Tripping on Love (26 page)

THREE MONTHS LATER

The white marquee had been erected and stood magnificently proud within the villa grounds. Creeping ivy and white roses had been entwined within its structure to form delicate decoration. A large ice sculpture of two doves took pride of place at the entrance, surrounded by petals. The tables had been decorated with forest foliage, as silver branches housing imitation white butterflies sat alongside flower and candle centrepieces. 

Edward and I walked admiringly past the display and into the terrace entranc
e to be greeted loudly by my twin nephews.

'Auntie Lizzie' Jacob and Freddy said in unison, running speedily towards me, arms outstretched for a hug. Both five year olds looked handsome in their cream pageboy suits and peach silk ties and waistcoats.

'Hello darlings, don’t you look grown up' I said encouragingly, watching both their faces grin with pride as I leaned down to hug them.

'Mum said we're not allowed to do anything other than sit still and if we get any dirt on our outfits then Grandma won’t bring us gifts back from her honeymoon' Freddy volunteered, indiscreetly staring at the small grass stain already on his trousers. Edward laughed beside me.

'Well I think you should take notice of your mother, boys. If an hour of sitting still means that you might get a bag of goodies, then I'd say that was a good trade off' Edward said, winking at the twins conspiratorially, before holding his hand up for a high five.

'Yeah
, high five' both boys shouted, punching Edward's hand in a display of male solidarity and running off towards the garden. Edward grinned, watching them.

'Well let’s hope that means they'll still
be in one piece by the time the blessing begins.' He reached for my hand and gently stroked my knuckles with his thumb.

Since the launch we had spent little time apart. Adjusting to the revelation hadn't been easy at first, especially with Edward's hesitation to let his father back into his life. However, the closer he had grown with Maddie, the easier it had become for him to understand the importance of family. Ronnie was now a permanent fixture within Edward's contact list. The change within the relationship had also ensured that Ronnie had gained a granddaughter, as well as his son.
 

Ronnie was noticeably happier
with the arrangement; even the office atmosphere seemed to have changed into a place of positivity. The decision not to come to Spain to head up the Real Estate hadn't been a difficult one to make; Ronnie had answered it for me by retracting his offer, much to my relief. The reason being that he wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he ruined his son's chances at a successful relationship. Especially since much had changed in the past few weeks.

I turned towards Edward and
, standing on tip toes, reached up to kiss him on the lips. I was so lucky to have found someone that made me feel happy on every level. 

'What was that for?' Edward asked, a hint of a smile on his lips as his eyes creased at the corners.
 

A sharp retort came from the landing above us as a door slammed, causing us both to look up.

‘Goodness that sounded like Stella. I had better go up and see how they are getting on. Doesn’t sound like all is going to plan' I sighed, rolling my eyes and walking towards the stairs.

'OK babe, I’ll join Sampson, Miles and the others' Edward said with a slight squeeze of my hand. Breaking away from him, my heels clicked loudly against the marble as I ascended the staircase and walked towards my mother’s bedroom.

'You can’t wear it like that. It looks ridiculous' I heard Stella hiss at my mother as I opened the door and entered the room.

My mother was standing in front of her large, oval floor length mirror. Her peach bridal shift dress pinned up awkwardly to reveal the tops of her thighs and her toned, slender knees.

'Lizzie thank goodness you’re here. Tell mum how ridiculous she looks with the dress pinned up that extra six inches. There’s really no need!' Stella exclaimed throwing her hands up in the air to show her frustration.

I stared at my mother, astounded. Aside from her dress, her hair had been wrapped into a loose chignon, complemented with tiny freshwater pearls. A simple pair of diamond earrings and minimal make-up completed her look. She looked beautiful; a truly stunning bride.

'Mum you look exquisite' I said, eyes filling with tears as I walked towards her and kissed her gently on her cheek.

'Thank you my darling' she said wiping my eyes tenderly and smiling at me with heartfelt understanding.
 

'Oh
, I don’t believe this.' Stella shook her head in frustration, crossing her arms and nodded towards the dress, waiting for me to comment. 

Backing away from my mother, I studied her dress. The simple, well measured design hung perfectly against her figure. I knew it had cost a small fortune, despite its plain appearance. Yet Stella had a valid argument. The shortened length looked ridiculous, especially for a marriage blessing.
 

'I think I have to agree. The dress looked better in the dress rehearsal when you had it at the original length, just above your knee' I said
, nodding my head in agreement with Stella.

'Oh don’t you start as well Lizzie' she said annoyed, looking to Jemima for support.
  Jemima remained quiet, sitting on the bed watching, yet wisely not engaging in the discussion.

'I’m fifty years old and I've spent the last three months doing combined Zumba and Ceroc classes in order to shape these thighs. Ask Jemima. I want to show the bloody things off on my big day. Is that too much to ask?' Irritated she waved at us dismissively, moving closer to the mirror to consider her reflection carefully.

'Yes but we aren’t saying you don’t have good thighs, we are saying the dress looks better that little bit longer' I said tactfully, encouraging both Jemima and Stella with a furious nod of the head.

'They're only saying it because they want you to look your best' Jemima imputed kindly.

'Fine' my mother said defeated, indicating for one of us to unzip her. 'I’ll unpin the hem and wear it on the knee if that’s what’s going to get you three to stop nagging at me.' 

Twenty five minutes later and with the hem back to its original length, my mother was finally ready. Standing beside her, Stella and I linked arms as Jemima poured four celebratory glasses of champagne. The only person missing was Mel. My mother had invited her to attend alongside the three of us as bridesmaids, but Mel had reluctantly declined. Still infectious with the novelty of their recent Asia travel, Hugo had surprised Mel with a romantic trip to
Venice. Upon my return to the UK with Edward, I was certain to hear all about it.

Surrounded by my family, I felt a fresh wave of contentment descend upon me. What more could a woman ask for than to see her mother finally marry the man that she loved. Not to mention her sister happy with her husband and children, and her soon to be step-sister taking her first steps within the modelling world. Even more so, knowing that the man she was in love with herself, fitted perfectly within her life.

Rubbing my tiny pregnancy baby bump, I took the small measure of champagne Jemima had poured me and raised my glass alongside the others.

'To the girls' I toasted proudly, before carefully descending the staircase behind my mother, towards the gathering crowd of guests below.