The last thing he wanted to do was let her down. So, no matter how much he hated it, he would spend the day talking about wedding favours, chair covers and balloons.
Everything about this should be making him run for the hills. But the promise of being around Rose again was just far too enticing. He pounded harder on the driveway. No matter how hard he tried, Rose Huntingdon-Cross was finding a way under his skin. It didn’t matter the messages that his brain was sending. The messages from his body were a whole other matter. And they were definitely leading the charge.
He rounded back to the main front door just as his phone beeped. A text. From Violet.
What you doing today?
His stomach dropped with a surge of guilt. He texted quickly before he changed his mind.
Helping Rose with wedding arrangements.
He waited. Expecting Violet to send something back. But she didn’t. And it made him feel even worse. It had only been a few days but he was neglecting her. Any day she’d call him on it and ask him what was going on.
Then he’d be in trouble.
He strode through the hallway and up the stairs, hitting the shower in his room. He automatically pulled a suit from his cupboard, then stared at it, and put it back. This wasn’t a suit kind of day. Hell, the last thing he wanted was to be mistaken for a groom.
He pulled on a short-sleeved shirt and a pair of army trousers before driving to the local surgery and getting the nurse to remove his stitches. The scar was still angry and red but she assured him it would fade over time and he arrived back just as Rose was pulling up outside the house. She gave him a hard stare as he climbed into the tiny Mini.
‘You got your stitches out?’
He nodded. ‘It’s official. I’m now Harry Potter and I’ll get all the girls.’ He looked around. ‘What’s up?’ She had her black planner sitting on her lap.
Rose was perfect as always. She was wearing a pink and white fifties-style dress. It was demure and gave nothing away. But he’d already seen and touched what lay beneath those clothes. His fingers started to tingle.
‘Is this the casual look?’ she asked stiffly.
‘What—you wanted me to wear a suit and pretend to be a groom? You think I haven’t had enough practice at that?’
She frowned. ‘Well, it could have been part of our disguise. I’m not sure I want to tell people today that I’m organising a wedding renewal for my parents. The news isn’t exactly out yet.’
‘Haven’t you contacted their friends with the date?’
He didn’t want to appear critical. But he could only imagine that most of Rick and Sherry’s guest list would already have bulging diaries.
Rose was concentrating on the road. She was cute when she was driving, glasses perched at the end of her nose.
‘I have. But there’s always a few I can’t get hold of.’ She rolled her eyes without diverting them from the road. ‘And you know, they’re the ones that have a monster-size tantrum if they hear the news from anyone else.’
‘Tell them to get over it.’
‘What?’ She seemed shocked by his abrupt tone.
‘These people are adults. If they want information they should check their emails or answering machines. I hate the way some of these celebrities want to be spoon-fed. They act like a bunch of toddlers.’
He heard her suck in a breath as if she were thinking what to say. Had he just offended her? Violet was so normal he just assumed that Sherry and Rick didn’t behave like other celebrities. Rose was biting her lip.
He couldn’t help himself. He couldn’t wait. ‘Are you mad?’
She shook her head. ‘No. I’m not mad. And I guess you’re right. It’s just I get used to dealing with these kinds of people.’ She wrinkled her nose. ‘And it starts to all seem normal to me instead of outrageous.’
She turned the car towards a country estate. The road was already backed up with cars and Will sank lower in his seat. ‘I’ve got a bad feeling about this.’
She laughed and gave him a slap. ‘Oh, come on. How bad can it be?’
‘You’ve never met a bunch of Bridezillas, have you?’
She pulled over. The car park was jammed and the traffic was virtually at a standstill.
‘You’re parking here? On the driveway?’
She nodded and smiled. ‘Why not? In the next five minutes everyone else will, too. Let’s go.’
She climbed out into the morning sun and waited for Will to join her. Everywhere they looked there were people. The doorway was crowded, so they walked around the large mansion house and went in another entrance at the back. Will pulled out some cash to pay their entrance fee and picked up a leaflet with a floor plan.
Rose had an amused smile on her face. ‘These things have a floor plan?’
He laughed and put an arm around her shoulders. ‘Let me introduce you to the world of crazy brides. If we hang out here all day I guarantee at some point we’ll see two brides scrapping over a date somewhere.’
‘No way.’
He nodded solemnly. ‘Way.’ He glanced at the plan. ‘What first?’
She screwed up her nose and leaned against him, her scent reaching up around him. It was light and floral, like a summer day. Just exactly the way a girl called Rose should smell. ‘We don’t need to wait for the fashion show of the bridal dresses. That’s all sorted. Let’s hit the favours. I’m still not really sure what we should get.’
Will guided her through the large mansion rooms. ‘Lots of people just go for the traditional—miniature bottles of whisky for guys and some kind of trinket or chocolates for the women. Lottery tickets are popular, too.’
Rose shook her head. ‘I don’t think my mother would be happy if I gave her wedding guests a lottery ticket. It has to be something more personal than that.’
‘More personal for around two hundred people?’
He could see her bite the inside of her cheek. ‘More like three hundred.’
The room was already crowded and they walked around. Some things were cute. Some things were practical. And some things were just quirky.
Rose held up flip-flops in different colours. ‘What are these for?’
The girl behind the counter smiled. ‘It’s our most popular item right now. Flip-flops for the women who’ve been wearing their stiletto heels all day and want to spend the night dancing.’
Rose nodded. ‘Good idea.’ She moved on to the next stall, which had personalised notebooks with pictures of the bride and the groom on the front. Little heart-shaped glass pendants. Handkerchiefs with the bride and groom’s name and date of wedding stitched on them.
He could see her visibly wince at some of the more cringeworthy items. She turned and sighed. ‘I don’t see anything I love.’
Will breathed in deeply and caught the whiff of something sweet. In the far corner there was a glass counter from one of the most well-known stores in London. ‘How about chocolates?’
She walked over next to him. ‘Isn’t that a little boring? A few chocolates in an individual box for the guests?’
‘How about you try and personalise it? Strawberry, orange, blackcurrant, limes—you could find out people’s favourites. In fact,’ he bent forward and whispered in her ear, ‘if you speak very nicely to that man behind the counter and showed him your guest list I bet you he already knows some of the favourites of the people on it.’
Will bent over and picked up a triangular bag of popcorn. ‘Some of the guys might prefer this. They’ve got shortbread, too. They even do mini-doughnuts.’ He shrugged. ‘Everybody eats. Everybody likes food. If you personalise it as much as you can it could be a hit.’
She was beginning to look a little more relaxed. The room was starting to get crowded. She shot him a smile. ‘Give me five minutes to see what I can do.’
She disappeared across the room in a flash and within two minutes was behind the counter charming the white-gloved chocolatier. She pulled out a list and the two conferred over it for a few minutes before the chocolatier carefully folded it and put it in his pocket. Rose pulled out her chequebook and quickly scribbled a cheque, leaving her card.
She came rushing back over with a small basket of chocolate creams in her hand.
‘Success?’
She was beaming. ‘Better than success. He’s even going to come to the wedding and set up the counter for the day.’
‘As well as do all the favours?’
She picked up a chocolate and popped it in her mouth. ‘Mmm...strawberry, delicious.’ She held out the basket. ‘Do you want one?’
‘I’m not sure—is it safe? If I didn’t know any better I’d say you were guarding them with your life.’ He was laughing. Even though she’d offered a chocolate she’d automatically pulled the basket back to her chest as if she were daring anyone to try and take one.
She looked down at the basket and reluctantly pushed it forward again. He waved his hand. ‘Forget it. I know when there’s a line in the sand.’ He leaned forward. ‘Are you going to tell me how much all this is going to cost?’
Rose smiled and popped another chocolate in her mouth. ‘Absolutely not. Now, let’s look over here. The chocolatier just gave me the best idea in the world.’
They walked towards a smaller stand at the back of the hall. It was covered in jewellery and different mementos, a lot of them encrusted in crystals. She picked up the nearest one and shot the guy behind the table her biggest smile.
‘I think you’re about to hate me, but Paul, the chocolatier, sent me over.’
The guy smiled and rolled his eyes as Rose let out a gasp and picked up a little jewelled guitar. ‘Oh, this is it. This is so perfect.’ She spun to face Will. ‘How perfect is it? A jewelled guitar for Rick and Sherry’s wedding renewal?’ She could feel the excitement building in her chest. Trouble was, the workmanship of the guitar set with jewelled stones was beautiful. How long did it take to make?
She took a deep breath. ‘What would you say if I asked for three hundred of these in three weeks’ time?’
The guy’s jaw bounced off the floor. ‘I’d say, “Do you know how much that would cost?”’
She nodded. ‘I think I have a pretty good idea.’
He held out his hand towards her and walked around the table. ‘John Taylor.’ He wrinkled his nose. ‘Rick and Sherry? Are you talking about Rick Cross?’
She nodded. ‘He’s my father. My parents are renewing their vows. I’d really love it if we could have some of the mini-jewelled guitars as favours.’
She could see him bite his lip. ‘I’m a huge fan.’ He sighed. ‘The guitars are ready. The stones just need to be glued in place. They’re semi-precious crystals. It takes a bit of time. But...’ he paused ‘...for Rick Cross? I think I could pull out all the stops.’
‘You could?’ Rose let out a squeal and flung her arms around the guy. Will’s face creased into a frown but she was too busy pulling out her credit card and setting up the order to pay too much attention.
After a few minutes she glanced around, placing her hand on Will’s arm. ‘Now help me find, accost and probably blackmail some company into hiring me a marquee for the day.’
He rolled his eyes. ‘You’ll need an even bigger chequebook for that.’
But Rose was getting lost in the atmosphere of the place. ‘I think I want ones that have those fairy lights at night—you know, so it looks all magical?’
Her hair tickled his nose as he bent forward. ‘Watch out, you’re in danger of turning into one of the Bridezillas. I think you’ve been bitten by the bug.’
She stopped walking abruptly and turned around. ‘Oh, no. Don’t be fooled. Not for a second. This is my mother’s dream wedding. Not mine.’
‘And it was pretty much Daisy’s, too.’
She nodded. ‘I know. But I don’t want any of this.’
He wasn’t convinced—not for a second. ‘Doesn’t every girl want a dream wedding and to feel like a princess on the day they marry?’
But Rose’s face was deadly serious. ‘Absolutely not. Seeing all the chaos with Daisy getting married just made me even more convinced. The only part of that wedding that mattered was the two people standing at the front and looking at each other as if they couldn’t wait to say they’d love each other for ever.’ A Bridezilla pushed her from behind as she hurried past, and Rose almost face-planted into his chest.
He pulled her close and put a protective arm around her waist. She sighed. ‘I definitely don’t want all this. I want me and my Mr For Ever alone—just the two of us—saying our vows without any of the kerfuffle.’
He smiled at her choice of word. ‘Kerfuffle? I don’t think I’ve heard that in years.’
She raised her hands to the bedlam around them and lifted her head towards his. ‘Well, isn’t that the most accurate description? Who needs it? Not me.’
Something soothing and warm was washing over him. Four fiancées. And not one of them had ever wanted this. He’d known all along how different Rose was. He’d known she was sneaking under his defences in every which way. He just hadn’t realised how much. And it was the way she’d said those words. Me and my Mr For Ever alone. The words Mr For Ever should have terrified him. But for the first time in his life they didn’t.
‘Really? You really don’t want all this?’ He knew she’d loved the church on the island and remarked how perfect it was. But he hadn’t been entirely sure that wasn’t just saying she didn’t want a big wedding. But the one thing Rose couldn’t hide was the sincerity in her eyes. His head was crammed full of thoughts of the palavers over wedding plans with the four previous fiancées. Not one of them would have agreed to walk away from the dream and just have the husband.
Today was totally different. Today he didn’t want to run from the room in the start of a mild panic. That could be easily explained. This wasn’t his wedding and Rose wasn’t his fiancée. But everything about this felt different. And it felt different because of Rose.
Her face was just inches from his. Her pale blue eyes unblinking. ‘I really don’t want any of this,’ she whispered.
The buzz around him was fading away. All he could concentrate on was the face in front of him. All similarities to her sister had vanished in the mist. This was Rose. This was only Rose. The woman who was having more of an effect on him than he could even begin to comprehend.
Any minute now a white charger would appear in the room and he’d just pick her up and sweep her off somewhere.
But being Rose, she would probably object.
She lifted a hand up and placed it on his chest. The warmth from her palm flooded through his fine shirt and their gazes locked and held for a second.
Was she really having the same kind of thoughts that he was?
Then it happened. A wayward thought he could never have dreamed of. He could actually imagine doing all this kind of stuff with Rose.
Was it because her vision of a wedding was close to his? Because the funny thing was, even if she changed her mind, he could see himself doing all this planning with Rose. Rose felt right. Rose felt like a part of him.
For Will it was like a revelation. Fireworks were going off in his head. His brain was spinning and his mouth resembled the Sahara desert. Was this it? Was this what it felt like for other people? Was this what it felt like for Rick and Sherry?
Her eyes twinkled and a grin appeared on her face. ‘Come on, wedding guy. There were three things on the list today. Favours—done. But you promised me marquees and balloons—you better deliver.’
The spark in her eyes broke the increasing tension between them and brought him back to reality. He had to be sure. He had to be more than
sure. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt Rose.
He nodded and grabbed her hand. ‘Let’s see how quickly we can do this. There’s a bridal show about to start. Everyone will disappear to watch that.’ All he really wanted to do was get out of here and get Rose all to himself.
It didn’t take long. It just took an exceptional amount of money. But they finally found someone who could supply a marquee—complete with twinkling fairy lights—on the date they needed. Once they heard the magic words Rick Cross and Sherry Huntingdon the deal was done.
The balloons were another matter. One side of the hall had a whole range of displays and colours, from table decorations with a few helium balloons to archways covering the whole top table.
‘Do you know what colour scheme your mum will want?’
‘Yep, jewel colours. Bright and bold. Red, green and blue.’ She wandered between all the stands touching all the metallic bobbing balloons, some held down by balloon weights and some tied to walls and chair backs.
‘What’s the story?’ he asked. ‘Were you the kid that never got bought a balloon?’
She smiled and tipped her head to the side. ‘I just like them, that’s all. Don’t get me wrong—if you ever tried to get me in a big balloon—up in the sky—I’d run in the opposite direction. But these...’ she jiggled her hand amongst an array of bobbing balloons ‘...I just love.’ She pointed ahead. ‘See those ones, all heart-shaped and just the colours I need? I’d love a really big display like that in all four corners of the marquees.’
Will stared at the bobbing balloons. They made him nauseous. He couldn’t understand the attraction. The heat in the mansion house was starting to rise. The number of people surrounding them seemed to be growing and growing. He couldn’t wait to get out of there. He had a one-track mind—get Rose away from all these people and just to himself.
The double doors in the large room they were in opened out onto the wide gardens. But the air was hardly circulating around them.
Rose took a few moments to place her order and pay by cheque. She walked over smiling. ‘I love those. I think they’ll be perfect.’
A Bride for the Runaway Groom Page 10