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He is teasing, but I smile wider. “Paddy will be waiting for me at the other end of the aisle. What’s there to be nervous about?”
“What indeed?” Connor murmurs, pulling up outside the church.
PADDY
The church is full. I haven’t set foot in here since Seamus’s wedding. Now it’s my turn. The atmosphere is very different this time around. Everyone is relaxed. There are only friends here. A blonde I’ve never seen before walks in, looking gorgeous and more than a little nervous.
She glances around, her eyes lingering cautiously over Sean, where he’s holding court in the front pew. Nodding to Seamus, I stride along the aisle, brushing aside one of the ushers as I reach her.
“Andie Halpern?” I ask. She blinks up at me, relaxing.
“That’s me. Paddy Flynn?”
“Aye, lass. You’re up the front on Lauren’s side.”
She nods, following me up the aisle, clutching her purse to her chest as she sinks into the pew where I gesture. Sean glances over but turns back to Seamus, standing in front of him, hands in his pockets, chatting.
“This is Niall. You stick with him. You’ll be fine.” I gesture to Niall, who turns and looks her over, nodding.
“Andie is Lauren’s best friend,” I tell Niall. He looks her over again, nodding.
“I’ll look after ye, lass.”
She manages a faint smile, still hugging her purse. I’d stay and chat, but the priest nods to me, and I leave them, standing at the alter, Seamus finishing his conversation with his pa and moving to stand beside me.
Ronan steps inside, hovering at the door, holding it open. His eyes lock with me, and he nods. Showtime. I can’t fucking wait.
The music starts as Ronan’s little blonde stripper appears, strutting down the aisle in a flowing pale blue dress. There’s an intake of breath beside me, and I glance at Seamus as Tiggy walks in, also wearing a flowing blue dress. Seamus’s eyes drink in the sight of his wife, his eyes burning into hers.
“Keep it in your pants, Fitzy,” I murmur to him. “It’s my fucking wedding.”
“And so it is, Paddy.” His eyes cut away from Tiggy to grin at me. “And I am happy for you. She’s a grand lass.”
Aye, she is. Ronan is still holding the door, saying something as Niall’s bartender appears. In the front pew, Niall has eyes for no one else.
When she makes it to the end of the aisle, taking her position next to Tiggy, she stands directly in front of Niall, who stretches out his leg and tucks his foot underneath the hem of her dress where it brushes the ground, like he can’t bear not to touch her for another moment. I smirk as my eyes catch his, and he flips me off.
The strains of the wedding march sound, and I’m not thinking about Fitzy undressing his wife with his eyes or Niall feeling up his bartender with his foot.
My eyes are glued to the door where Lauren will appear. Connor slides in, flanking the other side of the entrance to Ronan, and then she’s here, my breath catching in my throat and my heart thudding loudly in my ears.
I have no idea how I could ever have thought Lauren anything other than plain gorgeous. Her dark hair tumbles down her breast over one shoulder, her dress looks like it’s from a fairytale, and her huge, alluring amber eyes burn into mine as she walks herself down the aisle to me.
When she reaches me and takes my hands after giving her bouquet to Mellie, I lift them to my lips, pressing a kiss to her fingers.
“Ye dazzle me, lass,” I murmur, and she smiles shyly at me. “Ye’reachuislemochroí.”
Pulse of my heart. Before I met Lauren, I always thought that phrase was a pack of nonsense. Not anymore.
I listen to every word the priest utters, my eyes never leaving Lauren’s. Finally, we’re bound together for the rest of our lives, and I’m allowed to fucking kiss her.
Crushing her to me, I eat at her mouth until the congregation starts to laugh. Breaking apart, I hug her close, wrapping my arms around her and pressing my lips to her forehead.
“Ye’re mine now,mo chroí.Ní ligfidh mé go deo thú.”
Lauren closes her eyes and sighs contentedly. “You better not.”
I grin against her forehead. Iknewshe’d been asking Connor to teach her the meanings of the Irish phrases I use with her. And it’s true. Iwon’tever let her go. Not now I’ve finally found her.
