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He gestured to her head. “Just in case.”
She snorted and he couldn’t help but smile. It was peak Mikayla. “Well, that’s gonna be awkward, because I’m gonna be at Juniper’s, celebrating her hen’s night. There’s gonna be lots of girl talk. You’ll stand out like a fly on a wedding cake.”
“Seriously, it’s a head wound.”
“Stop fussing. I won’t be by myself. And I won’t drink, if that makes you feel better.” Seeing he was about to object further, she said, “Mate, I wouldn’t want you to miss the chance to watch the Swans from a corporate box at the SCG if I was in a coma, so let it go before I really crack the shits.” Without giving him a chance to discuss it any further, she turned away, opening the door and calling out, “Bluey Watson, if you didn’t slot my kick, I’m gonna come over there and kick your ass! With my left foot, somehow, coz some bastard bashed my other one.” Then she stuck her head back through the door, a huge grin on her face. “We won!”
Chapter 3
Mikayla squirmed impatiently as Leah adjusted her dress. “Jesus, Mik, you’re worse than Billy!”
Mikayla frowned. She hardly ever wore dresses, and today she was reminded why. She pulled at the skirt, not sure it was draping correctly over her hips, then toyed with the bodice, concerned it was dipping too low. Leah slapped her hand away. “No more fiddling! You look gorgeous. Here.” Leah put her hands on Mikayla’s shoulders and turned her towards the full-length mirror in the spare bedroom at the Keeper’s Cottage. Mikayla sighed. She did look pretty good in her sapphire blue dress with its lacey bodice and knee length, silky, swishy skirt. The hairdresser had done an amazing job, allowing her hair to flow softly over her shoulders, just pinning back the sides off her face with the moonstone and diamond clips Juniper had given her as her bridesmaid’s gift. In regard to the dress, Juniper had said she could choose whatever she wanted, as long as it was blue, so of course she’d turned straight to Leah and allowed her free rein. She was absolutely clueless in the fancy dressing department and wasn’t afraid to admit it.
“You’re right. Of course.” She forcefully resisted the urge to pull the neckline up. “It’s a little lower cut than I’m used to.”
“On purpose. You’ve got an exceptional rack, why not show it off? Who knows, you might get lucky.”
“Ooh, listen to you! You might get lucky yourself.” Mikayla looked at Leah’s reflection up and down in the mirror. She looked like an absolute knockout in a slim fitting, plum colored dress. It was made of lush velvet that stopped well short of her knees, the cowl neckline exposing the white column of her throat. She grimaced at Mikayla’s comment, like she couldn’t imagine anything worse.
“Let’s go check on the bride. It must be nearly time for her to get dressed.”
They walked across the hall, to Juniper and William’s bedroom to find Juniper sitting in a rocking chair in the corner of the room. Billy was in her lap, and the two of them were still in their pajamas, with Juniper holding a glass of champagne. She gazed out at the ocean, looking serene and beautiful, with her hair and makeup already done by Leah.
William and his family had spent the night squeezed into the little cottage next to the lighthouse, under strict instructions, from Mikayla, to come nowhere near the Keeper’s house, especially William, unless he wanted to have his eyes gouged out. It wasn’t every day that one of your closest friends got married and Mikayla was following all the superstitions to a tee to make sure it all flowed smoothly, much to Juniper’s amusement.
Nora came bustling in with a tray of sandwiches in hand that had been cut into quarters. Mikayla grabbed one with egg and lettuce as she moved aside for Nora to pass her. “You look great, Mum!” Nora wore a forest green, lacy slip dress with a scalloped edge to the neckline and hem. She beamed at her daughter for her compliment. Mikayla took a big bite of the sandwich, grabbing another before Nora moved into the room. “God, I’m starving!”
“Me too!” Juniper reached for a napkin and a couple of sandwiches, handing one to Billy. “Eat this, baby. You didn’t have much for lunch and you’ve got a big job to do today.”
“I’m gonna carry the rings!” Billy all but yelled at Mikayla, his golden curls bobbing in his excitement.
“I know! We’d better get you dressed so you’ve got a pocket to put them in, hey.” Mikayla laughed as he jumped off Juniper’s lap. “Finish your sandwich first.”
He crammed the sandwich in his mouth so fast, Mikayla thought he could choke on it. “Take it easy!” She moved over to the wardrobe, pulling out his suit.
Violet came in just as Mikayla was buttoning up the little jacket, looking stunning in a flowing, aubergine colored dress. “Look at me, Nana!”
“You look very handsome. Ladies, you all look lovely. Nora, that shade of green is heaven on you.”
“You think so?”
“Yes, it’s perfect.”
“Well, everyone else is ready to go, I guess I’d better get dressed.” Juniper rose with a smile, laughing when the room burst into a flurry of activity. Mikayla and Violet helped Juniper into her dress, then Violet carefully did up the tiny pearl buttons embedded in the lace along the back of the fitted bodice. She stood back after setting the waterfall of cream silk that made up the skirt into place. Violet surveyed her granddaughter, her eyes shining as she pressed a kiss to her forehead.
“I love you, Junebug.”
“I love you too, Nana.”
Violet stepped back, allowing Leah to lead Juniper over to the dressing table to carefully attach the wreath of cream-colored flowers to her hair. Nora knelt and slipped the pearl encrusted heels on, doing up the straps firmly. They were low-heeled because, as Juniper said, she planned to dance all night.
Unnoticed by everyone, Billy and Leah had slipped out of the room. However, the two of them managed to return just as Nora was rising to her feet. Billy approached his mother with a cheeky look on his face. He loved surprises. He handed her a long, narrow jewelry case. “Daddy said I had to give you this when you were all ready to go.”
A hush fell over the group as Juniper took it from him, gasping as she lifted the lid and pulled out a diamond and moonstone bracelet that perfectly matched the earrings William had already given her for their big day.
The appreciative silence was broken by a knock at the front door. “I’ll get it, and if it’s William, I’m going to knock him unconscious and drag him back to the Long House,” Mikayla said as she made her way through the house to the front door. She swung the door wide, to see Rafe standing there. His eyes flared when he saw her, dropping ever so briefly to her cleavage and back up, a flash of heat in his gaze. She felt her breath hitch in response. Weird, she thought. He never looked at her like that. But then his expression was neutral, and she thought maybe she’d imagined it. Or maybe the dress was just that good, she thought to herself with a laugh.
“William said to let you know that they’re ready whenever you are.”
