Unplugged (Blue Phoenix, #3)(83)

Liam Oliver walks away from the cottage, and the realisation tomorrow I’ll be Cerys Oliver hits again.

“First things first,” says Lou from behind, “Wine!”

“Maybe bring everything inside first? Before you get too drunk to navigate the snow?”

A huffing Louise follows me out, but her face is as lit up as the Christmas tree in the corner of the small cottage lounge room. “You marrying Liam is the best,” she says. “You totally deserve each other.”

“You’ve changed your tune since last Christmas!” I say, handing her bags from the car.

“I was looking out for you! I didn’t know he was secretly, madly in love with you!”

I giggle. “I don’t think he was…”

“Well, he certainly is now. I can’t believe you’re going to be my sister!”

“Well, we always had the love/hate thing going on as teens, I guess it’s appropriate,” I say. Louise pushes me and we set about preparations for tomorrow.

For the day, I marry Liam Oliver.

****

LIAM



I arrive at the castle with Bryn. The mid-morning winter sun shines on the snow-covered castle keep and across the grounds toward the coast. The journey from the hotel in Pembroke was short and most of it was in silence. But I know the words are coming, Bryn won’t be able to resist.

“Go on,” I say to Bryn as we step out of the car into the snow.

Bryn straightens his jacket, the grey suit and waistcoat matches mine, the same crisp white shirt and red tie to match the white rose and berry buttonhole. “Go on, what?”

“A comment about the last wedding we attended. Get it over with.”

“Oh, Liam, man!” Bryn throws an arm across my shoulder. “If I thought you were going to abandon another bride, I wouldn’t have agreed to be your best man again.”

“I can a hundred percent guarantee I will not be leaving here until I’m a married man.”

“I know,” says Bryn with a smirk. “Come on.”

The vaulted chapel rests inside the castle walls, the serenity of the location and the small number of guests milling around are a world away from the pink disaster earlier this year.

Inside, a white drape hangs around the arched window at the end of the chapel, the distressed stone walls showing the age of the building. Chairs are set out in rows for the twenty or so people chosen to attend and the official photographer, negotiated to keep the magazines away, sits on one of the grey chairs at the back of the room. Either that or she’s a wedding guest with a really large camera. With her long brown hair and smart red dress, the young woman doesn’t look very paparazzi; so hopefully, she’ll be subtle about her intrusion into what I wanted to be a private day.

Mum and Dad sit grinning at me on the front row, bridesmaid Louise will be bossing Cerys, I imagine. I stand near the low table at the front and greet the grey haired woman who’s the registrar, then turn back to the half-empty room.

What if Cerys changes her mind?

No, she wouldn’t.

Dylan and Sky sit at the front to the left of me whispering to each other, hands firmly held. When Sky sees me, she nudges Dylan and he comes over.

“You made it, then?” he asks.

I glance at Bryn. “One of you had to say it, didn’t you? Not f-ucking funny.”

Dylan holds his hands up. “Whoa. Okay, stressed much?”

“Dylan, be nice. Of course he’s stressed, it’s his wedding day,” says Bryn.

Dylan wrinkles his nose and glances at Sky. “Yeah, okay. Good luck then.”

He returns to Sky and they continue their conversation. She declined the invitation to be a bridesmaid. She’s wearing a short dress, a weird grey colour that I’m sure Cerys can tell me the name of. I’m not that bothered in studying people’s clothes, I just want this over with.

“He’s pissed off you beat him to it,” whispers Bryn.

“Not my fault if Sky won’t set a date.”

A variety of family and the Blue Phoenix inner circle fill the chairs in the small room. Steve and his wife, Tina and her latest guy, plus cousins I see once in a blue moon crowded together in a bizarre mix of my life. Jem arrives, late as usual, and I’m surprised to see Ruby with him. Of the four of us, he looks the least comfortable at being made to dress in a suit. The pair looks as nervous as me as they head to their allotted seats at the front. Ruby chooses to sit next to Dylan and not Sky, smoothing her red dress as she sits. Jem wishes me luck then sits next to her. I look up at the arched ceiling, not wanting to engage with anyone. Please let this be quick.

Ella appears at the back of the chapel and to my relief she’s not dressed in any of her Disney princess dresses. Her short cream dress is tied around the middle with a red ribbon to match her shoes and the one in her thick brown hair. I wave at her and she rushes back in the direction she came.

My heart is fighting with my mind that’s convincing me Cerys is running too, that six months is too soon, and I’ll get my retribution for what I did to Honey.

I don’t need to worry. The woman who appears with her daughter’s hand firmly held is the person who fate pulled me to. Here, in this moment, I understand why I was pulled back to Wales last Christmas. My soul mate walks along the narrow space between the chairs and I’m unaware of anything but her. Couldn’t tell you what music was playing or if anyone was still in the room, just the magnetic pull to the place I need to be: Cerys.