Spiralling Skywards: Fading (Contradictions, #2)(6)

I screamed, I threw my head back, and laughed until I was in tears. I was sure there were moments where I did all three at once.

He rocked his hips and swayed in front of me, forcing me to grip the edge of my chair to keep from launching myself at him. I wanted to jump up and wrap my legs around my husband, knock him to the floor, and grind against him.

Liam Delaney could dance. And fuck me did he look smoking hot when he moved.

Ladies and gentleman, I give you my husband, go me.

I high-fived myself in my head, and my smile got even bigger.

The boys sang backup and performed a synchronised sway and finger snaps while Liam brushed his fingers down the side of my face, looked into my eyes, and sang about our love lasting forever. Then he missed a whole chorus because he was too busy kissing me.

As “I’ll Be Loving You” came to an end “Chasing Cars” began, Liam pulled me out of the chair and danced with me over to where my leather jacket was hiding.

“When did you plan that?” I laughed as he helped me with the sleeves.

“Yesterday after you left to meet with Sasha.” He winked and I melted a bit more. No wonder he was looking so nervous all afternoon.

My husband had just sung one of my favourite songs, from one of my favourite bands, to me, at our wedding. My face and lips were tingling with exertion from smiling so hard.

Now, it was our turn.

Everyone stood around a little unsure of what was about to happen as Liam pulled me back to the dance floor.

The music cut in at the exact right moment. I put my hand up in a halt gesture, just as the female voice on Meatloaf’s “Paradise By The Dashboard Lights” sang the word “stop”.

Liam played his part, holding his hands up in surrender. I followed him around the floor, singing and demanding answers to the questions in the song.

I didn’t even notice the claps, cheers, and whistles from our guests. I could see their smiling and laughing faces, but I could only hear the song, listening for the moments when I needed to sing.

Each time Liam asked for time to think about his answers, I folded my arms and walked away from him. When he finally agreed to love me for the rest of his life, the song faded out and returned to “Chasing Cars”.

We pulled off our jackets and collapsed into each other’s arms as a deafening applause erupted around us.

“That was so fucking sexy.” Liam’s hot breath fanned over my skin as he spoke into my ear.

“Which part?”

“Fuck, all of it.”

I looked up at him, still smiling.

“Yeah?”

“Fuck yeah. We should have a little roll play with that later on.”

He bit down on the corner of his bottom lip and winked at me.

I had the sexiest motherfucking husband in the history of motherfucking husbands!

“I’ll be your rock star, you can be my groupie.”

I stick out my bottom lip and pout.

“I don’t wanna be a groupie.”

“All right, well I’ll be . . . give me the name of a hot, married rock star.”

“Marley Layton.” I didn’t hesitate, and my swift answer had his eyebrows pulling up.

“Marley Layton? He’s gotta be what, forty?”

“Still hot, though.”

Liam shrugged his shoulders. “Okay, I’ll be Marley Layton, you can be . . . what’s his wife’s name?”

“Ashley, or Ash I think.”

“Whatever, she’s stunning so that works. We’ll take the jackets on honeymoon with us and play ‘Marley and Ash.’ Sound good?”

“Sounds perfect.”





We didn’t take the jackets on honeymoon with us.

We didn’t even go on honeymoon.

At around eleven thirty on our wedding night, Shain interrupted my attempts to teach Liam the words and dance moves to “We Go Together” from Grease and told him there was a call regarding work he needed to deal with.

I carried on dancing with Sash and Maggie, not really taking a lot of notice of his absence until our guests started to leave and questioned where my husband was so they could say their goodbyes.

I made apologies on his behalf and eventually wove my way from the marquee to my grandparents’ house, which was where I found Liam, Luke, Shain, and Dan all pacing the kitchen and talking on their phones. Will was at the kitchen table on his laptop, and I felt like all eyes looked to me as I entered the room.

“What’s wrong?” I asked Lori, who was busy boiling the kettle.

“A helicopter filled with miners leaving an island up off Darwin was in an accident, there have been fatalities, not sure how many yet.”

My eyes found Luke’s, but his were already on me even though he was on the phone. He held out his hand, beckoning me forward, and I went to him.

He pulled me against his side, and I could feel his body shaking.

“Is there anything I can do?” I stood up on tiptoes and asked directly into his ear. He shook his head and carried on his conversation with whoever was on the other line.

None of us got any sleep that night, except my grandparents, who I sent up to bed at around three. Marie, Maggie, Sasha, Lori, and I made the boys continuous cups of tea and coffee and fed them leftovers from the wedding buffet.

By six in the morning, I had changed out of my wedding dress and into a T-shirt and a pair of shorts.