Page 124 of The Wedding Engagement

Arran raised an eyebrow at Nico. “Iamcheery. This is my cheery face.” He kept his expression deadpan for comedy value.

Nico laughed. “I’d hate to see you pissed off, then.”

Arran smiled and moved away a couple of paces to adjust a chair that didn’t need adjusting, trying to distract himself from his nerves. They were at the venue for the ceremony—under a gazebo at Maya and Sam’s favorite stargazing spot, where Arran had been on the receiving end of Sam’s pep talk a few weeks ago. The top end of the gazebo was open so that the majestic mountains became the backdrop for the ceremony.

His eyes were drawn to the view, his heart aching with the romance of it all. The chairs were all arranged neatly on the flooring under the gazebo, adorned with pretty fabric in hues of blue and green. It gave off the effect of sea waves rolling over the chairs. Immediately his mind settled on Liv’s eyes. Not that it took much nowadays, but these sea tones were very evocative of her eye color.

Across the field, he thought he spied his pal Hamish theHighland cow cozying up to a lady cow. “Nice one, Hamish,” he murmured. “Hopefully I’ll get my girl too, before the day is out.”

Nico came over and gave him a pointed look. “Are you talking to yourself now?”

“No. I’m talking to my friend Hamish.” He nodded toward the cows.

Nico let out a deep breath. “You’ve finally lost it.”

Arran pursed his lips. “No, I haven’t. We’re kindred spirits.”

A smile played at Nico’s mouth as he reached out to straighten Arran’s green cravat. Arran tried to bat him away, but Nico was having none of it. “Let me sort it. You need to look your best for when your lady love arrives.”

Arran sucked in a breath, letting Nico work his magic on the cravat. “I really hope she wants to be my lady love.”

“She will,” Nico said, frowning in concentration. “You’ve put in a fuckton of groundwork. I might marry you myself.”

Arran managed a smile, despite his escalating nerves.

“Anyway.” Nico stood back to survey his cravat tidying. “You’re a handsome artist who’s also a single dad. Last I checked, that ticked a lot of romance-hero boxes.”

A noise at the front of the gazebo had Arran snapping his gaze up to see whether the bridal party had arrived. But it was just Sam shifting a chair.

Nico was watching him with a frown. “You okay there, champ? I thought it was only Holland I’d have to coach through today, not you too.” He brushed his hands down his own navy waistcoat, taking hold of the sides of his jacket. They were all wearing matching navy waistcoats and jackets, with a blue-green tartan kilt, black kilt socks, and sporrans. Nico’s cravat was sky blue, and Arran’s sea green.Like Liv’s eyes.

“Yeah,” Arran said. “I was just so sure she felt the same as me and convinced that I could show her how good we are together. Butnow today is here and I’m absolutely shitting myself that I’ve failed.” He rubbed his eyes. “Maybe I should’ve given in and called her or gone to see her.”

Nico shook his head. “You promised her space. And you outlined exactly when you were going to see her to talk about it—today. You made everything clear and safe for her.”

“I hope you’re right.”

Nico shrugged, a wry smile on his face. “I’m always right.”

Arran let out a laugh.

Nico shifted closer, lowering his voice. “By the way, I need to tell you how proud I am of you, bro.”

Arran raised his eyebrows. “Are you being sarcastic?”

Nico rolled his eyes. “No. I’m not. I’m proud of you for getting over yourself and going for it with Liv. You’ve laid it all out there, which is the most fucking courageous thing a guy can do.” He gave Arran a nudge. “It’s good you didn’t let your pride get in the way. You’re not actually Mr. Darcy, despite those analogies Maya makes about Liv finding him.” Nico glanced over his shoulder, as if checking that no one could hear. “I’m glad you didn’t make the same mistakes I did.”

They both looked up as guests began to arrive along the walkway to the gazebo, where Sam was greeting them with a smile and a handshake.

Arran frowned, searching Nico’s face.What mistakes?But before he could ask, Nico smiled. “Now, come on. We have duties to perform.” He turned and walked down the aisle toward Sam, and Arran hurried after him.

The guests were all seated and the groom’s party waited at the top of the aisle. Sam stood with Tara and Angus at either side, and he and Nico behind them. Sam and Maya had opted not to go for the “traditional” giving away of the bride because Maya had said that she wasn’t her father’s property to give away, nor did she intendto become the property of her husband. So the arrangement was more akin to two families coming together, with Sam’s side waiting at the top of the aisle for Maya, her family, and her best women to arrive. Of course Liv had a place on both sides, though she’d be arriving with Maya. But that made it all the more poignant.

Arran’s thoughts raced. Liv would be here soon, but he wouldn’t get a chance to speak to her until after the ceremony, once they were at the castle. And even then, it would likely be after dinner and once the dancing began. He was due to accompany Liv to join in the first dance, and Nico was going to dance with Elise.

But when she arrived, would he be able to tell how she felt? Would she give anything away to help put him at ease?

He thought back to what Nico had said. Nico didn’t give out compliments very easily, and Arran felt a warm glow that his friend felt proud of him. He suspected that, deep down, his pride probably had been a secondary factor in not telling Liv he was in love with her as soon as he’d realized. His main objective had been not to overwhelm her when she was so vulnerable, but self-preservation might have played a part. Maybe he should have just said it in the moment, and then perhaps she would have trusted in his feelings when Jess had put a spanner in the works. Though he suspected the outcome would have been the same—Liv needed extra reassurance, through actions, not just words. And he was more than happy to give it to her. He’d give her anything she wanted.

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