Freddie’s voice is soft and his eyes meet mine, hold me there and I’d be happy for this moment to last for a long, long time. Just me and Freddie. ‘There’s only ever been one woman Jane. Just you.’
I stare at him, confused about what he’s saying. ‘Just me?’ What does he mean exactly?
‘I’ve had a crush on you since we were at school.’
‘School?’ To say I am gobsmacked would be an understatement.
There’s a pink flush along his cheekbones which makes me want to kiss him. ‘Why do you think I helped you make your photo exhibition the best? I couldn’t believe it when we bumped into each other in the estate agents, I thought it was fate.’ He looks rueful.
‘So you weren’t scarily stalking me?’
‘Well, yeah, maybe.’ He grins. ‘Then you were heartbroken, devastated by what that shit had done to you, and I realised it was all wrong. I might have been waiting for you, but you still loved him.’
‘But you stayed anyway, you rented that place with me!’
‘I couldn’t not, Jane. I wanted you to be okay, I couldn’t help trying to look after you which I thought might freak you out a bit if you guessed, so I guess I might have dated more than I should have.’
Is he saying what I think he’s saying. ‘I’m your other woman?’ This is confusing as hell.
‘You’re the only one. The bloody perfect woman! My God, Jane, I’ve tried to get you out of my head, believe me.’
‘Oh, thanks!’
‘I’ve gone out with other girls, had a good time, thought it was working, then, bam! I’ve realised it wasn’t the real deal, it wasn’t good enough. I needed you, or nobody. But I didn’t think you’d needed me. I’m not daft, I never wanted anything one-sided.’
‘I always need you Freddie. I like talking to you, you were the only person I was bothered about talking to.’
‘And I like talking to you.’
‘You’re my best friend, and I thought we’d cocked it all up.’
‘Never. Friends?’
‘More than, I hope?’ There’s a question in my voice, reflecting the one in my heart.
‘Lots more than.’ He’s smiling, leaning in and I am so looking forward to kissing him again that I close my eyes and hold my breath and clench various bits of my body with anticipation.
‘Oh my God! Freddie!’ Rachel launches herself at Freddie, knocking him out of kissing orbit. ‘You’re here! See!’ She grins at me.
‘I know.’ I feel like telling her to sod off, and dragging him back into position, but that would be rude. And it is her not-wedding, and it’s her I should be thinking about, not my own lustful longings.
‘Sorry I’m a bit late.’ Freddie smiles at Rachel, then hugs her. ‘Looks like I missed all the fun. How did it go?’
Rachel laughs. ‘It didn’t. Haven’t you told him?’
I shake my head. ‘Not had time yet, we’ve just been …’
She rolls her eyes, then does a puckering kissing thing with lots of mwahs. ‘Catching up.’
‘What do you mean, it didn’t?’ Freddie looks from me to Rach, and back again.
‘Long story. No wedding.’
Freddie is opening and closing his mouth like a goldfish. I hold it closed for him.
‘I should have realised after the rehearsal I suppose. That was ace, apart from my bridesmaids giggling on the back row like a load of kids.’ She rolls her eyes, and I shrug with all the innocence I can muster.
‘Haven’t a clue what she’s on about! Must be nerves, she was hearing things.’
‘Lemmings.’ The word is barely audible as Maddie glides past, but it sets me off again, and Maddie, and Rachel. Who is laughing, but looking confused.
‘Lemons?’
This makes us laugh even more.
‘What was that? What did she say?’ Rachel narrows her eyes. ‘And I always thought you were the nice one Maddie!’
‘I am!’
Freddie raises an eyebrow. ‘Don’t ask!’ I hug Rachel. Then look at Freddie again. ‘Drink?’
‘I’m so glad you’re here!’ Rachel grins and slips her arm through his. ‘He’s an honorary member of the gang now. Go on, go off and make up, I won’t watch!’
Maddie slips her arm through Rachel’s. ‘Go on Jane, go. I’ve got to talk to Rach about the honeymoon!’ She giggles. ‘We’re going to make it a girl fest! Go on, go, we’ll fill you in later!’
I go.
Freddie orders a pint, and a nice glass of wine for me and we stand and watch the others.
‘Sounds dangerous, a girl fest?’
‘It does. God knows what they’re planning now, but we can’t let Rachel go on her honeymoon on her own, can we?’
‘So, what happened?’
‘Well …’ Where do I start?
So I start at the very beginning, and keep going until I get to the end. ‘So voila, a wedding without a groom. Who’d have thought Michael was completely broke. He’s a total gold digger. That was one secret that was buried too deep for any of us to spot!’
‘Always said he was all talk and no trousers.’
‘No trousers most of the time by the sounds of it.’ I sigh. ‘I mean Beth, how could he? How could she?’
‘And I missed out on all that, no wonder my phone was on fire when I got back to civilisation!’
‘Is Louie okay?’
‘He’s fine. He’s missed you though.’ He rests his fingers under my chin and kisses me gently. ‘We both did.’
‘Missed you, too.’
‘Fancy a boogie? I reckon I’m nearly as good as Jack!’ I laugh, then stop abruptly as I spot Andy. ‘Can you wait a mo? I need to do something.’
His gaze follows the line of mine. ‘Ah, Andy! Shall we do this together?’
I nod and clutch his hand a little tighter. Together sounds good. He’s got hold of my hand, and even leaning back and digging my heels in isn’t helping. I’m just being towed, ski style.
‘Hey guys!’
Andy is drunk. He’s just done a double thumbs-up, then staggered sideways and put his arm round a tent pole. Even Andy doesn’t date tent poles.
‘Andy.’ I have decided to do this formally, with my phone voice on. ‘I wanted you to be the first to know, that I am sure, I am totally positive, and we’re not just friends.’
He looks at me blankly. ‘Eh?’
‘Freddie and I!’ I hold up our joined hands. ‘Just so you know, that I’m sure. And I don’t want you to text me or anything.’
‘Or anything.’ Repeats Freddie.
‘So you love him now?’
I nod. He probably won’t remember any of this in the morning, but at least I will know I’ve said it.
‘You did love me though, once?’
I screw my mouth up into a maybe. I mean, now I come to think about it, I’m not sure I did. Not really. Maybe in the way I loved my hamster, or my dog, no, not my dog, my dog was special, but definitely my hamster. But I can’t say that.
‘Well, you loved me enough to say you’d marry me, didn’t you? And you’ve not said you’ll marry him, what does that say?’
‘You’re a dick.’ Freddie doesn’t flinch.
‘I’m a dick, fine, but the dick she wanted!’ Andy finds himself very funny, he’s going to fall over if he laughs any louder. He’s also attracting attention.
‘Enough, stop it, you’re making me feel sick. I don’t want a dick!’ I shout this rather too loudly, in a bid to stop them bickering. The people who weren’t staring before, are now. This is definitely a wedding nobody is ever going to forget.
‘Don’t you?’ Sally frowns. ‘Well, I do.’ Her barman, who she has by the arm, tries not to look even more pleased with himself than he already was.
Rachel sighs heavily. ‘Me, too, I’d give anything for a dick right now.’
Maddie has stuck her hand up. ‘Me three!’
I want to scream, so I do. And point at Andy. ‘But not that one!’
‘Nope, not that o
ne.’ My three friends chant in unison as they stand behind us, arms linked.
I’d like to say that Freddie flattened Andy, or chucked him in the fountain at this point, or something heroic happened. But it didn’t. Andy just laughed and started to smooch the tent pole and everybody lost interest.
‘Well, that about sums him up.’ Says Sally, then looks at Freddie, who has just draped his arm round my waist. ‘Now, get a room lovebirds!’ Sally laughs, a deep throaty and decidedly dirty laugh then turns her attention back to her man. ‘Come on gorgeous, let me show you how to tango.’ The poor barman is dragged off by his tie, and Maddie, Jack and Rach drift towards the bar.
‘Shall we take her advice?’ Freddie is gazing straight into my eyes, in that way that brings me out in goose-bumps. All earnest, but deep, dark and sexy. He has eyelashes to die for. And the rest.
‘Loving the shoes by the way.’
I glance down at my Doc Martens.
‘Shall we?’ Freddie offers his elbow, so I slip my arm through his.
‘That would do nicely kind sir.’ Louie will just have to stay home alone for one night. Tonight, I am going to make full use of my gorgeous four-poster bed and Jacuzzi bath.
With Freddie.
‘I know Scotland’s off the agenda, but you are going to come to the Outer Hebrides with me, aren’t you?’
‘The outer Outer Hebrides?’
‘That’s the one! Rob’s dying to meet you.’
‘Can you wait a bit?’ I nod over to Maddie, who’s just given me the thumbs up. ‘It’s just, that girl fest thing. I’m due to go to Barbados on Rach’s not-honeymoon with the girls, and we’re off tomorrow!’
‘When I’ve waited half my life, what’s one more week?’
‘Well, two, actually!’
He laughs. A gorgeous deep rumbling laugh that I thought I might never hear again, and my stomach does a little flip.
‘Does this mean you’ll buy new jeans now?’
‘I never dump the things I love, even when they’re old and tatty, ’cos to me they’re never past their sell by date.’
‘Tell me more about this girl you fell for.’
‘Which girl?’
‘You know, the one.’
‘Shut up, you noddle.’ He laughs.
‘When exactly did you first realise you fancied her? When she was thirteen, fourteen?’
‘When I spotted her dancing behind the bike shed with her best friend, yelling out some funny song lyrics.’
‘That was Girl Power!’
‘You’re not kidding me!’
He winks, then leans in closer, and this time there are no interruptions. This time we kiss. This time he touches my lips, my waist, the small of my back, my neck, and I hate to sound all girly and drippy, but this time I swear he touches some secret little spot deep, down in my heart where nobody has ever been before.
I think I’ve found my One.
Also by Zara Stoneley
No One Cancels Christmas
The Wedding Date
Blackberry Picking at Jasmine Cottage
Summer with the Country Village Vet
The Holiday Swap
A Very Country Christmas (Tippermere Free Short Story)
Country Rivals (Tippermere Book Three)
Country Affairs (Tippermere Book Two)
Stable Mates (Tippermere Book One)
Acknowledgements
This book has not been the easiest to write. My wonderful dad passed away the day before it was finished, and the revisions that inevitably followed – which needed a light touch and laughter – were written as our family tried to come to terms with our loss. Dad was always known as Peter, but he was christened Frederick, and it seems fate that my gorgeous hero Freddie shares the same name. Dad was every bit as generous, supportive, loyal, loving, clever and bright as Freddie, and will always be my hero. I’ll miss him every day, as will my mum. They had the type of happy ever after that many people can only read and dream about.
I’ve always known that as an author I write the first draft alone, but that it takes a team to produce the final, polished version and it has never been truer than with this book.
I can’t thank enough the terrific, talented trio who always take care of me – my fabulous publisher/editor Charlotte Ledger, my agent Amanda Preston, and my editor Emily Ruston. Thank you for inspiring and encouraging me every step of the way, for being smart, funny and supportive, and for always being there when I need you.
Thanks also go to my lovely author friends who go above and beyond the call of duty at times. This book wouldn’t have made it out into the big, wide world without Mandy and Jane, and the wise words and virtual hugs from the Savvy Authors.
I’d also like to thank all my mates, and my many friends on social media, for all your hugs, love and kind words – it really has made a difference.
Thank you as well to my wonderful supporters on Facebook, in particular Pauline Ricketts, Llainy Swanson and Debra Finney whose wonderful Hen Party ideas have found their way into the story.
And lastly a big thank you to you, for reading this story. I hope you’ve enjoyed Bridesmaids.
Zara x
About the Author
Zara Stoneley is the USA Today bestselling author of The Wedding Date.
She lives in a Cheshire village with her family, a lively cockapoo called Harry, and a very bossy (and slightly evil) cat called Saffron.
Born in a small village in the UK, Zara wanted to be a female James Herriot, a spy, or an author when she grew up. After many (many) years, and many different jobs, her dream of writing a bestseller came true. She now writes about friendship, dreams, love, and happy ever afters, and hopes that her tales make you laugh a lot, cry a little, and occasionally say ‘ahhh’.
Zara’s bestselling novels include No One Cancels Christmas, The Holiday Swap, Summer with the Country Village Vet, Blackberry Picking at Jasmine Cottage and the popular Tippermere series – Stable Mates, Country Affairs and Country Rivals.
@ZaraStoneley
http://www.facebook.com/ZaraStoneley
www.instagram.com/ZaraStoneley
www.zarastoneley.com
About HarperImpulse
HarperImpulse is an innovative, award-winning digital imprint. In the five years since launch, we have continually hit digital bestseller lists, hosted the UK’s first online romance festival, published into over ten countries and grown an exciting stable of commercial women’s fiction authors.
Readers, come and say hi to the team and your next read …
www.facebook.com/HarperImpulse
@HarperImpulse
www.instagram.com/harperimpulse
www.harperimpulseromance.com
Writers, our vision is to publish the very best in digital-first commercial women’s fiction and we are simply looking for good stories! So, what are you waiting for? To submit, e-mail us at [email protected].
About the Publisher
Australia
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