Sam was positively bouncing with excitement, “You look so fabulous!” he squealed and broke away from us in his haste to get to his husband-to-be.
“Hey!” Toby shouted after him, “You’re not supposed to walk in together!”
Luca and Sam (who was now firmly glued to his boyfriend and wrapped in his arms) turned and looked at Toby, “Well, who’s supposed to go in first?” Luca asked.
I turned to Toby with a bit of smile, “Yeah, Toby?” I asked, “Who’s supposed to be waiting at the altar when they’re both guys?”
Toby went red, “I dunno.” He said, “What was the plan?”
Dylan appeared, as if by magic and started fussing around the grooms, “Come on, boys.” He said, “The officiant is in place and waiting for you all.”
All the drama that was about to erupt with Toby’s unintentional suggestion that only one of them was the groom in the whole scenario, was instantly diffused.
“Luca and Sam, you’re to walk down the aisle together and your best men will all follow behind you,” he beamed around at us, totally in his element, “Are we all ready?”
We nodded and followed the grooms into the barn.
Chapter 12 – Toby
It was a teary affair – well, it was always going to be one of those where Sam and Luca were involved – they were both prone to getting all emotional.
Surprisingly, Emilio got pretty choked up, too.
He’d recovered himself by the time it came to the speeches though, and he sailed through his with aplomb, whilst Trey and I sweated, waiting for our turn.
Finally, it was over to us and I went instantly blank. I could not remember one word of what I was supposed to say.
Trey, however, was absolutely flawless and, seeing that I’d lost the plot completely, jumped in and started off for me. Phew! The powers of being telepathic…
“Sam came into our lives as our brother quite late on in our teens,” Trey said, smiling around at him, “But we knew we’d get on like a house on fire as soon as he arrived.”
I nodded, I was beginning to remember my lines and I was able to join in. “It soon became apparent that he was a bit of whizz at video games and we’d play against him and Luca, who’s also pretty damned competitive…”
“We had an idea that Sam fancied Luca, and being good brothers, decided to give them a little push in the right direction with a game of spin-the-bottle.”
Luca and Sam grinned at each other.
“They had to kiss for a minute – Luca, being the competitive guy that he is, wanted to have clarification on the rules. Tongue or no tongue, I think he asked…”
Thankfully, everyone laughed at the funny bits and said ‘aww’ in all the places and we got through it, finishing off with a toast and then everyone cheered.
“We did it.” I grinned at my brother, “Cheers.”
He chuckled and clinked his glass against mine, “Well done, mate.” He said.
Chapter 13 – Dylan
The best men’s speeches were over, the dinner was finished (which was absolutely delicious, I might add – Emilio sure as hell ran a good kitchen even when he wasn’t in there) and now it was time for the entertainment to be unveiled – quite literally.
Toby and Trey excused themselves from the table and the three of us disappeared around the back of the stage area to make sure that Xavier’s sister were ready to rock the house.
I was surprised to see that we had one extra guest – Delilah Devine was with them. Interesting…
“What’s the story with Delilah being here?” I asked Justin.
He smiled, “Didn’t you know that Delilah was the love of Karl’s life?” he asked.
My heart leapt. Karl had finally found someone! “No,” I said, “Do tell?”
He very quickly filled me in on their history and how they’d found each other again and I was beside myself with the romance of the whole thing, “Do you think they’ll want to get married?” I asked.
Justin laughed, “You’re such an opportunist!” he scolded, “But I wouldn’t be half surprised – the rest of us are.”
It was time for them to start playing, “Okay, guys,” Justin called, “Everyone ready?”
They were all in place and ready to go. I nodded to Trey and Toby who were in charge of pulling the curtains back.
“Go, go, go!” I shouted.
Trey and Toby’s curtain was magnificent. It glided out of the way, silently, in seconds.
“May we ask the grooms to lead us into the first dance?” Karl asked the audience. Those who had noticed the curtains go back were staring at them all in shock.
Sam’s face was a picture, “Oh, my God!” he squealed, jumping to his feet, “Luca! They came!”
Luca laughed delightedly and rose to his feet too, “Well, how can we refuse a request from our favourite band?”
Karl grinned and they started to sing.
Delilah watched Karl in adoration for the first three songs, just sitting at the side of the stage but she got up before the fourth song and I noticed her pick up a mic. Was she going to sing with them?
Karl thanked the audience after the third song and then introduced Delilah as his girlfriend. “Hey everyone,” he said, “For those of you that follow us on Instagram and Twitter will probably already know that Delilah and I are a bit of an item now. We’re going on tour together in the Autumn and we’d like to sing a song for you that we’ll be performing together.”
Chapter 14 – Luca
Xavier’s sister was a band I absolutely loved, and they regularly played at Studs and Steel.
Sam and I went there once a month for a dance and a drink and to see the band play. We had no idea, however, that they were friendly with the famous drag queen Delilah. It soon became apparent, that Delilah and Karl, the lead singer were very familiar with each other. They couldn’t stay away from each other and it was no surprise when Karl announced that she was his girlfriend. Their duet together was incredible.
No doubt, Dylan would be busy organising their wedding before much longer…
As for Sam and I? Well, our wedding was absolute perfection and now it was time for us to leave for our honeymoon.
“Ready, boys?” Mum smiled at us.
I nodded, “Yes.” I said, “All of our bags are packed. I’ve just got to get them from the kitchen.”
Mum nodded, “Come on, then.” She said.
Sam was still a little shy around her. I couldn’t blame him, she’d had a bit of a meltdown about me coming out as gay but she’d come a long way since then. “Shall I come too?” he asked, “Or would you rather I wait here?”
Mum turned to him, “Of course you’re coming with us,” she said, reaching for his hand, “You’re part of the family now.”
He beamed at her, “That means so much to me.” He said, “Thank you.”
Chapter 15 – Will
“Hey, guys.” I said to Leo who used to work for us and his partner, Micha, who were stood at the bar together, enjoying a quiet drink together. I was delighted to see them. It had been ages. “Enjoying our baby bro’s big day?”
Micha nodded, “It’s been amazing – and the weather – who could have asked for better?” It was swelteringly hot but us Fletchers were ever prepared – the barn was air conditioned – and everyone kept swapping from the outside to enjoy the sunshine, to going back inside for some delicious cooling off. I nodded, “It’s incredible, isn’t it?” I smiled fondly at Sam and Luca dancing to their favourite songs, as their favourite band, who were also a band that I loved, played their hearts out.
Micha grinned at me, “It’s got me thinking. We were kind of hoping that you had a brochure or something.”
I grinned, “As a matter of fact, we’ve been working with Dylan on that – he planned Toby and Trey’s joint wedding – remember?”
He nodded. “Oh, God, yeah,” he said, “That little guy was incredible. Their wedding was fabulous.”
I nodded along with him, “Well, S
am roped him in on this one, too – and he said he’d be happy to arrange all of the weddings at Riverside in a joint venture with us – so, if you knew anyone that was planning on getting married here…”
He grinned, “You read my mind.”
I frowned. I could have sworn they were already married, “I thought you two were already married?” Leo’s parents had been apoplectic with rage, I’d heard…
“We got married in secret – we want to have a proper celebration of our love with everyone we love – and with Leo having the connection here, it would make perfect sense…”
I nodded, “Yeah, that does make sense.”
“Can we hire all the rooms?”
I beamed, “Absolutely.” I agreed, “When are we doing it?”
Chapter 16 – Dylan
“Excuse me, it’s Dylan, isn’t it?” A deep but feminine-sounding voice purred at me from somewhere above me.
I was stood at the bar, finally able to relax with Nathan and completely unprepared for the dazzling Delilah approaching me.
I looked up, and up again, my jaw dropping at the Amazonian-sized beauty stood in front of me (helped along by the six inches platform heels she was currently sporting). “Uh, yes.” I said feeling slightly intimidated.
She grinned then, shooting Nathan an apologetic look for disturbing us, “Sorry to intrude but I really wanted to ask you if you could arrange my wedding to Karl?”
Ever the professional, I nodded, “Absolutely.” I said, “I would be honoured. Just let me know the dates and I’ll make it happen.”
Delilah’s smile was just about splitting her face in half, “Oh, my God!” she said excitedly, “I know exactly what I’m going to wear and how many bridesmaids I want! Just wait till I tell all the girls!”
I figured the ‘girls’ were the rest of her drag queen entourage that had come along to the wedding and were currently all sitting together in a corner of the barn, all of them looking stunning in all of their regalia.
I watched in fascination as Delilah darted across the room at the speed of light. How the hell she walked in those shoes was nothing short of a miracle.
I spotted Karl sat with all the girls, looking totally relaxed in their midst. What a guy. He’d totally embraced the whole scene and took it all in his stride. I knew him before Delilah came back into his life after they’d been separated as teens and he’d been such a shy and retiring type of guy who never dated and wasn’t interested in dating anyone. I was so proud of him for turning his life around…
I turned to Nathan, “Do you think she’ll want a designer suit or a fabulous wedding dress?” I had no idea but I was excited to find out.
Nathan smiled at me lovingly, “Does it matter?” he asked, “I’m quite sure ‘My Perfect Wedding’ will do her justice, no matter what she decides.”
He was right. I would give them the best wedding they could possibly wish for…
The End
The Riverside Family Tree…
Tomas Jude Fletcher – born 15th June 1996 married to Will Gerard Adams – born 12th June 1992
Tobias Reuben Fletcher and Trey Vincent Fletcher – born 25th December 1997 married to Robyn Freya Reece and Clarissa Charlotte Reece – born 14th August 1998
Truelove Valentina Fletcher – 2nd May 1993 married to Sebastyén Levi Kis – born 30th July 1992
Tatum Conner Fletcher born 11th July 1990 married to Madison Finnigan – born 7th February 1990
Sam Channing Drury-Fletcher – born 1st April 1997 soon to be married to Luca – born 12th February 1996
And the children so far…
Millie Armani Sarah Fletcher-Adams – born 15th March 2015
Zsófia Hannah Fletcher Kis – born 17th June 2015
Anasztázia Valentina Fletcher Kis and Nikolasz Sebastyén Fletcher Kis – born 30th September 2016
Matthew George Fletcher-Adams – born 19th January 2016
Sacha Aquaria Fletcher-Adams – born 28th August 2018
And yet to be born, but already named by the proud parents to be…
Harriet Robyn and Hannah Clarissa Fletcher (Toby and Robyn’s twins)
Rueben Toby and Charles Trey Fletcher
(Trey and Clarissa’s twins)
May they all be blessed with many more…
Thank you for reading Riverside… The Weddings. If you enjoyed this book, I would be grateful if you could help others enjoy it too. Please help other readers find it by recommending it to your friends and/or discussion groups. Please tell other readers why you liked it by reviewing it. Your help is greatly appreciated.
Other books by Heather Mar-Gerrison
Short Stories
Friends
Zoe’s First Date with Fate (including bonus Novella’s Zoe’s Wedding & Zoe’s Baby)
Save The Last Dance (Dance #1)
Can We Dance (Dance #2)
Inevitable…
Seven
Something Stupid
Maybe Never…
Kiss the Boy (Boy Next Door #1)
Are We Good...? (Boy Next Door #2)
Equal Measures (Boy Next Door #3)
Some Kind of Paradise (Boy Next Door #4)
Without You... (Boy Next Door #5)
Looking for Trouble (Boy Next Door #6)
Best Boyfriend Ever... (Boy Next Door #7)
Racing Hearts... (Boy Next Door #8)
I need a little time... (Boy Next Door #9)
What If... I Belonged to You? (What If? #1)
What If... I want commitment? (What If? #2)
What If... I told you a secret? (What If? #3)
What If… We could start again? (What If #4)
What If… I remember? (What If #5)
What If… This Was Real? (What If #6)
Contemporary Romance
The One That Got Away
If I Can’t Have You
Like No Other
Summer Break
Operation Boyfriend (Operation Boyfriend #1)
All Kinds of Trouble (Operation Boyfriend #2)
The Trouble with Tyler (Operation Boyfriend #3)
What Happens with Vegas (Operation Boyfriend #4)
True… Love (Riverside #1)
Tomas… Enchanted (Riverside #2)
Tatum… Undercover (Riverside #3)
Toby… Captivated (Riverside #4)
Trey… Unbelievable (Riverside #5)
Sam… Distracted (Riverside #6)
Peyton... Protected (Studs & Steel #1)
River... Redeemed (Studs & Steel #2)
Alfie... Abused (Studs & Steel #3)
Buzz... Bedazzled (Studs & Steel #4)
Looking out for Lorenzo (Studs & Steel #4.5)
Stake Out (Studs & Steel #5)
Dangerous Love (Studs & Steel #5.5)
Simon... Spellbound (Studs & Steel #6)
A shoulder to cry on (Studs & Steel #6.5)
Seth... Saved (Studs & Steel #7)
Back for Good (Studs & Steel #7.5)
Thai... Troubled (Studs & Steel #8)
The Retreat (Studs & Steel 8.5)
When Danny Met Horatio (The Band #1)
When Noah met Tobias (The Band #2)
When Justin met Max (The Band #3)
Heaven Sent (Behind the scenes #1)
Best Man (Marina #1)
Coming Soon
Emilio… Enraptured (Riverside #8)
When Karl met Devon (The Band #4)
Colby… Conflicted (Studs & Steel #9)
Sunk (Marina #3)
Finally (Marina #4)
Identity (Marina #5)
When I wasn’t looking (Behind the scenes #2)
Nowhere to Hide (Behind the scenes #3)
Check out my blog at https://www.heathermar-gerrison.blogspot.com for news of my upcoming books.
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About the Author
I live in Nottingham, England with my lovely, long suffering and incredibly patient husband and my two beautiful daughters. We also have two cats that we adopted from the RSPCA, Bella and Romeo... and a brand-new member of the family – Enzo, our Border Terrier...
When I’m not looking after a wayward dog – I’m generally writing a book, any spare time I get between these two pursuits, you can either find me curled up with a good book that someone else wrote and a cat or a dog on my knee in place of the laptop, or I’ll be pottering about in the greenhouse, whilst plotting my next storyline in my head, muttering to myself like a crazy woman.... It’s not easy living with all the voices of my characters in my head!
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