Page 107 of Merrily Ever After
‘I know I’m pernickety,’ Cole said, ‘but I’m not planning on doing this again. And the kids will be there this time. I want it to be a special day for all of us.’
‘It’ll be wonderful,’ Hester agreed.
‘And the reception should be a jolly occasion if the crates of wine in our utility room are anything to go by,’ Paul added.
‘At the end of the day, it’s a bit like a really good party where we just tell each other in front of our loved ones that we want to be together forever with a form to sign at the end,’ I remarked.
‘Just?’ said Cole in mock horror. ‘The day marks the start of our marriage.’
‘Ooh, are we talking wedding plans?’ Fliss and her husband joined us, widening our circle and diving into the blinis.
‘Precisely my point!’ I said, replying to Cole. ‘The wedding is day one. In my admittedly limited experience of marriage, there seems to be a big emphasis on every detail of the wedding and not enough preparation for what comes after.’
‘You mean the wedding night?’ He smirked. ‘Because you don’t need to worry about that.’
‘No,’ I laughed. ‘I’m talking about the life we make together after the wedding. That’s far more important to me than the actual ceremony. That’s the real celebration.’
His eyes softened. ‘You’re right of course.’
‘That is a good point.’ Nell sidled up and stuck out her plate of mini spring rolls. We all took one and munched. ‘From the moment you decide to get married, all the focus is on that one day and not making the relationship work.’
‘It’s like when you have a baby,’ Fliss put in. ‘Half the sessions at my antenatal group were about writing the birth plan, which goes straight out of the window as soon as you hit the delivery suite anyway. We’d have been much better doing some practical sessions on what happens when you bring the baby home, and you have to live with it.’
‘Exactly,’ I agreed, making a mental note to quiz her about this separately after Christmas. My broodiness was hitting peak levels watching her little ones running around with Cesca’s kids. ‘I miss Harley and Freya,’ I murmured to Cole.
‘Me too,’ he said, ‘and I love that you’re thinking of them. But we’ll get them all day on Christmas Eve. I didn’t want to push Lydia about tonight. She said she had plans; it wasn’t fair to ask her to change them.’
I nodded. He had a point, but what if the kids had wanted to be here? Didn’t they have rights too?
Our little gang had grown larger now; Olek had joined us, and Emily and Will were hovering nearby.
I reached an arm out to bring them closer. ‘Emily, Will, come and taste these blinis before Paul hoovers them up.’
I caught Nell’s eye, who pressed a hand to her chest and pulled a swoony face.I love that you have a sister, her expression said. I smiled back and nodded.Me too.
‘Thanks for inviting us,’ said Will.
‘Yes, it’s the perfect start to my Christmas holidays,’ added Emily, her cheeks pink, either from the mulled wine or all the racing about with the children, I couldn’t tell. ‘And I’m so excited for the wedding now I’ve met everyone.’
‘Have you done a DNA test yet?’ Olek asked.
‘Not yet,’ said Emily, wrinkling her nose. She looked at me. ‘I’d be devastated if the result came back that we aren’t related.’
‘Same here.’ I put my arms around her shoulders. ‘We’ve decided we’re sisters, come what may. We don’t need a test to confirm it. What is certain is that Emily’s Dad had a relationship with my mum. He is the only living person I know who remembers her, which means whether he is my dad or not, he’s the only link I have to her.’
‘His memory might be sketchy, but he definitely loved Sam and he’s convinced you’re his daughter,’ Emily reminded me.
Nell found a space to put down her canapés and held up her glass. ‘I propose a toast: to sisters, including sisters from another mister!’
‘And not forgetting sisters-in-law!’ Hester piped up.
‘To all sisters!’ we cried and then all the women hugged each other.
‘Would you like to see my wedding dress?’ I whispered to Emily.
Emily gasped. ‘Really?’
‘Hester? Are you in?’ I asked.
