knew he read several poems, including Red, Red Rose by Robert Burns.
Once they’d said “I do” and kissed, the photographers quickly worked through their photo list, capturing the bride and groom with their families and wedding party.
Later, we all stood in a mob—Melissa, Lindsay, Sydney, Elspeth, and me, along with some of Caitlin and Angus’s college friends—while Caitlin limbered up to throw the bouquet.
Kara lunged for it, but it somehow landed in Melissa’s hands. She flushed and glanced at Colin, who simply raised an eyebrow.
Waiters came around with trays of hors d’oeuvres while guests lined up at the bar for drinks.
Max crossed the room and handed me a large glass of red wine. We clinked glasses. “Done to perfection.”
“Phew!”
I glanced over at Caitlin, who was laughing with Angus’s mother and grandmother, her arm around his grandmother. Angus stood close by, beaming at them.
The band played instrumental music as we all enjoyed the hors d'oeuvres and sipped our drinks.
The musicians quieted as Angus walked over to the fireplace and grabbed a mic hooked up to the generator.
He waited until the room stilled before speaking.
“This is where our story started. After a storm trapped us at the MacAlister Inn, Drew and I played Lindsay and Caitlin in darts for the last room. The lasses won—I still say they cheated—and we let them believe we were sleeping in a storage room. Really, we had a cozy office with two couches and a sterno coffee pot. With no power and an inn full of people going stir-crazy, I grabbed my guitar and sang some acoustic grunge tunes, which Caitlin fortunately knew. Once she joined me at the mic, that was it—I was gone. So I dedicate this song to you, Caitlin.”
He tuned the guitar a bit, then launched into a beautiful rendition of U2’s All I Want Is You. There wasn’t a dry eye in the room. At the end, Caitlin walked up to Angus and kissed him before joining him for Then I Met You by The Proclaimers.
Soon it was a proper ceilidh, and everyone was up and dancing.
The food was going to take longer due to the power outage, so we just kept going while Caitlin and Angus belted out song after song.
Now that we knew about Angus’s not-so-secret identity, it was clear that he was a professional musician—I could even recognize his voice from his old hits. But tonight, he stuck with covers.
We moved on to the toasts. Drew started us off with his best man speech, the fathers followed with their toasts, and then it was my turn as maid of honor. When we’d finished, Angus went back to his guitar.
“Some of you know I used to do originals. Haven’t in a long time. But Caitlin’s not only the love of my life, my wife, she’s also something of a muse. So Caitlin, this one’s for you.”
As he strummed the first chord, the crowd hushed, listening as the music flowed out of him.
He watched Caitlin’s flushed face and growing smile as his fingers danced across the frets, his long dark hair hanging over his face.
The vibe was somewhere between Everlong by Foo Fighters and Rainy Night in Soho by The Pogues—a Celtic grunge acoustic beauty.
With tears in her eyes, Caitlin stepped up to the stage area and grabbed the microphone. I couldn’t imagine her topping that—not that she wasn’t talented, but Angus was a professional musician with multiple gold albums.
Caitlin winked at Angus and belted out Don’t Go Breaking My Heart, and we all danced and sang along, with Sandy and Margaret MacGregor wowing us all with their dance moves.
Soon the rain cleared, and the wait staff was able to move some tables back outside under the fairy lights like we’d intended.
Inside, the band Angus had hired finally had enough space in the ballroom to set up in full, powered by the generator, and music filled the room.
Everyone danced.
Max came up to me and took my hand. “May I have this dance, my lady?”
“You may,” I said, with a curtsey.
His hands were warm against my waist, while mine lay on his shoulders. My head rested against his chest as I breathed in his familiar cedar scent. I’d forgotten what a good dancer he was.
He rested his cheek on the top of my head. “Shane wants to work with you.”
“Oh?” was all I could manage.
“He can’t finance a selkie movie right now, but there’s a Christmas movie.”
“Oh.”
A Christmas movie? Probably set in the present, so lower budget. Highly marketable. No A-list stars needed. I liked Christmas movies. They were in my wheelhouse.
“Angus wants to get into executive producing as an angel investor.” Max continued as we swayed to the music.
“I put him in touch with Shane. They thought a Christmas movie about an American who inherits a home in the Highlands might be fun. He bought the life rights to Melissa’s story and has offered up his own life rights.
You can write it if you want, or he can hire a writer—and you can produce and direct it. ”
I toyed with the hair at the nape of his neck as I pondered the pros and cons.
Max waited patiently for my response.
“I don't know what to say,” I said. “That's a huge opportunity… and an even bigger decision.”
Working alongside Max was fun, but period films may be too demanding for someone dipping her toes back into the industry.
I’d love to direct, but I’d rather start with something without pressure to win awards.
A simple rom com. Given my experience in wedding planning, this might be the perfect project for me, and if we film in Scotland, Max and I can be together even while working separately.
“Christmas movies are way easier to make than a selkie movie,” I added. “Modest budget, guaranteed audience, video-on-demand friendly. Easy sell.”
“I think you’d have fun with that.”
Max took my hand and twirled me around the dance floor. Outside, the storm had cleared completely.
I leaned into him and stayed there. Through the window I could see the loch, perfectly still under the first stars.