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“Just go along with what makes her happy.” Oliver gave a watery smile.
He took the two handkerchiefs and weighed them up. Dark or light blue? “I’ll go with the light blue.” He handed the other back to the assistant and saw the glint of admiration in her eyes. Another glance in the mirror, and yeah, he’d accept he looked okay, but his little bro looked even better. Radiantly handsome with his blonde hair and blue eyes and the ecstatic smile he was trying to tamp down so as not to rub salt in Oliver’s wounds.
“The Blake brothers scrub up pretty well, eh?” Aaron said, then sighed, a little shadow marring his happy expression. “You know, I really wish Mum was here right now.”
“I know, mate, me too. She’d be rapt to see you so happy.”
“And thanks for making me realise I was in love with Alice when I couldn’t see it staring me in the face.”
The day Oliver had confronted Aaron on that had been a reckoning. It had also been what brought them closer after all the years of antipathy.
“I’m bloody glad my hunch was correct,” Oliver replied.
“So am I.”
Awkward hands clapped over broad shoulders as the brothers shared an affectionate hug, then went to change out of their outfits.
“C’mon, let’s go and grab a beer,” Aaron said.
A while later, seated at the bar of the Shamrock, Oliver with a midi of designer beer and Aaron with a Fosters, Oliver brought out his notes on the proceedings and they went over the last little details of when to introduce the speeches, the cake cutting, and the wedding waltz.
“We’ve got the final run through tomorrow with the marriage celebrant. Jesus, is it actually only three days away?” Aaron turned pale.
Oliver glanced at him sharply. “No doubts I hope?”
“No way.” A vigorous head shake. “Never wanted anything so much. It’s just the magnitude of it all. I really didn’t expect to…” Aaron’s eyes were suddenly watery, “feel this emotional.”
“It’s a big thing,” Oliver said gruffly. They sipped in silence for a moment, then Aaron said, “It’s never seemed like the right time to say this before, but I guess me and Al—we had the odd niggling doubt—about you and Leonie.”
Oliver’s scalp tightened. “Seems like they were justified.”
Aaron’s gaze drilled into him. “The right woman will come along, Ol. You know that, don’t you?”
Oliver shrugged. “Who knows.” An awkward pause. “Are the bridesmaids all sorted?”
“Yep. There was a disagreement over shoes with Polly apparently.” Aaron’s lip curled. “Polly won. She’s wearing a pair of Eiffel towers on the end of her legs. Judith and Felicity are happy with flats.”
Oliver’s fingers tightened round his glass. There was a segue here. Casually, he asked, “Did you know about Felicity’s leg?”
Aaron cast him a sharp glance. “What about it?”
“I saw her scar. She told me how she got it. Did you know she’d had cancer?”
“Yeah, she told us when we were in the UK, kind of in passing, but Alice reckoned it’s up to Felicity to share if and when she wants to, so we haven’t gone around saying ‘meet Alice’s cousin, she’s a cancer survivor’.”
“I get that. It’s just… I was kind of shocked to hear she’d been through something like that. She’s so bubbly, I wouldn’t have suspected.”
“You wouldn’t suspect how bad it was for us after Mum died. It’s not like people wear these things on their sleeve.”
“Of course not.” Oliver buttoned his lip. If he kept asking questions it might look suspiciously like more than friendly interest. He was about to change the subject when Carts appeared at Aaron’s shoulder. “Have I missed anything?”
“Just the plan for the whole day.” Aaron rolled his eyes good-naturedly. “Have you written your speech yet?”
“Most of it. I’ve rehearsed twice in front of Judith and she says it’s great. All three words.”
“Knew I could rely on you to keep it succinct.”
“Nah, it’s longer than that. More like ten. Judith thought it was pretty funny.”
