Page 90 of The Last Resort
The loud scrape of a chair being pushed back broke the silence. A stony-faced Bryce rose from his chair and made his way to the front of the room. When he reached the best man,he held out his hand. The youngest Royal went to protest, but his speech was ripped from his fingers.
Oh, this is not good.
Bryce had made it part way back to his chair, when Matthew reached into his other pocket and pulled out a second wad of paper. A snort of amusement rippled around the room, as Bryce turned on his heel and headed back to his brother. This time however, Matthew simply shrugged his shoulders and handed him the papers.
Rachel met Vivian’s gaze, and catching the sly grin on her lips, let out a small sigh of relief. This was all a part of the wedding.
Upfront, Bryce remained staring down his youngest sibling, who finally huffed and made a great show of reaching into the front of his suit pants where he proceeded to pull out another wad of papers. The bride and groom fell about laughing, and the rest of the guests joined them.
Accompanied by a round of applause, a grinning Bryce headed back to his seat. From his jacket pocket, Matthew took out a tiny scrap of paper, and waved it victoriously in the air. “It’s a good thing the bride knows all the groom’s secrets, so this will be a short speech.”
He stuffed the paper back into his pocket, then moved to one side and faced the happy couple. As he did, it occurred to Rachel that this was the real Matthew, not the stiff, formal man who’d tried to sell his proposal at the planning meeting.
“Many of you know that Jordan has had his fair share of demons to overcome in his life. And that he continues to meet that challenge every day.”
Tears pricked Rachel’s eyes.
“So when he told me that he had fallen for Chloe, I must admit I was a little hesitant about how that would go. Billionaire screw-up, his words not mine, meets world famous popstar. But over the past year or so we have all come toknow the real Chloe. And during that time we have gained a sense of the warm and loving woman that she is, someone who is far more than just a musical legend.”
The bride dabbed at her eyes.
“Seeing these two people together has made me believe in miracles.”
Jordan rose from the table and came to Matthew’s side. The groom was blinking back tears.
“I say miracles because I swear, only a miracle would have made a woman like Chloe marry my brother. And we are so very glad that she did.”
Whatever was left in the best man’s speech remained unspoken as Jordan wrapped an arm around Matthew and the brothers embraced.
On the opposite side of the table Bryce stood. He held up his glass of champagne and toasted the happy couple. “To Chloe and Jordan.”
If she hadn’t already been certain she’d fallen hard for Matthew, this moment would have sealed the deal for Rachel. He was everything she’d ever looked for in a man, and so much more.
Rachel Royal. It had a lovely ring to it.
CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR
It was close to midnight by the time the bride and groom finally left the reception. In the end they were kidnapped by a combined group of the English and German Royal cousins who carried Chloe and Jordan down to the dock. The huge ocean-going yacht which was to be their means of escape was berthed and waiting for them.
Rachel and Matthew along with most of the other guests happily ambled down to the shore to wave the newlyweds a fond farewell. The night air filled with cries of, “Bye!”, “Have a wonderful time!”, and “Congratulations!”
The second the gangway was lifted clear, and the boat slipped from shore, Matthew dropped his head back and let out a sigh. “Now we can go and party.”
He grabbed her by the hand, but instead of heading back to the reception, he towed her toward the beach.
“I was going to get another drink,” Rachel protested.
“There’s a fully stocked bar and a DJ who really slaps set up further toward the main dock. Mom didn’t want the music pumping all through the house and messing with the family members who just want to talk to one another. This way weget a party for the younger set—her words—and a respectable reception for the olds—my words.”
Rounding a corner of the estate, they headed across a short patch of green lawn. Up ahead of them, thousands of fairy lights hung from the trees. A dancefloor had been erected at the edge of the lawn. Once again Rachel had to remind herself that this was one of the richest families in the world. No expense had been spared for the wedding and the reception.
As they waited for their drinks at the bar, a staff member approached. He was carrying a large wicker basket. “Mister Matthew Royal and Ms. Rachel Little?”
“Yes, that’s us.”
The man reached into the basket and produced an envelope which he handed to Matthew, who quickly opened it. “Civilization!” cried Matthew, passing Rachel her mobile phone.
It had only been a day and a half since she’d handed it over for safe keeping, but it felt like an eternity. Rachel paused for a moment. It would be all too easy to turn it back on and check her messages and emails. To log into her life.
