Page 56 of The Wedding Engagement

The crowd jostled a little for position, and Liv placed her Scarlett Yolk-hansson egg in between Egg Sheeran and Brodie’s abstract egg. As she glanced down the line, she spotted Arran and Jayce, her heart lifting as she gave them a wave. Jayce’s wee face lit up as he noticed her, and he waved back in an overenthusiastic manner. Liv’s heart swelled as she realized how she’d missed seeing him for a couple of weeks.Aw, he’s so gorgeous. I love him to bits.

Arran looked up as he took in the direction of Jayce’s gaze, the sight of his warm honey eyes giving her heart a jolt. He smiled softly and lifted his hand in a wave. Then he darted his eyes to where Brodie was crouching next to her and looked away again. Sam lifted his megaphone. “On your marks. Get set. Roll!”

Liv gave Scarlett an almighty flick and she tumbled down the hill after Egg Sheeran and Brodie’s abstract affair. They all jumped to their feet to cheer on their hard-boiled eggs, some of which ended up felled by large tufts of grass; others sustained race-related injuries such as cracked shells.

The winner was declared—sadly, none of them. But happily, it was a little girl who was absolutely delighted, and even more so when Sam went down the hill to present her with the biggest chocolate Easter egg Liv had ever seen.

The crowd moved down the hill toward the post-race activities, including a bouncy castle for the kids and various stalls featuring the wares of local artisanal food outlets and crafts.

Liv stood next to Maya and Sam, scanning the crowd for Arran and Jayce. Brodie leaned in to tug on her sleeve. “I’m going to get a coffee from the café. Want anything?”

“No, thanks,” she said absently, still on her mission to detect a hot, honey-eyed local artist and his adorable curly-haired son.Brodie moved off and she continued to scan the periphery of the crowd, as Maya and Sam chatted with Jack.

A figure at the edge of the crowd caught her eye. A solitary form who stood at the tree line a little way from everyone else. She frowned, wondering why the guy was so removed from all the activity.Perhaps he’s waiting for someone.

A weird feeling stirred in the bottom of her stomach as she shifted her gaze. Something about that man bothered her. Made her unsettled and uneasy. She looked back at him. Perhaps it was that he was standing so still? And that he was staring into the crowd. The weird feeling developed spikes and rose further into her chest. Was he up to no good?

Squinting at him, she felt like he was familiar somehow. As if he looked like someone she knew from the past, albeit ten years older and softer in the middle.

The spiky feeling in her chest exploded, sending shards of ice into her veins. She grabbed Sam’s arm as the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, her heart thumping.

Sam glanced down at her. “What’s up?”

For a moment, she couldn’t answer, the icy shards seeming to have cut her vocal cords.

Sam shifted his head to follow her gaze, landing on the man. He stiffened under her hand. “Holy shit.”

Maya looked up from where she’d been tickling Jack. “Language, Samuel. There are children present.”

Liv turned her head to look at them both. Sam was still staring ahead, and Maya’s face fell as she took in their expressions. Liv knew she must be as white as a sheet because she’d felt the blood drain from her face as soon as she’d realized who was standing at the tree line, watching them.

Maya lifted Jack. “What’s wrong?”

Sam nodded toward the man. “Dave’s here.”

“What?” Maya replied, whipping her head around.

Sam made to move forward. “You two wait here. I’ll go and see what he wants.”

Liv gripped his arm, Maya grabbing his other side in unison.

“You’re not going over there without me,” Liv told him, her jaw set.

“Or me,” Maya said, her tone uncharacteristically firm.

Sam covered Maya’s hand on his arm, giving her a squeeze. “You need to stay here with Jack.”

“I’ll get Ben to watch him,” Maya said, glancing around.

Sam’s tone was imploring. “Please, Maya. I don’t want him knowing who you are. He doesn’t get to have a piece of my relationship with you; it’s too important to me.”

Maya’s face softened as she looked him in the eyes. Her expression seemed conflicted, but then she nodded and leaned up to kiss his cheek. “Okay.”

Liv let out a breath, relieved that Sam had insisted. They couldn’t have the poison that was Dave seeping anywhere near the good things in the lives they’d created without him. “I’m still coming, however,” she told him, putting her arm through his and registering the relief in his eyes.

They started to move through the crowd as Maya called after them, “I’m keeping watch, though. And my threshold for calling the cops is very low!”

Liv brought herself close in to her brother’s side as they left the edge of the crowd and closed the gap between them. Pressing closer, she felt like the two of them conjoined might act as some kind of emotional shield.

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