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‘So, I can’t believe you actually married Bad Jeans Josh. I guess we’re condemned to hang out with the sanctimonious prick forever now, are we?’ Jay grinned.
‘You are,’ Audrey said, ruffling Jay’s perfectly coiffed hair.
‘I better go have a beer with him then. Wind him up about how shit wind farms are. You want him to be all riled up before tonight,’ Jay said, winking again and then kissing his wife full on the lips.
At the far end of the table Miranda and Paul were kissing like teenagers. ‘I think those guys might out-cute you and Josh if you’re not careful,’ said Clara.
‘Isn’t it great? They’re tying the knot in Yorkshire next summer, in Granny Parker’s local church. They’re having Yorkshire everything, even Yorkshire wine. Paul is competing with me to become the favourite grandchild-in-law, but honestly, he can have that one.’
After the food had been cleared away, they all danced around the firepit to the playlist she and Josh had chosen. They didn’t do a first dance, they wanted everyone dancing together. Vivien shimmied over to talk to Audrey.
‘Are you enjoying yourself, darling?’ she asked.
‘Immensely,’ Audrey said. ‘I know this is only the second wedding I’ve had, but it’s definitely my favourite.’
‘I have a little news. I didn’t want to tell you earlier, I thought it might be slightly crass to talk divorce just before the service.’ Vivien pursed her lips in excitement and pulled Audrey to the edge of the dancing circle, away from the music.
‘Lawrence has agreed then?’ Audrey asked.
‘He won’t contest it, especially since he’s now shacked up with that Mexican dental assistant in Parson’s Green. But that’s by-the-by. The thing is, this new divorce lawyer I’ve hired, Stephanie – quite the character, makes her own cheese – anyway, she’s done a little digging and she suspects my first marriage, to Kosmo in Greece, might not have been properly annulled. The paperwork was missing a signature or some such. Anyway, long story short, if the marriage was never annulled, then technically, none of my other weddings were legal. Stephanie thinks if we track down Kosmo, fill in the missing paperwork, get the annulment completed, then it will be as if I’ve never been married at all. Isn’t that the funniest thing?’
Audrey felt herself frown. It didn’t sound all that funny to her. ‘So, you were never married to Dad?’
‘No, none of them. Brian thinks it’s all most amusing. If Brian and I were to get married next summer, it would be as though it were my first real wedding. Say you’ll be my Matron of Honour, darling? We’ll have such fun dress shopping and cake tasting. I really do feel in my element planning a wedding. It brings out the best in me.’
Audrey gave a non-committal smile. She wasn’t sure if she agreed, but they could have that conversation another time.
After dinner and dancing and a few too many revelations from guests, Josh and Audrey wrapped up warm and took a stroll through the woods, just the two of them. They headed away from the party through to a woodland clearing lit by tiki lights. The moon was high in the sky and the air sharp and clear. Audrey hugged her white fluffy coat around her shoulders, and they had their first dance in silence, just the two of them.
‘What’s that smell?’ Josh asked, leaning into her neck.
‘The perfume Miranda made me as a wedding present. It’s called Jodrey.’
‘Not sure about the name, but it smells good. Are you excited about next week?’ Josh asked.
‘I can’t wait,’ she whispered into his shoulder. They were planning an extended honeymoon. They were going to spend two months in Kielder Forest while Audrey did an Introduction to Astrophotography course at the observatory. Then they were going travelling for a month. Josh had suggested they do it ‘Audrey style’ – stick a pin in a map and see where they ended up.
‘I feel like astrophotography is going to be your thing,’ Josh said into her hair as they slow-danced in the clearing. ‘What you were meant to do.’
‘Maybe. I don’t know if anything is “meant to be”, certainly when it comes to love. There could be a million versions of us out there in the multiverse, where none of this worked out. Aren’t we lucky that we get to live in the world where it did?’
‘I’ll send back the matching “soulmate” bracelets I had made as a wedding present then, shall I?’ Josh asked, a smile playing on his lips.
‘You didn’t?’ she asked, a flicker of doubt in her eyes.
‘No, I didn’t. I did get you a something though.’
Josh pulled a small velvet bag from his jacket pocket and emptied something into his palm. It was a silver bracelet with a tiny silver acorn charm.
‘I love it,’ she said, holding out her wrist for him to fasten it to.
‘I got it for you because I think love is a seed. We choose to plant it, nurture it, and at the end of our lives, if we end up with a glorious old oak tree, with huge branches and plenty of shade, then that’s on us, not the cosmos.’
‘Well, I choose you, James.’
‘I choose you, Amy. Do you think we got it right this time?’ Josh asked, kissing the top of her head and looking back at the small wedding party dancing beside the firepit.
‘I do,’ said Audrey. ‘I really do.’
