Page 54 of Wedding Games
She lifted it to her nose and blew loudly, upending four glasses and two bottles of champagne in the process.
‘Fuck’s sake,’ Jamie muttered.
‘It’s okay,’ Morag yelled. ‘We’ve got this! Carry on, lass.’
Zoe grinned even as her eyes filled with happy tears. ‘I want to thank Charlie, Jamie, and Duncan for all the support they’ve given Rory—’
Charlie stood, pointed to himself and bowed.
‘Huevón!’ Valentina hissed. ‘Sit down!’
‘And to Fiona, Sam, and Valentina,’ Zoe continued. ‘For being the best friends a girl could ever have.’
Charlie led the applause as Zoe held her friends’ gazes, the love they had for each other filling the space between them.
She turned to Rory and squeezed his hand. The day had been long and tiring, but it was all worth it for the outcome. She was now married to this incredible man.
She moved the mic away from her face. ‘I love you,’ she whispered.
‘I love you too,’ he replied, his eyes shining.
Zoe turned back to the room. ‘Most of you don’t know how Rory and I met. I’m afraid the first time I laid eyes on his hulking form, I thought he was a bear and threw a week’s worth of groceries at him.’
Rory tugged her hand, and she glanced down. His eyebrows were raised as if to ask if she was really going to go there. She nodded, and he sighed and shook his head.
A photo of her cabin appeared on the screen next to her, taken just after she’d moved up to Scotland. The windows were broken and grimy, the roof looked alive, and the front door was completely missing.
‘This is the cabin I inherited from my great uncle,’ she continued. ‘I didn’t know at the time, but Rory was desperate to move in himself, so he decided I had to go.’
A shocked murmur ran around the room and Charlie sniggered.
The next photo was taken from inside the cabin, showing thirty Highland cows trying to get in via the front door.
‘This was his first attempt,’ she said.
Another image appeared, this one of Basil, her super cute and fluffy Dumbo rat, sitting inside a bird’s nest on top of a box by her sleeping bag.
‘And this was the second,’ she continued, as half the room went ‘awwww’, and the other half cringed.
‘However, I was not to be deterred. You see, unfortunately for Rory, I had not only fallen in love with Scotland, but I had also fallen in love with him.’
The next slide was one of the photos she’d taken for the castle website. It showed Rory, shirtless and in a kilt, wielding a broadsword atop a battlement. A chorus of wolf whistles from his army buddies met the ones from Charlie, Duncan, and Jamie.
Rory scowled at them.
Zoe giggled and kissed the top of his head. ‘I took these photos to help advertise the castle at a time I thought my love was unrequited.’ A photo now appeared of the two of them embracing, Zoe wearing Fiona’s wedding dress. ‘When Fi took this photo,’ she continued, her cheeks heating up as she relived their passionate encounter from a few hours ago, ‘I never thought my dreams would come true. But standing here now, I know they have.’
She faced Rory, her eyes blurry. ‘I may have once called you a “man-bear, yeti, mutant-redneck-hobbit, hobo”, but you’re also my champion, my protector, and the love of my life. I love you, Rory MacGinley. Thank you for choosing me.’
He stared at her, his face filled with emotion. She lifted her glass but kept her gaze on him. ‘To Rory,’ she said, her voice wobbling.
‘To Rory!’ everyone shouted.
Sam took the microphone from her and Zoe sat on Rory’s lap, her lips finding his as his arms held her tightly.
‘Ladies and Gentlemen!’ Sam cried. ‘It’s the moment you’ve all been waiting for. It’s time for the speech by the best…’
‘Women!’ yelled Fiona into another microphone.
