It takes a while for everyone to take their seats, and then the bride and groom come in, Amy practically skipping along at her new husband’s side. She looks like she could burst with happiness.
Once all the guests are seated and the waiting staff has filled everyone’s glasses with champagne, Theo is discreetly handed a microphone.
He grins moronically. “Speech time.”
I chuckle. “Have you got note cards?”
He wrinkles his nose and shakes his head as he reaches into his inside pocket and pulls out a scrap of paper with four bullet points on it. He smooths it out and puts it on the table in front of him. “I’m not a planner. I’m just gonna wing it.”
My eyes widen in horror as I grip his forearm. “Theo, I feel like this is one of those things in life that you definitely shouldn’t wing.”
The fact that he’s not planned it gives me mild anxiety. He might not be a planner, but I certainly am.
“I got this.” He sends me a little wink that makes my stomach flutter as he taps his glass with his knife and stands up.
Jared groans loudly. “Theo, keep it clean. And don’t make it weird.”
“Weird, me?” Theo puts his hand over his heart and feigns offence.
The crowd quietens, and everyone turns their attention to him. Theo doesn’t even look nervous; I’d be a quivering wreck, having to speak in front of all of these people.
“Good evening, ladies and gents. For those that don’t know me, I’m Theo, and I’m the best man. I’m thrilled to be here to preside over the only five minutes of today that Jared has completely no control over.” He smirks down at his brother, who rolls his eyes good-naturedly. “I’m gonna keep this short because I can already see he’s starting to sweat, just imagining things I could say about him today. Now, in case you can’t tell by our matching suits, Jared and I are twins, so obviously, I’ve known him a long time. I’ve definitely got the goods on him, but he’s made me promise not to say anything too bad about him in my official speech today. Therefore, I’ll be doing an unofficial speech later by the bar to anyone who buys me a drink.”
There are titters of laughter and a few cheers from the rowdy group of friends at the back table.
“When Jared asked me to be best man today, I was pleased but not surprised. After all, he doesn’t have any friends.” He waits for the laughter to die down before speaking again. “I’ve never been a best man before, so in preparation for my role, I looked up speech guidelines on the internet. Apparently, the format is: introduction, few jokes at the groom’s expense, compliment the bride, leave off on a positive note.” He ticks them off on his fingers, and I notice they’re the four bullet points he has on his notes. “So, here we go with the roast.”
He turns to Jared and smiles wickedly, microphone still at his mouth. “Don’t worry, buddy; I know you have some work colleagues and your boss here, so I won’t mention anything about that time you got your ballbag caught in your zip and cried like a little girl at the hospital, or that time we were fourteen and tried weed and you got so out of it that you accidentally set Mum’s curtains on fire, or when you got so drunk that you puked in your own shoe and then wore it home.”
The crowd erupts into laughter as Jared winces and shakes his head, laughing quietly.
Theo turns back to the crowd as if nothing happened. “Jared has always worked hard—first at school, then university, then with his career in … what is it you do again?”
I chuckle behind my hand, and some others in the room laugh too.
“In all that time, he’s pretty much been single. But don’t worry; don’t be feeling sorry for him. He was single by choice. The girls just chose not to date him.”
Ripples of laughter tinkle through the room.
“Jared always looks on the bright side of life. He can put a positive spin on anything. For example, his commendable charity work. Let’s have a little round of applause for Jared’s amazing charity work.” He claps, and people in the room clap too. Amy is beaming with pride. “You guys know all about it, of course. Every six months, we get the dreaded group email, asking for sponsorship money because he’s running a half marathon … again.” Theo teasingly rolls his eyes. “But seriously, that’s a perfect example of how to put a positive spin on stuff. I mean, I ran a half marathon sounds so much better than I quit halfway through a marathon. Am I right? Glass half-full.”
The room erupts into laughter.
Theo grins and takes a sip of water before continuing, “In all honesty though, growing up with Jared, I always felt like I was the luckiest guy in the world. Not only did I have my best mate twenty-four hours a day, but he could also step in and take my exams for me. I still owe him for my maths and science GCSE results. It worked the other way though too, like me stepping in to ask Cassie Bennet to the prom for him because he was too chicken or me passing his driving test for him. Joke. That one’s just a joke, Mother, jeez,” he says as his mother gasps in horror. It’s not a joke, he mouths to the crowd when she’s not looking.
There are more chuckles from the guests.
“Jared’s dependable and hardworking, and he achieves anything he puts his mind to. But he was born a grown-up, and he can certainly be a grumpy git; he’s always worked too hard and taken life a little too seriously. But then he met Amy. Smart, wonderful, quirky Amy who, let’s face it, definitely could have done better.” He winces playfully in Amy’s direction, but Jared nods along in agreement. “Theirs was a chance encounter outside a coffee shop, a proper meet-cute. From the moment he met her, I could tell this was serious. Jared changed overnight. For example, he started smiling. Shock horror.”
People snicker.
“Amy brought out the fun in my brother. They’re the perfect couple. They complete each other actually. She’s his fun-loving, carefree side, and he’s her adult.”
More laughter.
“To finish off because I know we’re all checking our watches, waiting for the food to be served, I just want to say, I couldn’t be happier for my twin. He deserves to be loved the way Amy loves him. I’ve never seen him so relaxed and content. Amy did that. And now, I also get a fun sister-in-law to go do crazy stuff with.” He sends Amy a wink, and she grins and nods in return.
“So, please join me in raising a glass. To Jared and Amy. May your arguments be short, and may your sex be long, and may you always be as happy and in love as you are today. You are couple goals.”
“To Jared and Amy,” the crowd repeats as one.
I swallow the ball of emotion that’s lodged in my throat and pretend to take a sip of my drink. I’m so proud of Theo that I want to hug him. Knowing how he feels about Amy, that must have been hard for him, but he didn’t show a single hint of jealousy or malice in his speech. It was perfect.
He sits down next to me, smugly slipping his arm across the back of my chair, seeming incredibly happy with himself.
I grin and lean in conspiratorially, my side pressing against his chest as I set my hand on his thigh. “That was brilliant.”
He smiles and turns his head to face me, his eyebrows suddenly shooting up. “Aww, Luce, are you crying … again?” His expression is teasing as he reaches out and cups the side of my neck, the pad of his thumb wiping the tear that slid out without my permission.
I chuckle and blink a couple of times to try and clear my blurry vision. “So, I like weddings. So what?”
His thumb moves down to trace the line of my jaw, eyes twinkling. “You’re a secret, soppy romantic, aren’t you? I’ve found your weakness.”
I place my hand over his and shrug unashamedly. “It wasn’t a secret.”
“You’re utterly adorable.” Grinning, he leans in and plants a kiss on the tip of my nose.
My eyelids flutter closed, and I desperately want to tilt my head up, so our lips connect, but I resist the urge. As he pulls away a fraction, our eyes meet, and I get trapped in the depths of those whiskey-coloured pools. This close, I can see there are flecks of green and
gold around the pupil. They’re beautiful. His breath blows across my lips; I can almost taste the sweetness of the fruit and the Pimm’s he was drinking earlier. My lips tingle, and I see his eyes flick down to my mouth. He’s debating on kissing me, the same as I am him. That knowledge sends my hormones spiking.
I know he’s using me right now. Making himself feel better about the fact that Amy just married his brother by hitting on me, burying the pain with something nicer. I’m simply a butterfly stitch, something to stop the bleeding and momentarily attempt to heal his wounded heart. To be honest, I don’t mind that at all. Because I want the same from him. Both of us are bruised; we both have battle scars. This is merely a little stage make-up to cover them for a while … and I’m okay with that. Like Aubrey keeps telling me, we’re both adults, and if we go into it with our eyes wide open, where’s the harm?
Before Theo has the chance to kiss me, Jared stands, his voice resonating through the microphone as he starts his speech. I gulp and pull back, realising how totally inappropriate our little moment was. Theo blinks a couple of times, his lips pressing into a thin line before he leans back, too, looking over to his brother with a fond smile on his face. His arm stays across the back of my chair.
Jared makes a beautiful speech, gushing about how wonderful Amy is before he hands out presents to the bridesmaids—much to Carys’s delight—and then Anne makes a speech in lieu of the father of the bride. I struggle to concentrate on them all though because the whole time they’re doing their thing, ninety-nine percent of my brain is zeroed in on Theo’s fingers, which are absentmindedly tickling a line across my upper arm, moving rhythmically back and forth, melting what’s left of my brain and incinerating my underwear.
When Anne finishes her speech, Amy’s nanna, Peggy, tries to take the microphone, but Anne looks horrified and refuses to let go of it. Amy and Jared are watching with wide, terrified eyes as Amy shakes her head at her mum, doing the hand slashing across the throat gesture, universally recognised as no fucking way, shut that shit down immediately.
I can’t stop giggling, just imagining the things that would come out of the old bird’s mouth. She is as savage as she is hilarious. After Theo, I think she might be my favourite person in the room.
sixteen
Lucie
After speeches, dinner is served. The food is delicious, top-notch, and Theo tells me halfway through the starter of tomato and mozzarella tart that these are his mother’s recipes and her sous chef is in the kitchen, preparing the food. It turns out, his mother is a head chef at a high-end restaurant. It also turns out, Lucas and I ate at her restaurant in Ely once when we were on a business trip. Small world.
By the time my dessert comes out (chocolate truffle cake with Chantilly cream), I’m almost in a blissed-out coma because it’s so good. I groan and lick the back of my spoon, wanting to savour every morsel. “Yeah, sex is cool, but have you ever tried this cake?”
Theo bursts out laughing and looks down at my plate. “Is it that good?”
I flick my eyes to the passion fruit cheesecake he chose and grin. “You messed up big time.”
His spoon darts out towards my plate, and I gasp, slapping the back of his hand as he tries to cut off a chunk of my dessert.
“Ahh, come on, share? There’s no way that dessert is better than sex. Maybe you’ve been doing it wrong?” He playfully raises one eyebrow.
My insides quiver, and while I’m distracted, he steals a chunk of cake from my plate, devouring it before I can protest.
His eyes narrow, and his head drops back. “Holy crap, that is the most perfect cake in the world. Nothing can taste better than that. That’s the pinnacle of cakes. All other chocolate cakes should be ashamed to even share its name. Why didn’t I order it?” He pouts down at his cheesecake that he was wholly content with less than a minute ago.
I chuckle and send him a grin as I shrug one shoulder and start eating again. His eyes watch my every move as I finish every last crumb of it; it’s kind of sexy.
After we’re finished eating, Jared and Amy cut the wedding cake and pose for numerous photos before they have their first dance. Theo resumes stroking across my arm, and it makes my whole body sing with pleasure.
After a couple of songs, he stands and holds down a hand to me. “Dance?”
I can’t very well say no and leave the best man hanging, so I slip my hand into his and let him lead me to the dance floor. There are a few other couples dancing, only the important ones, like parents and bridesmaids. As Theo pulls me closer to him, I hold my breath and look up at him through my eyelashes. Tingles spread through my whole body as he wraps his arms around me, setting one hand on the small of my back and the other on the bare skin at the nape of my neck. His touch sears its way through my skin, heating my blood.
It’s romantic as we sway to the beat of the song. My chest is pressed against his, my hands curl around his shoulders as he dips his head, and our cheeks brush together, his hot breath blowing down my neck. I get another of those inappropriate scorching flashbacks of his lips on my neck, my ear, my collarbone, and I shiver as desire pools in my belly. I desperately want him to snog me silly, right in the middle of the dance floor with everyone watching.
Luckily—or maybe unluckily, depending on how you look at it—the song comes to an end before my lust spills over and drowns us both. Theo is immediately dragged off by Anne. He throws me an apologetic look as he dances with the mother of the bride, then his own mum grabs him for her turn, and then he dances with the bride herself. I watch that one for signs of his heart breaking as he dances with Amy, but there’s nothing—no lingering touches, no yearning looks or signs of pain on his face. They simply laugh and talk the whole time. He spins her dramatically, the pair of them behaving ridiculously as people around them grin and watch the spectacle. It just looks like a fun dance between friends and family. The fist that has been gripped around my stomach the whole time seems to loosen, but I don’t even want to think about why or what caused it.
Theo’s eyes keep flicking to me as I dance first with Tim and then with some guy called Noah, who flirts shamelessly with me and barely manages to keep his hands off my arse and eyes from my cleavage. When the dance finishes, I excuse myself to the toilets quick smart, spending a couple of extra minutes checking my hair and reapplying my lipstick so he’ll move on to someone else. Not that I’m not flattered by his attention, but I’m just not interested.
Returning to the room, I note the music has become more upbeat ’80s classics. Jams to get people up on their feet blast from the speakers. The dance floor is almost packed full now, mostly ladies dancing around their handbags. Out of nowhere, Theo’s hand closes around mine, and he tugs me into the fray. His grin is dazzling. I laugh, bopping along to the beat, generally having a great time. Carys joins us, too, grabbing her uncle Theo and making him do outlandish dance moves with her that are obviously well-practiced routines. It’s too cute, and I can’t contain my grin. He melts my heart with how he is with her. When Emily comes over and hands baby Finley to Theo, my ovaries feel like they erupt as he makes stupid faces and dances with him on his hip.
I’m so done for.
I have a fantastic night even though Theo and I barely get more than five minutes alone. Mostly, I dance or chat and gossip with his family and Heather, getting mildly drunk and laughing the whole night.
Occasionally, Theo escapes the clutches of one of his family members, and we make a break for the bar together, rehydrating. He’s so sweet with the way he watches out for me, making sure my drink is topped up, asking if I’m hungry, joking around so much that I shake with laughter. But then his attention is demanded elsewhere, and off he goes again, sending me an apologetic, pained look. It’s adorable, and it makes my tummy quiver.
I have a blast, and I’m immensely grateful to Theo for bringing me here. This whole weekend has been amazing, and tonight is the best night out I’ve had in years. As much as I might miss Lucas and our relationship, things
with him were never this carefree and fun; our rare date nights were more structured entertainment—pub quizzes, dinner parties with his snooty friends, cocktail bars. I can’t remember the last time I laughed this much; my cheeks hurt from all the smiling.
As the night winds up and the songs slow down, Theo pulls me into his arms, and we sway to the beat. At some point during the evening, he removed his jacket, waistcoat, and tie and rolled his sleeves up to his elbows. He looks even hotter now that he’s more casual, but I don’t know how that works because he looked a vision while dressed to the nines. Maybe the champagne bubbles are getting to me.
He holds my hand against his chest, and I can feel how warm he is, his body heat pulsing into me. His other arm is wrapped around my waist, clamping me against him as we slow dance in a little circle. Everyone else seems to disappear as I press my face into his neck, breathing him in. He smells delicious, all rich and manly with a hint of spicy aftershave left from when he got dressed this morning. I commit it all to memory and catalogue it as one of the best moments of my life.
Blissfully happy, I don’t want the night to end.
Unfortunately, at just after midnight, the party draws to a close, and the music stops.
Theo steps back and smiles down at me, reaching out and brushing his finger against my cheek, leaving a burning trail in its wake. “Looks like the party’s over, Luciella.”
A thrill zips around my body when he uses my full name. People rarely call me it, only really my parents and grandparents. I’m surprised he even remembered; he’s been calling me Luce all weekend—not that that’s a bad thing though. I like that coming out of his mouth too. Maybe it’s just his voice …
Stand-In Saturday: (A standalone romcom. Book 2 in the Love For Days series) Page 15