River glances between us briefly. “Yeah, sure, we’ll see you later,” he says before kissing the corner of Elliot’s mouth.
“Last one to the top of that hill has to clean up the dog shit for the next week.” He takes off before Tommy can even reply. Tommy waves over his shoulder at us as he shoots off after him.
“Dog shit?” I ask, confused.
“Jax got Lily a dog,” Elliot says, smiling, and sits beside me on the bench. “It’s taking a while to get Frodo house trained.”
I raise my brow. “Frodo?”
Elliot smiles. “He’s a rescue. We didn’t feel right about re-naming him to be honest. Anyway, Mia saw him on social media and cried for like an hour. So, of course Jax, being the big arse softie he is, tracked the dog down and viola, newest member of the family.”
I’d hardly call Jax soft, but when it comes to Lily and Mia, I’m sure he’d do anything to make them happy.
“I think Aspen will love him.”
I smile because I’m sure she will. Aspen stayed with the girls last night.
It’s why I love that we’re having our wedding here, it means we get to have her as part of the ceremony too. We have caterers, and a marquee set. At least then, if the weather does turn—because this is the UK and the weather is anything but predictable—we have cover.
“You okay? You looked deep in thought before we interrupted.” Elliot says, resting his elbows on his short-clad thighs as he leans forward and looks out at the sky. It’s nice to see him more confident in his skin and not hiding his prosthetic.
“Yeah, I was just thinking about my surgery,” I admit. “Today will be a core memory for navigating the hard days.” I know they’re inevitable.
“Let’s just hope they are few and far between. I know you have a fight on your hands, Noah, but you’re one of the strongest people I know.”
I almost scoff at that because I feel anything but strong right now.
His hand moves to my shoulder, and he squeezes. “You know I’m here anytime, whether you need to talk or sit in silence. You’re not alone.”
“Thanks man, I appreciate it.” I shake my head. “I didn’t mean to get all melancholy, that’s not what I want today to be about,” I say.
He smiles. “I know, man, but it’s okay to get it off your chest at least, so you can embrace the day.”
Yeah, he’s right. I might not have said much, but I got it off my chest. Words maybe I’ve been holding onto.
“I still can’t believe I’m getting married,” I say, smiling.
He laughs. “I can, I think it was always meant to be, you were just waiting for Jessica.”
“Yeah, you’re right.”
Pushing to his feet, he holds out his fist to mine. “I’ve been known to have my moments.”
I bump my fist with his. “You have, and thanks again, man, for being here today. It means a lot.”
And it does, even more so now that Caleb is more accepting of our friendship.
“Of course,” he replies, checking his watch. “I should let you go get ready.”
I swallow my nerves and nod. “See you soon.”
He points his thumb over his shoulder. “I need to go and try to catch up with them two, make sure Tommy isn’t trying to kill River,” he says with a smile.
I watch as he jogs towards River and Tommy who are waiting at the top of the hill. River is waving his arms about, speaking animatedly to Tommy.
I check my phone as I head back towards the house and see some messages in the group chat.
Caleb: I can’t wait to say I do to the both of you xox
