Page 125 of Merrily Ever After
Fliss pressed a hand to her chest. ‘Are you kidding me, Astrid? If you were any more stylish, you’d be on the cover ofVogue.’
‘Seconded,’ Nell said, raising her glass. ‘Move over, Helen Mirren, Astrid is coming for you.’
Cesca took out her phone and tapped in a note for herself. ‘I’ll send some possible venues and a list of dates ASAP.’
I shook my head in wonder. ‘I wish I could be like you. So organised.’
‘I don’t,’ countered Fliss, with a giggle. ‘One person in my life who marches into my kitchen and lines up all the mugs so the handles face the same direction is quite enough, thank you.’
‘We should all celebrate who we are and not try to be someone else,’ said Astrid, topping up everyone’s glass.
‘Hear, hear,’ said Nell, swapping seats with me so Fliss could do her face and Cesca could tame my wayward frizz into something befitting a bride.
‘A toast,’ Astrid proposed. ‘To all of us, to our uniqueness, our differences and the love and friendship which brings us together.’
We drank to that, although I was being very careful not to drink too much. I wanted to remember every moment of today, not lose it in a fuzzy-headed haze.
The doorbell rang and Astrid went to answer it, returning a minute later carrying a large box containing the wedding flowers.
Everyone oohed and ahhed.
‘Oh my word,’ I gasped, taking my bouquet from the box. ‘These are even more incredible than I imagined.’
I’d gone for a circular arrangement with cream Snow Ballet and silvery pink Earl Grey roses, sprays of mistletoe and hypericum berries interwoven with sprigs of fragrant spruce and eucalyptus. The effect was romantic and wintry and had a vintage softness to it which complemented my wedding dress perfectly.
There was a second knock on the door and this time Fliss went. She returned seconds later looking puzzled. ‘There’s a man outside who says he’s got a drum kit to deliver.’
‘Excellent! Just in time.’ I grinned at her. ‘Ask him if he’d mind carrying it upstairs as a special favour seeing as it’s my wedding day. It’s Cole’s Christmas present,’ I added, noticing the look on everyone’s faces. ‘He’s always wanted one, ever since he was a little boy.’
‘Oh,’ Nell laughed. ‘Now I know why you wanted noise-cancelling headphones for Christmas.’
I tapped my head. ‘I’ve thought it all through.’
Astrid laughed in disbelief. ‘Mein Gott, he will be banging all Christmas.’
No one had an answer for that, and I didn’t dare look Nell in the eye.
‘I can’t wait to see you in your dress again,’ Nell said, changing the subject. ‘It’s getting very real now, isn’t it?’
I nodded. ‘Very.’
‘Five minutes and then you can,’ said Cesca. ‘I’m almost done. Just need to pin the pearl hair comb in place.’
Just as she picked up the vintage hair comb, my mobile rang, and Astrid passed it to me.
‘Sorry!’ I mouthed to Cesca, my heart skipping when I read the name on the screen. ‘Cole! Happy wedding day.’
‘Happy wedding day, darling,’ he replied, his voice low and husky enough to set my stomach in a spin. ‘My second Christmas Eve spent loving you.’
I smiled, remembering last Christmas Eve, the day we finally admitted how much we meant to each other. ‘Ditto. Is everything OK there?’
‘Fine, fine. Everything’s under control,’ he said, a little too fast.
‘Cole?’ I waited.
‘OK, there was a slight moment of panic when Harley forgot the safe place he’d put the box containing the wedding rings. But, luckily, he remembered just before Paul was about to fly off into town and buy some replacements.’
I laughed, picturing the scene, Cole ransacking the entire house with Paul, while Hester sipped her coffee and told them all to stop flapping.
