Beyond Grace's Rainbow: HarperImpulse Contemporary Romance

by Carmel Harrington

  Bending down, Grace gave him another big kiss. ‘I love you sweetie-pie. Have I ever told you that before?’

  ‘Not since yesterday, Mommy!’ Jack said with a smile. ‘I love you too, Mommy.’ He reached up and threw his two little arms around Grace and gave her a big hug.

  ‘Can we go downstairs now?’ Grace asked her son.

  ‘Yep, everyone is waiting.’ Jack caught his Mommy’s hand and led the way. ‘Wait till you see Uncle Tom!’

  When they got to the sitting room door, Jack screamed, ‘Prise! Mommy’s here.’

  Opening the door, Grace couldn’t believe her eyes. The room looked so beautiful. Liam had placed hundreds of fairy lights around the room, which were now twinkling. Banners of ‘Happy Birthday Grace’ were aligned on the back wall over the patio doors and their dining room table was laden with trays of hors d’oeuvres of every kind. It was too much to take in. She looked around at her friends’ faces one by one, all smiling at her, ending last of all on Liam’s face. She felt tears sting her eyes and noticed his were the same. She had never felt so happy in her life.

  ‘You look gorgeous, babe!’ Liam said to her. It was only when he spoke that she actually took in the costumes everyone was wearing and she started to laugh.

  ‘Never mind me, look at the cut of all of you!’ Grace said with a laugh.

  Liam was wearing a fireman’s outfit and gave Grace a big wink. He knew that it was always a fantasy of Grace’s to see him dressed in this particular uniform. He was looking forward to the after-party they were going to have!

  ‘What do you think, Marilyn?’ he drawled suggestively.

  ‘I think you’re going to have to put some fires out later on tonight,’ Grace said with a laugh, giving her boyfriend a kiss. ‘Thank you for this. The room looks amazing!’

  ‘You’re welcome babe. You deserve it. This is only the beginning!’ he promised with a wink.

  Grace then turned to Sean and Tara. They were dressed as Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne.

  Sean shuffled over to Grace in Ozzy mode, saying, ‘Those dogs have pissed over the floor again, Sharon.’

  Tara responded in an over-the-top English accent, ‘Well wipe the piss up then Ozzy!’

  Grace felt tears coming out of her eyes. Then she saw Abby looking absolutely stunning as Wonder Woman. She had a long wavy brown wig on and the complete red, navy and white costume. Only Abby could get away with red hot pants! She did a twirl for Grace, to which Sean and Liam both murmured their appreciation.

  ‘Down boys,’ Grace and Tara said together with a laugh!

  ‘What about us?’ Gerry squealed. ‘Look at us!’

  Grace looked at Tom and Gerry and literally fell to the floor laughing! Sean and Tara were doing the same, as they hadn’t time to get used to them either. Gerry was Batman and Tom was his sidekick Robin. Gerry looked resplendent in the Batman costume complete with six-pack and Tom looked like he was going to die of embarrassment in his Robin gear! His potbelly was exaggerated in the red robin top, hanging over his big black belt and green tights!

  ‘I told you I should have been Batman!’ he said sulkily to Gerry.

  ‘Darling, I told you, you couldn’t pull it off!’ Turning to his friends, he said, ‘Doesn’t he look cute as Robin?’

  ‘I wanted to be the Joker!’ Tom continued. ‘He wouldn’t let me!’

  Jack walked over to Tom and said in a really loud whisper, ‘I think you look really funny, Uncle Tom. It’s my favourite costume!’

  Tom looked mollified at Jack’s statement and took another sip from his bottle of Bulmers.

  Then the door opened and Catherine walked in dressed in a long flowing green robe with a gold tassel belt. She looked gorgeous and much younger than her years.

  ‘Happy birthday, Grace.’ She did a twirl for everyone then said, ‘When Jack told me he was going to be Robin Hood, I decided I’d be Maid Marian!’

  ‘You look beautiful Catherine.’ Grace walked over to her and gave her a hug.

  ‘So do you honey. Stunning!’

  Liam ran around getting everyone drinks and turned the music up. Soon the party was in full swing and he even had the theme music to Robin Hood, Batman and Robin, Wonder Woman, The Osbourne Show, Backdraft and lastly Marilyn singing Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend! Whenever he played one of their songs, the relevant people had to get up and do a dance. It was hilarious.

  ‘How did you get all this pulled together?’ Grace asked him incredulously.

  ‘Well I hired the costumes, Catherine did all the food, and I downloaded all the music from the Internet onto my iPod! Abby, Tom and Gerry called round this afternoon when you left to help decorate the room! Easy!’ Liam said with a shrug.

  ‘I love you.’ Grace looked up into his eyes and felt truly and absolutely happy.

  ‘I love you too, babe,’ Liam replied. They got embarrassed then as they realised the whole room was looking at them.

  Jack piped up, ‘I love you Mommy!’ as he threw his arms around both their legs. Everyone laughed at that.

  Liam had even hired a karaoke machine and soon everyone was up having a go. It was the best party Grace had ever been to and it made up for all of the bad times of the previous six months. After a couple of hours of eating, drinking and singing, everyone was taking a breather.

  ‘Daddy, is it time yet?’ Jack asked his father.

  ‘Yep, buddy, I reckon it is!’

  Grace looked questionably at her friends, but they all shrugged.

  Liam opened the closet under the stairs and out came a bundle of helium balloons! Each one had a scroll tied to the end of it. Liam explained to the group, ‘Jack decided he wanted to give everyone a present tonight. So he’s been busy drawing a picture for each of you.’ Liam handed the first balloon to Jack who walked over to Tom and Gerry with it. They opened the scroll and laughed with delight. Jack had drawn Tom looking like a sheriff and Gerry with loads of shopping bags around him!

  ‘Fantastic!’ Tom roared, grabbing Jack into him for a cuddle.

  ‘Darling, it’s a masterpiece!’ Gerry said, joining in for the cuddle. ‘Imagine a genuine early masterpiece from Jack Ryan! It’ll be worth a fortune in years to come! I’m going to frame it and put it in our bedroom!’

  Jack was delighted with their reaction. He had worked so hard at these pictures. Next he handed one to Abby, who he had drawn as a fairy. Then Tara and Sean got theirs which was a picture of them working in a hospital as a doctor and nurse. Lastly he handed a picture to Catherine and she started to cry when she opened it. It was Catherine baking a cake and said ‘I love you Nana Kitty’ on it, which is what he called her. Everyone was laughing and complimenting Jack on their pictures. They couldn’t get over how talented he was for a three year old.

  ‘Daddy did the writing,’ Jack informed everyone. He thought it was only fair to be honest with them. They seemed to think he was a genius or something.

  ‘Now Mommy’s!’ Jack said with a big grin. Grace had been itching to see hers and thought her turn would never come. Jack walked over to her very importantly holding the balloon out. Grace looked at Liam and smiled with pride. Their son, what a star! Opening her scroll, Grace couldn’t believe her eyes. Written on the scroll was, ‘Mommy, will you marry my Daddy?’

  ‘Read it Mommy!’ Jack demanded.

  Grace did as she was asked in a small shocked voice. There were gasps from the room. Nobody had known that this was planned. Liam walked over to Grace and knelt on one knee in front of her.

  ‘Grace, I love you. Have done for over ten years now. I never want to live another day without you and Jack. I want to grow old with you. Please do me the honour of marrying me?’ Liam made his speech as tears flowed from his eyes. He didn’t care. He knew that only people who loved him and Grace were watching. Taking a small ring box from his pocket, he opened it to display the most amazing ring Grace had ever seen. It had a single emerald stone in the middle, surrounded by diamonds, and was absolutely perfect. He picked it because h
e thought the emerald matched the colour of her eyes exactly. The room was silent, waiting for Grace’s answer. She too was crying.

  ‘Grace?’ Liam asked softly.

  ‘Yes, I’ll marry you,’ Grace answered, throwing her arms around him.

  The room exploded then with everyone shouting their congratulations. The girls were all crying, and Abby said it was the single most romantic moment she’d ever seen. It was a magical night and one that would stay with each of the friends for the rest of their lives.

  As Grace looked around her friends, she thought to herself, if this is as good as it gets, then I’m one lucky girl.

  Chapter Twenty Four

  Grace was out with Tara and Abby for a couple of drinks. It was the first night they’d been out together on their own for months and they were all raring to go. Grace looked great in her blue Guess jeans and pink cami. Tara was wearing a figure-hugging black corset top with her blue jeans that showed her curvaceous figure off perfectly, with Abby wearing low-slung hipsters with a skin tight T-shirt.

  ‘So come on Abby – spill with the latest in your love life!’ Grace asked.

  ‘I have nothing to report unfortunately. Nada, zilch! Gerry persuaded me to go to another speed-dating event, which I can’t believe I agreed to.’ Abby had dated two of the four guys from the first event – Fergus and Richard – which were both disasters. She decided against dating the second of the South Africans, feeling he was probably more of the same, and unfortunately Shay, the architect, didn’t contact her.

  ‘No luck then?’ Grace asked.

  ‘There were two of the same guys from the first event there!’ she said with a laugh. ‘That’s the end of speed dating for me. I’m going to try the traditional way of meeting guys for a while again!’

  ‘What’s that?’ Tara asked.

  ‘Flash some flesh,’ Abby answered, pointing to her bare midriff, ‘and position myself strategically near the bar!’

  ‘Oh to be young and single again!’ Tara said with a sigh. Then seeing her friends’ faces, she continued, ‘Don’t worry; I’m not thinking about ditching Sean or anything drastic! I love him to death, but sometimes when I realise that I’ll never have that wonder of who might be around the next corner it depresses me!’

  ‘Thanks a lot Tara, for putting that into a newly engaged head!’ Grace answered with a laugh.

  ‘I never knew Liam had it in him to be so romantic!’ Tara said, taking another look at Grace’s engagement ring. ‘He took me totally by surprise!’

  ‘Me too. There wasn’t even a hint of it to me before the party. He’d robbed one of my rings to make sure he got the right fit and everything; I didn’t even notice!’ Grace said dreamily.

  ‘Any ideas when the big day’s going to be?’ Abby asked.

  ‘Well, now that you mention it, we’re going to get married this Christmas. Neither of us wants to hang around and we both want a small service.’

  ‘That’s fantastic!’ Abby said, totally enthralled. She almost sighed, wondering when it would be her turn. But she checked herself quickly. This wasn’t about her, it was about Grace.

  ‘Well we just need to find a venue, but we’ve decided that we’re definitely going to Florida for our honeymoon.’

  ‘I take it Jack is going with you too!’ Tara said.

  ‘Yep, we both talked about going somewhere on our own, but I don’t think I’d enjoy myself without Jack,’ Grace said smiling.

  ‘Can you imagine Jack when he gets to meet Mickey Mouse? He’ll lose his mind!’ Tara laughed.

  ‘I know I can’t wait to see it. But, guys, I’ve one big question to ask you,’ Grace said with a smile. ‘How do you fancy being my bridesmaids?’

  The whoops of delight from the two girls were answer enough!

  ‘Liam is asking Tom to be his best man tonight,’ Grace informed the girls. Liam was at home babysitting and the boys were all joining him for a game of poker. ‘He’s going to ask Sean to be his groomsman too,’ she told Tara.

  ‘They’ll be made up. I can imagine Tom pretending to be cool about it as he tries to stop himself crying!’ Tara laughed.

  ‘What about Gerry?’ Abby asked.

  ‘Don’t worry, we’ve thought about him. I’ve asked him to be my wedding planner!’

  ‘What did he say?’ Abby giggled.

  ‘Have you ever seen Father of the Bride?’ Grace asked her friends. When they both nodded, they all started to laugh and said at the same time ‘Franc!’

  ‘Yep, he started quoting bits from that movie in a very bad ‘Franc’ accent! He’s going to do my head in, I know, by the time the wedding arrives, but at least it will keep him happy!’ Grace said laughing.

  ‘Speaking of Father of the Bride,’ Tara said softly, ‘have you had any thought as to who should walk you down the aisle.’ Tara had thought that maybe Grace would have asked Tom. She knew that Grace thought of him as an older brother.

  ‘Well, I’ve been thinking of it for ages now, wondering what to do. I did think about asking Catherine.’

  ‘That would be nice,’ Abby said with a smile. ‘I bet she would be so honoured.’

  ‘I know. It would make her day, but something about it doesn’t sit right with me,’ Grace answered with a sad smile. ‘I’d never say this to her, so please don’t repeat it. I love Catherine and I’m so happy she’s in my life, but I don’t think she’s earned the right to walk me down the aisle. Does that make me sound like a right bitch?’

  ‘No pet, not at all,’ Tara answered. ‘I’d find it weird too, to be honest. If it wasn’t Uncle Mick, I’m not sure it would seem right for Catherine to step in.’

  ‘That’s how I feel,’ Grace said earnestly. ‘I feel like I’d be disrespecting Mam and Dad if I asked Catherine. But you know what, I reckon if I really wanted her to do it, they wouldn’t mind.’

  ‘You’re right,’ Tara replied. ‘They hadn’t a bad bone in their bodies and would support Catherine totally if they were here. I bet Annie and Catherine would be great mates if Annie were still alive.’

  ‘I’ve thought the same thing myself. But it’s not an issue anymore, I’ve already asked somebody to give me away,’ Grace stated.

  ‘Who?’ Tara and Abby asked together.

  ‘Jack, of course!’ Grace responded with a laugh. ‘And who better than my darling son?’

  ****

  Over at Grace and Liam’s the boys were having a similar conversation. Jack was tucked up in bed and the guys were sipping cans of beer, with the exception of Gerry who was drinking a Cabernet Sauvignon.

  Liam had asked Tom to be his best man and Sean to be groomsman and the two of them were busy pumping his hand up and down, thrilled with themselves! Gerry was running around looking at each of them critically, muttering about shades of grey or navy for morning suits!

  ‘Now hold up buddy!’ Liam said with a laugh at Gerry. ‘We’re having a really small wedding with only immediate family and friends. There will probably only be about fifty there in total. So we don’t want anything flash, okay?’

  ‘Are you mad, me do flash?!’ Gerry shrieked. ‘I’ve never done anything flash in my life! But just because it’s going to be a small wedding doesn’t mean it can’t be elegant! You just wait Liam; you will be thanking me when you see what I’m going to pull together for you guys! Now first things first, you have to decide venues! Here’s a shortlist of suitable venues I’ve pulled together. Grace said you want a hotel somewhere with its own chapel in the grounds?’

  Liam couldn’t believe that Gerry already had a list of venues for them to decide upon. Grace had only asked him to be the wedding planner that afternoon!

  Seeing his friend’s look of amazement, Tom said, ‘When Gerry puts his mind to something; nothing’s going to stop him!’

  ‘You know one of the venues on Gerry’s list is Rose Tree Manor. It’s absolutely stunning and has its own chapel in the grounds, but I’m not sure what Catherine would think about it?’

  ‘See what you mea
n, Tom,’ Liam answered. ‘I’ll have a chat with Grace about it, but if she wants that venue, Catherine will have to accept it.’ Liam was firm on this point. He wanted their wedding day to be perfect and if Rose Tree Manor was the ideal venue, then that’s where it would be. Gerry had narrowed the list down to four venues all within two hours’ drive of Dublin, all ranked on various criteria from the size of the venue to the food options. This was great!

  ****

  As the boys started their poker game, the girls started getting into the swing of things. They were on their third Baby Guinness shot and were feeling quite tipsy. Abby was on her way back from the bathroom with a shocked expression on her face!

  ‘Oh my God – look over at the bar!’ she mouthed to the girls, pointing behind her dramatically. Tara and Grace did as requested, but couldn’t see what they were supposed to be looking for.

  ‘Shit, I forgot you don’t know what he looks like!’ Abby said with a smile. ‘Remember that guy I met at the first speed-dating event? Shay the architect?’ Both girls nodded in response. ‘Well he’s only over there propping up the bar. Third guy on the right, drinking Guinness!’

  ‘Holy cow, he’s gorgeous!’ Tara said.

  ‘I know!’ Abby responded. ‘What should I do?’

  ‘Has he seen you yet?’ Grace asked.

  ‘No, I just walked straight by him with my nose in the air!’ Abby grinned.

  ‘Well the next round’s yours, so I’d say you better go up to the bar and order one right now!’ Grace said with a laugh.

  ‘I can’t,’ Abby wailed. ‘What if he sees me?’