“Everything’s fine,” Prentice announced but his voice was tight. “The groom is waiting and he’s a f**king wreck, wanting you to beam here using space age technology from a television show rather than ride here in a car. Clarissa called and she and Jennifer’s car had problems but everything is fine now and they’re five minutes away. We’ll start when the mother-of-the-bride and the mother-of-the-groom finally arrive.”
Annie breathed an audible sigh of relief.
Prentice’s eyes sliced to Fergus.
“Keep Sally here. Elle and I have to talk,” he ordered.
At his words, Annie started, her eyes getting wide.
Fergus’s gaze moved to Sally, who had joined them and was looking from one adult to another appearing happy but confused.
Then Fergus grinned, he curled firm fingers on Sally’s shoulder, pulling her to his legs and he nodded to Prentice.
Prentice didn’t hesitate further. Dropping his arm from her waist, he took her hand again and dragged her around the side of the church.
“Prentice,” she snapped, tugging at her hand unsuccessfully, her heart tripping over itself. “Stop! What are you doing?”
He didn’t answer. He dragged her around the side of the church to the back where he stopped.
“What on earth?” she asked irately, deciding to go with anger because fear was not an option.
She could be weak she just couldn’t show weakness. That was a lesson her father drilled into her using a variety of different methods.
Prentice tugged her toward him, she collided with his hard body then he stepped forward, taking her with him.
She hit the stone wall of the church, tipped her head back, mouth open to give him what for for scaring Annie and dragging Isabella around but she didn’t get out a sound.
He kissed her.
Hard, demanding, wet, deep and thorough.
It was a great kiss.
Of their own volition (not that she had the will to stop them) her hands slid up his shoulders, around his neck and she melted in his arms.
After he was done and she was putty in his hands, he lifted his head and his eyes bored into hers.
“That’s what I would have done if you’d have woken up in my arms,” he told her.
Her breath caught and her body trembled.
“Or part of it,” he finished.
“Prentice –” she started.
“I changed my mind,” he cut her off. “I don’t want to talk. I don’t want any explanations. I don’t give a f**k. I just want you.”
Her heart turned over and her belly clenched.
She tried to pull away.
He yanked her back.
“No, you don’t,” he warned, his voice low, his meaning crystal clear.
“Prentice, you don’t… you can’t…” She couldn’t think then she blurted, “Fiona.”
“Aye, we’ll talk about Fiona when the time is right.”
“But –”
His face dipped close to hers, his eyes went gentle and his voice went soft. “I told you, baby, when you came back to me, I’d make you work for it but I’d take you back. You may not want to be back but I don’t give a f**k. I’m keeping you this time.”
He remembered.
He remembered what he said.
She remembered it too. Every single word.
She felt tears sting the backs of her eyes.
“I –”
He touched his mouth to hers and she went silent.
Then he rested his forehead against hers and for some insane reason he was grinning.
“Don’t cry, Elle. Save it for when Dougal and Annie say, ‘I do’.”
“Pren –”
He kissed her silent again, this time with more than a brush on her lips.
When his mouth released hers, he didn’t give her the chance to speak; he took her hand and dragged her around to the front.
Dazed and panicked now for a different reason, Isabella noted that Clarissa and Dougal’s Mum, Jennifer, had arrived.
Everyone turned to them when Prentice dragged Isabella to the group and then fixed her to his side again with a strong arm at her waist.
“Are we ready?” he asked.
“Daddy, are you wearing lipstick?” Sally asked in return, her voice high and disbelieving, her face agog.
Fergus coughed into his hand.
Annie started giggling.
Clarissa beamed.
Jennifer stared.
Patty and Hannah started shuffling, ducking their grinning faces.
Isabella closed her eyes tight.
When she opened them, Prentice was casually wiping her lipstick from his mouth with a handkerchief.
When he’d completed this task, he tilted his head down to look at her and grinned before he whispered, “You might want to fix your lips, baby.”
Then he bent low, touched his lips to hers in front of everybody (including Sally!), left her swaying and entered the church.
* * * * *
Fiona
Fiona really wished she could get drunk.
Sure, it was lovely watching Annie and Dougal say, “I do”.
Bella had cried, Clarissa had cried, Old Lady Kilbride had cried, hell, there was barely a dry eye in the house even amongst the men. Even Sally had burst into tears, just for the sake of not being left out at which Bella had handed her and Annie’s bouquets to the next bridesmaid in line and picked Sally up, right in front of the congregation, cuddling her close as Sally sobbed baffled tears.
Fiona had also cried.
Hell, if you didn’t cry, you’d have to have a heart of stone.
Then they all went to the reception and in front of all and sundry, Prentice had pulled Isabella away while she was in the act of gracefully entering the Rolls.
With everyone watching in stunned, avid silence, he whirled her around and manhandled her into his Range Rover with Sally alternately skipping and dancing behind them, swinging her empty flower girl basket. Jason had followed slowly, a knowing but happy smirk on his face.
At the reception, Prentice glued Bella to his side. If she even considered making a run for it, Fiona would have sworn he’d have tackled her and wrestled her to his 4x4 and driven off into the sunset (after he’d ordered Jason and Sally into the car, of course).
He didn’t only glue her to his side, he made a public statement (but Fiona reckoned this statement was mostly directed at Bella) by being openly affectionate toward her in a way that could in no way be misread.
Annie looked delighted. It was the wedding gift she wanted above all, that was plain to see.
Dougal, at first, looked concerned. Then, as Prentice glared at the villagers, practically daring them to be mean to Bella so he could take them out (he’d even raised his brows at Hattie Fennick when she was approaching them, a nasty look on her face, but she read Prentice’s challenge, visibly paled and then switched directions at the last minute) Dougal started to become amused. Then he approached his friend, clapped him on the back and gave a surprised Bella a genuine, hearty hug.