AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Gaby,” Kaitlyn says without a beat. “I was just saying that Tyson’s perfect for her. Now we need to find you a girl who can keep you under control.”
I give a short laugh, and Alex smiles wryly. “Ain’t no girl been born who can do that,” he announces. “Come on,” he says to her, “you can sit at the front with me.”
She gives him a grateful look, and it’s only then that I realize she’s nervous. Is it because she’s famous, and she’s conscious of people casting her looks? Or because Mason’s here? Their relationship has remained acrimonious, and I know Tyson was wary about having the two of them within close proximity of one another.
I watch Alex guide her over to the chairs, glad that he’s obviously decided to take it upon himself to make sure she’s okay. Maybe when he saw her, he realized what an effect her recent breakup has had on her, and took pity on her.
“Hey.” It’s James. “You ready to take your seat? I think we’re going to start soon.”
James is Tyson’s best man. The two of them and Henry decided some years ago that if any of them got married, James would be Tyson’s best man, Tyson would be Henry’s, and Henry would be James’s. It was an unspoken agreement that Alex and I would be each other’s one day.
“Sure.” I follow him to one of the rows and sit beside Henry. Next to him is Juliette with her partner, Cam. I nod at him and say hello. He’s a nice guy, an accountant, tall with dark-blond hair, intelligent and hardworking.
The wedding organizer, Pam, a rather scary woman in her early thirties with dark hair in a bun who’s so organized she could have planned D-Day, calls for everyone to take a seat. Belle remains standing behind the chairs with the other bridesmaids: Aroha and Tyson’s two younger half-sisters.
This rehearsal is just for close friends and family, about thirty of us in total. After we’ve run through the ceremony, we’ll have dinner, which is a chance for Gaby and Tyson to spend some time with the people they’re closest to, giving them more time to mingle with their other guests tomorrow who might be coming from further away, or who they don’t see as much.
Pam runs through the timeline for the big day, and then the ceremony itself. She explains where everyone needs to be, and tells Gaby to walk down the aisle with Mason as the music starts. I turn my head to watch Belle following her. She bends to whisper something to Tyson’s youngest sister, who has obviously asked her a question. I don’t know what the bridesmaids’ dresses look like, but if tonight is anything to go by, I’m sure Belle’s going to look stunning tomorrow, too.
Pam shows the bride and groom where to place themselves. Gaby has a special chair to sit beside Tyson in so they’re on the same level. As she sits, and Tyson moves his wheelchair beside her, Alex looks over his shoulder and winks at me and Henry. I wink back, excited to see Gaby’s reaction tomorrow when we reveal our big secret.
Next is a young couple, Cillian and Tori, who are going to perform a duet on the violin and cello. They’re apparently famous in the UK and play for the London Philharmonic Orchestra. When Gaby found out the two of them had come to New Zealand to visit and that they were available for hire, she was quick to book them for the big day.
Both Henry and Alex are going to do short readings. Henry will read a traditional Maori love poem. I’m not sure what Alex is doing. He told Gaby that he’s going to read something rude. She threatened to saw his legs off at the knees if he did that. He’s refused to tell her what poem he’s picked, so I guess we’ll all be entertained tomorrow when we find out.
Pam then goes through the vows, explaining how Susan, the marriage celebrant, will ask them both to say their vows before they exchange their rings. As I listen to her going through each step, with Gaby and Tyson listening intently, I’m aware of the turning of the wheel of time once again. The last wedding I went to was Kennedy’s, when she married Jackson. That event provoked a mix of emotions in all of us, especially when she gave a speech at the reception saying how much she missed her brother. Maybe it’s because these are important life events, and it just brings into focus how the absent person isn’t here to experience them. Christian will never fall in love, have sex, get engaged and married, or have children. It makes me unutterably sad.
“That concludes the ceremony,” Pam announces. “After this, the bride and groom will pass back along the aisle, and then move over to the trees where they’ll have their photos. When they’re complete, James will signal for everyone to form two lines through which the happy couple will pass on the way to the ballroom, and you can all throw your confetti.”
She finishes with a little speech about the beauty of marriage and how she hopes the two of them have many years of happiness ahead of them, and then suggests we move into the restaurant for the evening meal. We all clap, and then everyone starts making their way inside.
Belle joins me as we walk in, and touches my arm. “Are you okay?” she murmurs. “Were you thinking about Christian?”
Surprised at her perceptiveness, I say, “Yeah.”
“These rites of passage are supposed to be happy events, but they trigger all sorts of memories and emotions, don’t they?” She slides her hand down to mine, holding it briefly and giving it a squeeze before releasing it.
I don’t get a chance to reply because as we enter the restaurant, Freddie grabs her other hand and says, “You’re next to me, over here.”
She throws me an apologetic look but doesn’t argue, and lets him take her to one of the round tables where the other bridesmaids and ushers are sitting.
I sit at a table with Alex and the others. It’s a great meal, with a variety of choices from filet steak to braised lamb shanks to salmon, as well as two vegetarian options. Everyone at the table is on good form, too, so it’s a pleasant evening. But it’s marred for me by having to watch Freddie slavering over Belle for the entire evening. Jesus, could he make it any more obvious that he’s interested in her? He’s slung his arm across the back of the chair so it’s almost—but not quite—around her, and he leans toward her to murmur in her ear any opportunity he gets. While eating his steak, he cuts off a piece and offers it to her on his fork like a lover would do. To her credit, Belle takes the fork from him rather than letting him feed her, and I notice that she doesn’t touch him the way she touched me, but I’m still annoyed more than I should be. She’s not my wife or my girlfriend. She doesn’t wear my ring, and I have no claim on her at all.
“You could just go and pee all around her,” Juliette murmurs.
I look at her, startled by her comment.
“You’ve spent most of the evening glaring at Freddie,” Juliette says. “It’s pretty obvious.”
Alarmed, I look at Alex, but he’s talking to his mother and doesn’t appear to have noticed.
“Freddie is more her age,” I say to Juliette. “I’m sure they’ll make a lovely couple.”
She gives me a wry look. “So you’re not currently thinking about taking him out the back and beating the shit out of him?”
“Not at all.” I have a sip of champagne. “I thought I’d ask Henry to do it.”
We both laugh. “Why don’t you just ask her out?” she says.
