“That’s not happening.”
“What’s not happening.” Grant appeared, kids with him, Callum in his arms.
“A big wedding.”
He looked at us curiously. “You can have a big wedding if you want. After these last few days you can have whatever you want.”
Claire ran at me, wrapping her arms around my waist. Aside from Callum, she’d been the clingiest the quickest. She wasn’t used to a woman around her who showed affection or helped her with her hair. I’d noticed already that she was copying me, which was nice.
“Can I be bridesmaid?”
I nodded. “Of course. You and Bernadette will be bridesmaids.”
“And Mary’s daughters, and cousin Criona, and Theresa, and cousin Elizabeth’s three girls.” Bernie shook her head. “Sounds hellish.”
“What does hellish mean?” That was Max.
“Not very nice, but you have to be fourteen before you can say it.” This was a newly made up rule.
“Like when you said the f-word yesterday?”
That was why I’d made up a new rule.
“Exactly like that. Fourteen and only in certain situations, until you’re old enough to use your judgement.” I glared around the room.
No one answered back although Bernie was trying not to laugh. I was not known for the purity of my language.
“When are you going to get married? Tomorrow?” This was Claire again, jumping up and down slightly. “Then we get to keep you.”
Max didn’t look as keen. Jackson was mildly more interested.
Grant put a hand on Max’s shoulder. “What do you think, Maxwell?”
Max shrugged. “Do I have to wear a suit?”
“No.” That wasn’t what this was about. “You can wear something new and smart.” I looked back at Grant. “Same for you.”
“Can you get married tomorrow?” This was Claire again.
“It doesn’t work like than, Clairey. You have to say twenty-eight days before you get married. So if we said to the registrar tomorrow that we want to get married, it’d be four weeks after that before we could.” I fussed with her hair. The bob suited her, as did the fringe. She loved it too. Tomorrow we were going clothes shopping which I was probably looking forward to more than her. She and Bernie and Callum were coming with me, while Grant took Jacks and Max. Then we were taking the clipper up and down the Thames and going to see BuckinghamPalace from the outside. We were also picking up the photos from New York as well.
“Why don’t you register it tomorrow. Have a quiet wedding.” Bernadette was eyeing up Grant. She’d challenged him several times about his intentions, and I knew she’d had a good long talk with him the night before that I hadn’t been privy to. “Big weddings are stressful and let’s face it, you have enough stress right now.”
I looked at Grant who didn’t look in the slightest bit perturbed.
“I think that’s a good idea. If that’s the soonest we can do it, then why not?” His gaze was on me, only me. I felt the shivers that were still unfamiliar. Every touch I received from him was deliberate, like he knew what it would do to me. I lived for those touches. I lived for the hours that we had uninterrupted when the children were (finally) asleep.
“I think we should. But let’s not tell our parents until after.” I waited for his reaction.
“Fine with me. You, me, the hooligans and Bernadette. We’ll need another witness. Max isn’t quite old enough to do that.” His focus was still only on me.
“How old do you have to be,” Max asked, growing more interested.
“Eighteen,” Bernadette told him. “So you’ve got ten more years of growing. Why don’t I take you sprogletts to get some food. Milkshakes maybe?” She looked slyly at me and then Grant. “I think your dad and Marie need to have another look round this house.”
“I like this house,” Jackson announced. “I know where I want my bedroom.”
This was big. He was petrified of the upstairs at the house in Oxfordshire and wouldn’t talk about why, but it was obviously related to his mother’s death, which was utterly understandable.He slept with Max, although we’d moved his mattress into Max's room now. They were sharing a bedroom at the hotel in the suite we were in, Claire and Callum in another room now.
