Page 39 of The Wedding Engagement

Her heart smacked against her rib cage at the intensity in his gaze. His pupils were large and dark, swallowing up all but a tiny rim of the honey color of his irises as his eyes dropped to her mouth. She held on to his neck and he held her waist, and for asecond, Liv almost believed the two of them were the couple that Angela and Sarah mistakenly thought they were.

The last notes of the song played out and Arran eased forward to rest his forehead against hers. Liv’s breath caught in her chest. As they swayed together, she gently let it out through parted lips, somehow afraid that any larger movements might break the spell between them. She closed her eyes, clinging to the moment, and wished with every fiber in her being that he would kiss her.

But the spell inevitably faded with the dying notes of the song and he shifted away from her, meeting her eyes for a second before giving her a sheepish smile and running his hand over the top of his head. “Good moves, Aggie.”

She smiled, though it felt kind of wobbly on her face. “You too.”

She blinked, and someone standing at the edge of the dance floor caught her eye, a man their age in a white shirt tucked into gray trousers. He appeared familiar and was looking at her. For a split second she didn’t recognize him. Then her brain clicked and a heaviness dropped in her stomach, spoiling the magical feeling that dancing with Arran had created.

Liv tried to give the man a weak smile, but he just blinked and turned away. Her stomach churned.

She stepped toward Arran and took his hand. “Is it okay if we go now?”

He eyed her expression, frowning. “Course. Everything all right?”

Liv nodded as she turned and pulled him off the dance floor and toward the exit. He fell into step next to her, still holding her hand.

Arran grabbed the door to let her through, and she mourned the loss of his touch. “What’s wrong?” he asked her as they walked through the hotel to the main exit.

She took a breath, attempting to quell her nausea. “Just saw an ex-boyfriend of mine.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Anyone I know?”

“Yeah. Remember Dean?”

A look of recognition crossed his face. “The one you were with when we were eighteen?”

She nodded, stepping out into the night air and feeling grateful for the cool temperature. “That’s the one.”

He touched her arm as they crossed the gravel. “Was that the first time you’ve seen him since he broke up with you? That’s tough.”

“Mmm,” Liv replied, not wanting to confirm or deny that statement. It was the first time she’d seen him, all right. But she didn’t fancy discussing the “who broke up with whom” thing.

They got into Arran’s car and he fired it up. “Wanna talk about it?”

She glanced over. “Not really, to be honest. It didn’t end well and I haven’t seen him since. I just got a bit of a shock when he was there tonight. He left Glenavie years back, so I didn’t expect to see him again.”

Arran nodded as he took them out of the car park and onto the windy road.

“Anyway. Apart from that, it was really fun,” Liv said. “That’s definitely the band for Sam and Maya. Did you text him to say?”

“Yeah. He’s going to call them in the morning.”

She sank back into her seat, content in the knowledge that they’d helped solve that issue. “Awesome.”

He smiled gently as he drove.

Liv hesitated for a second, then pressed ahead with what she wanted to say. “I’m glad you enjoyed it. Because up until we met the brides, you seemed like you’d rather be anywhere but here.”

He was silent, and for a moment she thought he wasn’t going toanswer. “I was just a little apprehensive, that’s all.” He paused. “Love to Love were the band that Jess and I had hired for our wedding.”

Of course. That explained everything, and she didn’t understand why she hadn’t put two and two together before. She touched his hand. “I’m sorry.”

Arran flashed her a smile. “It’s fine.” They drove silently for a couple of minutes, and Liv took hold of his fingers. He held hers back.

“I feel bad for not suggesting them earlier,” he told her. “They’re probably the best in the area, so I knew it was likely that the canceled wedding at the castle had them booked and now they’d be free.” He sighed. “Fucking selfish of me not to say anything to Sam sooner.”

She squeezed his fingers. “It’s okay.”

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