Page 78 of Italy and Forever

‘That’s what worried me!’ Sophie insisted. ‘I knew we needed time to discuss what was important to us in this marriage – to discuss having kids. I know you, and I didn’t want to force you into anything⁠—’

‘You didn’t hear me,’ he interrupted her firmly. ‘I said I asked you to marry me last year. You haven’t forced me to be here. I’m trying to get used to the idea of the baby, but what is entirely clear in my mind is that, when she’s grown up and we’re waving her off into the world as a young woman, we’ll still be together. I’ll be a grisly old man, I guarantee it, but I will love you with every part of me. I have no doubt of that.’

His friends raised a cheer that rang out across the mountain meadow and he looked up, as though he’d forgotten they were all watching. But Sophie said nothing for long enough for an uncomfortable silence to descend.

‘Fini, Schatz? Did I screw up again? Is it bad that I’ve seen you in your wedding dress before the right moment? I should have saved all of that for the speeches. I should have just got you a necklace. I thought about that, but it didn’t feel like enough. What I really want to do is go in that church, make my promises and let you put the ring on my finger. I’ll wear it all the time. I’ve bought a chain to put it around my neck when I’m climbing, because I want to take that with me everywhere, the knowledge that my life belongs to you – to us. Are you going to say anything?’

Sophie lifted her hands to his face with a soft nod. ‘It’s just difficult to find the words, when you’ve done such a beautiful job of describing the life I want, the grisly man I already love – even though he’s not so old.’

Andreas’s reply was to press his forehead to hers. ‘And the wedding you want? Have we screwed it up?’

She shook her head, swiping a fresh tear. ‘What I wanted most at this wedding, of everything, was just for you to tell me what you need, how you’re feeling. I know that’s not always easy for you. You didn’t even have to do it in front of your entire family, who I suspect are going to tease you for the rest of your life.’

‘I knew she’d fit right into this family!’ Caro called out with a wolf whistle.

‘Allora,’ Andreas said wryly, ‘what I need is to marry you and what I feel is grateful and excited – and terrified and embarrassed, but I’ll get over those. What about you?’

‘Honestly? Right now I need to pee.’

32

Ginny had heard Mattia sing several times since the beginning of the year, but his soulful rendition of Schubert’s Ave Maria nearly reduced her to tears as Sophie finally made her way down the aisle on her father’s arm. Next to her, Kira was surreptitiously swiping at her cheeks.

‘Gets me every time, the fucker,’ she whispered. ‘No one should have a soul that beautiful.’

‘Shall I wangle it so you’re at the front when Sophie throws the bouquet?’ Ginny suggested under her breath.

‘Don’t you dare,’ Kira replied. ‘I will take my own damn time to marry that man.’

‘Fair enough.’

‘Shh, you two,’ Tash leaned closer to say. ‘I’d like silence while I gloat. They would never have got together if I hadn’t dragged her on that first adventure trip all those years ago.’

Sophie reached the altar and greeted Andreas with a conspiratorial smile. Rhys stood behind the priest and slightly to the side, fading into the background as he always managed to. Ginny enjoyed watching him for a moment, the relaxed but perfectly secure grip he had on the camera, the glint of silver at his wrist. Studying his fingers made her cheeks heat and she forced herself to look away.

For someone who avoided emotional situations, his ability to capture them on camera was remarkable. He observed everyone, she tried to reason with herself, but every time she glanced at him – which was too often – she remembered him admitting his camera roll would make it obvious that there was something going on between them. She wondered what he saw. The light touch to her ear had felt just as romantic as any of the weddings she’d witnessed.

When he looked up and caught her gaze, she imagined he could see what she was thinking about, because one corner of his mouth kicked up.

The opening prayer and greetings from the priest passed in a blur of stolen glances, mostly not returned, because he was busy behind his camera, and then the priest asked the bride and groom to face each other for the ceremony and Cillian came forward with the rings, earning a hug and a ruffle of his hair from his godfather.

It was a traditional Catholic wedding, mostly held in English, with a few comments in German, but all of their family and friends held their breath to hear Andreas promise to take Sophie as his wife, in sickness and in health, to love her and honour her all the days of his life. After Sophie did the same and pressed the wedding band onto Andreas’s hand, he gave a gruff nod and exhaled on a long sigh.

Everything as it should be. He pressed a quick kiss to Sophie’s mouth.

‘Not yet,’ the priest scolded him, but Sophie just laughed.

Compared to most of the ceremonies Ginny had witnessed, this one had been simple, the same as many couples before them, with no personalised vows, no expensive violin quartet or practical challenges like sunsets or mountain tops. But the sincerity was touching and the mood light and jovial and it was perfect – in its own way.

Perfect like a moment in time that had to be lived to the full, no matter how it came.

As Sophie and Andreas retreated down the aisle, hands clutched tightly, Ginny had the strange thought that, even though the moment was uniquely perfect, for once she couldn’t imagine herself getting married like this, to any of the faceless grooms she’d pictured over the years.

In fact, she couldn’t picture herself up at the mediaeval castle from Tuesday either. Her favourite Italian villas, the beach weddings, the freezing little chapel in snowy Tyrol, drenched in mistletoe, were all a big nope. She couldn’t picture anything – except…

As she followed the wedding party around to the golden chestnut tree on the other side of the church, a sense of dread seeped across her skin. Something had changed – something fundamental – not because of her dating ban or her experiment with a casual fling.

Because of Rhys himself.