Chapter 34
‘How you feeling?’ her dad asked as they started their way down towards the loch. ‘Nervous?’
‘Yes,’ she admitted, trying to ignore the flashes from all the photography. ‘But not about marrying Duncan. I just hope the villagers aren’t going to mind that we’ve hijacked their event.’
‘Something tells me they’ll be just fine with it,’ he replied.
Noticing another photographer up front on the pathway, she nodded, not sure she trusted herself to speak any more. Carrie had done a beautiful job on her make-up; the last thing she wanted was to smudge it with tears.
‘These guys all seem happy to help,’ her dad commented, having seen the other photographer too. ‘I’m sure the rest of the village will be just fine too.’
A few steps later, and the field with the marquee came into view. Bex stopped with a jerk, tears welling in her eyes.
‘Oh, my goodness. How… how did they do all this?’ she stuttered, blinking, trying to make sure it wasn’t a trick of the light.
‘Well, I guess that means the village is okay with it.’
It was a complete transformation. In her head, she had thought the wedding would happen in the marquee. She wasn’t sure how, with all the tables and things, but she’d just assumed they would muddle through. Yet apparently that wasn’t the case.
Instead, a mismatched collection of chairs was spread out across the grass. By the looks of things, they’d come from all the pubs, and probably a couple of houses too, with an aisle down the centre that led to a willow archway that was strangely familiar.
Even from a distance, she could see that every chair was full, with children sitting on their parents’ laps and some even on the ground. And the flowers… the flowers were something else.
Clearly, the bouquet in her hand wasn’t the only one that had been pilfered from the gala.
Instead, vases lined the aisle, bursting with colour.
And the dogs! Ruby, Rosie, all the spaniels, and even some sausage dogs were there in bow ties or with flower garlands on their heads.
Even in her wildest imagination, she couldn’t have imagined something this beautiful. It was perfect, absolutely perfect.
‘Come on,’ her dad said, tugging her arm lightly to get her moving again. ‘I think people are expecting a wedding, don’t you?’
Swallowing down the lump in her throat, Bex prepared to continue the walk, only to halt again as music filled the air.
‘A string quartet!’ she said, suddenly noticing the instruments to the left of the archway. ‘Is that Fi and Roddy? I didn’t even know they played!’
Never could she remember her heart feeling so very full as finally Bex carried on down towards the archway, although halfway down the aisle her eyes bugged at the sight of the girls standing with yet more flowers in their hands.
‘How did you manage to find matching dresses?’ Bex gasped at her friends. Lorna, Daisy, Claire and Eilidh were all wearing the same style of dress. Different colours, but all the same style.
‘A little help from one of your friends.’ Lorna grinned.
‘My friend?’ Bex glanced back among the rows and rows of people.
There, halfway down, surrounded by a plethora of children in Scottish dancing attire, was Nat, beaming brightly.
When she saw Bex looking at her, she offered a little wave, then pointed between her and the bridesmaids.
The different coloured sundresses. Nat and her habit of buying multiples of the same dresses turned out to have a use. It was perfect.
But however beautiful the women looked, the moment Bex’s eyes landed on him, there was no one else in the world.
‘Hey.’ Duncan grinned, his eyes shining through a glaze of tears. ‘Was worried you weren’t going to show up there.’
‘You were?’ Bex replied, shock rippling through her.
‘No.’ He laughed, shaking his head. ‘Not for one second.’
Warmth spread through her heart. She couldn’t start crying now, though, could she? That would be ridiculous. They hadn’t even started the vows, and the entire village was there.
‘Ready to do this?’ she asked, sniffing back the tears before they could fall.
‘Me, I’ve been ready since the first time I saw you.’
‘Really, in the shower?’
‘Aye.’ He laughed. ‘And since I first kissed you.’
Bex’s stomach swarmed. It was true. There was no way of ever forgetting a kiss like that. It was probably the most perfect kiss of her entire life. Well, that and every other one they’d shared since.
‘Look, golden eagles!’
‘Shh!’
The shush came from one of the schoolchildren, dressed in their dancing outfit, and though their father’s face flushed with embarrassment as he tried to quieten the child, Bex didn’t care in the slightest. In fact, she stared up at the birds, her heart soaring so high it felt as if it were up there in the clouds.
‘You know they mate forever?’ She grinned.
‘Aye.’ Duncan grinned back. ‘Just like us.’