Page 117 of The Wedding Engagement

Liv’s already-fit-to-burst heart swelled even further. She tucked the latest Polaroid into her bag alongside the one of him in her T-shirt.

—

Thursday brought a signed photoof Ralph Macchio (the original Karate Kid himself), and Friday, a Devil’s Erection EP—featuring a sleeve containing all their lyrics on which Arran had doodled pictorial representations of the words. Liv couldn’t helpsmiling whenever she looked at them, alongside her Polaroids, all tucked safely in her bag where she could sneak them out and go through everything at intervals during the day.

Nobody made her smile or laugh or feel good the way he did.

—

On Saturday morning she wasup early, partly because it was dress-fitting day for the wedding but also because she’d been rising earlier and earlier, hoping to get a glimpse of her handsome postman, but every time she ended up disappointed.

This time the envelope was bigger and bulkier.

Dear Aggie,

Day six. Remember how we danced together at Angela and Sarah’s wedding? I wanted to kiss you so badly. Every time I listen to this song, I think of you. Though to be honest, I think of you every second of the day anyway. But the song makes you more tangible and fills me with hope that we’ll dance together again very soon. I want to dance with you and only you, sweetheart.

Love, always,

Arran

The letter had been wrapped around a CD single of Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance with Somebody.”

Liv ran through the house to drag out an old CD player. Even though she could easily have pulled the song up on her streaming service, she wanted to play the copy that Arran had given her. The one she knew his fingers had touched. She held the case over her heart as she cranked up the volume, swaying in time to the music in her kitchen.

—

The dress store was likea treasure trove, beautiful glittering gowns in every color of the rainbow. Liv was tempted to run around touching every material in sight but figured that might be frowned upon in this posh bridal store.

She was intrigued to see what Maya had chosen, having the utmost faith that her best friend wouldn’t have selected any hideous meringues for her and Elise to wear. When Maya had asked whether she and Elise wanted to see them in advance or have it be a surprise, Liv had gone for a surprise. She’d gotten the feeling that Elise would probably have preferred a sneak peek, being more cautious in nature. But she’d said that if Liv wasn’t getting a preview, then she didn’t want one either.

All they knew was their two best-women dresses were not the same. Maya had chosen a different one for each of them.

Tara and Maya’s mum—Yvonne—were chatting excitedly nearby as they discussed the outfits they had already purchased for the wedding. Liv smiled to herself, allowing their pleasure to take her mind off her obsession with Arran and his sweet and lovely messages and gifts. The only snag to the dress-fitting trip was that Elise was late, which wasn’t like her. Liv checked her watch. The store was on an industrial estate out of town and she’d offered to give Elise a lift. But Elise had said she might be late after her first Saturday morning shift at the GP out-of-hours center and didn’t want to hold them up.

Tara came alongside her and gave her a hug. “Okay, love?”

“Fine, thanks,” she said quickly. “This place is amazing.”

Tara nodded. “I love the fusion of Eastern and Western design. I wouldn’t even have known it was here, so it’s great that Maya found it.” She cleared her throat. “Are you sure you’re okay? You haven’t seemed yourself since that incident with your father.”

She’d hardly thought about Dave over the past week. A caramel-colored dress caught her gaze, and the hue of Arran’s eyes came to mind. It wasn’t as if the dress was the same color as his eyes, but it was close enough to remind her of him. Not that it took much, because he was always hovering at the forefront of her thoughts. “Honestly, I’m fine, Mum. I’m really not that bothered about Dad.”

Tara didn’t appear convinced. “I often think about how I should’ve thrown him out way before he left us. But I’m sorry to say I was blinded by him for years.” She sighed.

Liv took her mum’s hand. “I know. It wasn’t your fault. It was his.”

Her mum met her gaze for a second, then gestured over to a couple of chairs outside the fitting area. “Can we sit? I need to speak to you about something.”

“Sure,” Liv said, puzzled.

Her mum led her over and they sat down together. “I’ve come to realize that I’ve done you a disservice.”

Liv frowned. “What do you mean?”

Tara blinked. “I want to apologize for what I said after you protected Angus from your father. You did the right thing.”

Liv’s breath caught in her throat as she attempted to compute what her mother was saying.

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