Page 54 of One Bridegroom Required!

Holly’s mother had left husband number four sipping champagne cocktails back at the hotel. Men never really appreciated a wedding in the way that a woman did! He would only cramp her style, and she intended to bask in the reflected glory of the wedding dress that she had designed all those years ago. She sighed. If only she had known then what she knew now...

She sat next to Ursula O‘Neil, who had been surprised and delighted to be invited to the wedding. But, as Holly had explained, if it hadn’t been for Ursula, then she would never have got the dress back. Ursula’s sister Amber had also been invited, but had declined. She had called her own wedding off at the last minute, and said she couldn’t face seeing the inside of a church for the time being.

Caroline had been invited but, as expected, had declined. She had sent them six very ugly place-mats and explained that she would be far too busy furnishing her brand-new house to attend.

At the altar Luke sat next to Will, just enjoying the music and the sight of sunlight streaming cobalt, scarlet, jade and saffron through the stained glass windows. He felt...well, he felt just great. He would even go so far as to say that he was the happiest man on earth. He didn’t know what the future held; no one did. Whether their baby would be born here, or in Africa. But Holly was flexible and so was he. Nothing seemed to matter any more, now that they had found one another.

The lively music stilled, and then began to play the traditional notes of the ‘Wedding March’, and Luke, together with the rest of the congregation, slowly rose to his feet.

He didn’t know whether he was supposed to or not, but Holly was in the same building and therefore he just couldn’t resist turning round to look at her.

She took the slow, careful steps of every bride—the pure, clear light from the windows turning the buttery satin of her dress into a soft kaleidoscope of colour. The understated beauty of the copper roses only emphasised her exquisite colouring. God, how he loved her.

Holly saw him watching her and smiled back, a look of pure happiness.

Luke’s heart thundered as their gazes held for a private, infinitesimal moment, and he knew that everything was going to be just perfect.

He had come home at last.

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