Zoe was suddenly aware of a strange tension in the air. And when she glanced down at their hands as they shook, she could see that Lennon had Alex’s in a far stronger grip than was necessary. If she hadn’t already decided he had more than a little of the alpha male about him, the handshake would have given it away. She’d been proud of the way Alex had handled himself all day, and this moment was no exception. He showed no reaction, apart from to offer Lennon a bland smile, and Zoe was so thankful he wasn’t the sort of man who felt the need to prove his masculinity in what she’d always thought was a totally pointless way.
Still, she was relieved when Lennon finally let go.
‘Here we go…’ Lennon suddenly looked like a hungry fox as he straightened his waistcoat and ran a hand over his hair, homing in on a young and incredibly attractive woman. ‘Time to work some magic…’
She turned to see Alex watching him go. Baseless or not, Zoe got a weird vibe from Chantal’s brother, and it seemed Alex did too. With luck, they wouldn’t have to see him much after today, so there was one small mercy to be found.
‘Oh, I just have to catch my mum for a minute!’ Chantal said before darting off.
Zoe didn’t think she’d seen anyone look more radiant.
‘Thank you,’ Nigel said, pulling her back from her thoughts.
She turned to him with a smile. ‘For what?’
‘For trying so hard with Chantal. I know you didn’t like her at?—’
‘Dad, I never disliked her. I made no secret of the fact I had doubts about whether you two were suited, and of course it’s been difficult with Mum, but Chantal is nothing but lovely. Ialways liked her; I just worried she wasn’t the right woman for you.’
‘Do you still think that now?’
Zoe clamped her hands on her hips. ‘As if I’m going to stand here on your wedding day outside the church and say anything other than no.’
‘That sounds a little bit like you do.’
‘I didn’t mean it to sound that way. You’re both obviously happy, and that’s enough for me. I believe you can make it work…and at the end of the day, what do I know?’
‘I’ve always valued your opinion, though,’ Nigel said.
Zoe frowned. ‘Valued my opinion?’
He laughed. ‘All right, perhaps not always. But I’ve always thought you smart, and I respect your reasons for your opinions. How’s that? Better?’
Zoe grinned. ‘Sounds a bit more like reality.’
Nigel pulled her into a hug. And when he let go, she saw tears in his eyes, which instantly made hers blur too.
‘Don’t do that,’ she said, sniffing hard. ‘You’ll make my mascara run.’
He took a breath and glanced around the churchyard. ‘Looks as if people are moving on. I suppose we ought to get to the reception before the guests do.’
‘I think you might be right. I’ll go up with Alex and Tom, and I’ll see you shortly.’
As they left her dad, Alex stopped dead on the path and turned sharply to her.
‘Is that your phone?’
It was then she realised she’d heard something in the background that she’d been too preoccupied to register. They exchanged a troubled look. It could have been anyone, but the people likely to phone knew they were at the wedding and so probably wouldn’t have done. That left one distinct possibility,something Zoe had been on high alert for over the past few days. And wasn’t it just like her recent run of luck that it would happen today of all days? She yanked her phone from her bag to see the caller ID confirm her suspicions.
‘Billie… everything all right?’
‘Um…I’m not sure. I mean, I’m all right now…’ Billie’s voice sounded small and young. ‘I don’t know, but I think…’
‘You’ve started labour?’
‘I don’t want to bother you, though. I just wanted to ask if you thought it might be a while yet, like whether it would wait until you got back?—’
‘What did I tell you about sitting it out?’
