Page 136 of Quiet Longing

Rhys cast his cousin a brief smile. “Shay’s an introvert. Being the centre of attention for an entire day is tough for him. But he’s excited to get married. Knowing Maggie will be his wife at the end of all this is what’s keeping him going.”

“That’s so sweet.”

Rhys’ uncle, Eugene, motioned him over, and he nodded, holding up one finger. “Just a sec.”

He turned back to me. “I think they’re going to start letting us inside.”

“Right, yeah, of course.” He made a move to leave, and I touched his hand. Rhys raised a curious eyebrow. I swallowed down my nerves and murmured, “Um, if you can spare some time later, I was wondering if we could talk?”

“Talk?”

“There’s something I wanted to discuss with you.” My eyes flickered to the others present. “Preferably in private.”

He studied me, heavy curiosity in his gaze before he nodded. “Sure. I’ll come find you later.”

With that, he bent and pressed a stomach whirling kiss to my cheek before he went to join Shay and Eugene. Nuala came to my side then, linking her arm through mine. “You okay?”

I nodded before quietly revealing, “I’m going to tell Rhys I love him and that I want to be with him today.”

Nuala let out a little squeal. “Oh em gee. I knew it! This is so exciting. Can I be there? I want to see his face when you tell him.”

“I’m too nervous for an audience,” I said, huffing in a deep breath. “But I appreciate your enthusiasm. Besides, I have no idea how he’s going to react. He could tell me to take a hike.”

“Never. That man has been smitten with you since he was a mere lad. He’ll be over the moon when you tell him.”

“I hope so. Now, let’s get inside before we miss the wedding.”

Nuala and I sat on the bride’s side since Maggie was our new bestie. There was an older, well-dressed couple to our left that we got chatting to. Their names were Alan and Jim, and Maggie had worked for them for years before she’d started her new job with Jonathan. Alan was also an artist, and he’d helped getShay’s art into a gallery, which was news to both me and Nuala since we hadn’t even realised Shay was an artist on the side.

The interior of the church was beautiful, and there was a lovely calm, relaxed vibe amongst the eighty or so attendees. As we waited for Maggie to arrive, my attention wandered to Shay, where he stood by the altar, Rhys next to him as they exchanged a few words in sign language. Ever since my divorce, I’d been determined that I’d never get married again, but with how much I loved Rhys, my perspective was shifting. I wasn’t keen on shackling myself to another person, but the idea of being shackled to Rhys didn’t fill me with fear or dread. Quite the opposite. It filled me with hope. I’d be lucky to spend the rest of my life with a man like him.

“Why am I getting emotional already? I always cry at weddings,” Nuala whispered, and I shot her a fond smile.

A string quartet played up near the organ, and when Maggie appeared, arm in arm with Jonathan—who she’d asked to give her away—my heart filled with excited flutters. Her dress was a simple floor-length gown in soft, ivory silk, her auburn hair in a loose up do, tendrils falling gently down either side of her face and a small veil over her features.

She was utterly stunning.

Her half sisters, a girl in her midteens and another around nine or ten, both with dark hair, acted as her bridesmaids, which I found rather endearing. They wore dresses that were the same shade of pale blue but in different styles. Her two half brothers, who were also young, wore suits like the ones Shay and Rhys wore, and that just about broke me in terms of cuteness, especially since the two boys looked so proud to see their big sister get wed.

The crowning moment of the ceremony, though, was Shay’s dog, who dutifully trotted up the aisle as the ringbearer, soliciting many gasps and coos of delight from the pews. I’dnever encountered such a chill, well-behaved dog in my life. He took the whole thing in stride.

When the priest pronounced them both husband and wife, Nuala and I were squeezing each other’s hands, both of us shedding tears of joy for our new friend. It was as Shay drew Maggie close for the kiss that I felt eyes on me. Rhys’ gaze fell on mine, and something about his expression had a lump forming in my throat.

The sooner I confessed my love to him, the better. At least then, he could decide if he wanted me, and the decision would be out of my hands.

36.

Rhys

I was just finished talking to the photographer when I spotted Nuala and Charli leaving the church. They walked to the road, and Charli threw her hand out for a passing cab.

“Hey,” I called, jogging their way. “I’m driving to the reception if you two need a lift?”

It was difficult to keep my eyes off Charli. Not only had I not seen her in two whole weeks, she looked more beautiful than ever. And that was an achievement because she was always beautiful. The last six months had been the most challenging of my life. Not even when I was stationed in dangerous locations during my time with the legion had I struggled so much. Tearing myself away from Charli, giving her the space she needed to grow and learn independence, was the hardest, most selfless thing I’d ever had to do.

“Rhys, thank you. That’s very kind,” Nuala said with a smile. “We decided to take cabs today so we can both drink at the reception.”

“Well, I’m happy to be your designated driver. Come on,” I replied, motioning them to follow me.

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