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‘No, she isn’t.’ Mimi looked at her watch. ‘She’s got another two minutes to go. If you don’t stop this, so help me, Jack, I’m going to sedate you.’
A sound at the other end of the aisle. There seemed to be some activity in the porch, and suddenly Ellie appeared. It was the second time in six months that she’d been a bridesmaid and, after the petal-throwing debacle at Rafe and Mimi’s wedding, Cass had decided that a sparkly wand might go with the pretty pink dress that Ellie had helped pick for herself.
Ellie waved the wand at the assembled company. Their families, their friends and half the village had turned out and squashed themselves into the church at Holme. Every head turned and the organist struck up the wedding march. This time Ellie didn’t take fright and started to walk up the aisle, a look of intense concentration on her face.
Then Jack saw her. She had flowers in her hair and her dress fell in soft folds from an embroidered bodice, emphasising the fluidity of her movements. As Cass walked slowly towards him, her hand resting lightly on her father’s arm, he was transfixed.
‘Stand up, will you?’ Mimi hissed the words in his ear, kicking him. Jack wondered whether his legs would be able to support him. Cass was the most beautiful woman in the world and she’d come here to be his wife.
‘You’ve got the rings?’ He turned to Rafe in a sudden panic.
‘Of course we have.’ Rafe propelled him to his feet and Cass smiled at him. And suddenly everything was not only all right; it was touched with more joy than Jack could ever have imagined one man could stand.
* * *
She’d made her vows and he’d made his. As they stepped out of the church and into the spring sunshine, a firefighters’ guard of honour stood to attention. Miss Palmer was on the station commander’s arm and Ellie capered around, swishing her wand. Everyone trooped across to the village green, where two huge interconnecting marquees had been erected, one to accommodate the buffet and the other for dancing.
Jack was by her side all the way, through the speeches, the cutting of the cake, the excited congratulations. Her soulmate. The hero who had saved her and brought her to a place where she was completely happy.
‘Do you have a date yet? For moving in?’ Martin beamed at Jack.
‘A couple of months, we hope. We’re taking our time and doing it properly.’
Both Jack and Ellie loved the house down by the river, and Holme was a good place for Ellie to grow up. They’d chosen the new decorations together and when Jack sold his place there would be cash to build a second storey on to the existing extension if they wanted. Cass found Jack’s hand and felt his fingers close around hers.
‘And I saw the new wall,’ Sue chipped in. ‘So, no more repeats of last year.’
‘It wasn’t all bad. Look what I found washed up on my doorstep.’ Cass squeezed Jack’s hand and he chuckled.
There was one more thing to be done. Jack had made her feel so happy, so loved, that she’d almost forgotten about monthly cycles and calendars. Until last week. She’d been to the doctor and taken a pregnancy test, just to be sure before she went on her honeymoon.
She’d run all the way home to tell him, stopping just yards from the house. He’d told her that he wanted to marry her without knowing what the future held and she couldn’t deprive him of the chance to make that ultimate commitment.
Jack led her on to the dance floor. The weather was warm enough for the walls of the marquee to be removed, leaving just a high domed canopy, strung with lights over their heads. When their first dance was over, other couples started to fill the dance floor.
She felt Jack’s chest heave in a long contented sigh and she smiled up at him. ‘Happy?’
?
??I don’t think it’s possible to be any happier.’
She laughed. ‘Sure about that?’
‘Positive.’
She stretched up, whispering in his ear.
* * *
Mimi was watching the couples on the dance floor as suddenly Jack lifted Cass up, swinging her round. Then he set her back on to her feet again, hugging her tight as tears streamed down his face.
‘Look.’ She nudged Rafe. ‘I don’t suppose there’s a bit more synchronicity going on, is there...?’ It had become a joke between the two couples that Jack had set eyes on Cass at pretty much the same moment that Mimi had seen Rafe again.
Rafe thought for a moment. ‘No. I don’t.’
‘Why not? It makes perfect sense.’
‘But what are the odds, Mimi? Seriously. It would be wonderful, but...’ His gaze wandered over to where Jack was still hugging Cass.
