Page 249 of Off the Pitch

“Here we go,” said Lily, as the wedding coordinator appeared. She nodded to Lily, and to Kit who stood on the other side with Hugo and Harper. The string quartet behind the guests began to play, and my eyes prickled with tears as David and Christian appeared, hand in hand, and walked down the aisle towards us. I’d never seen two people who looked as happy as they did.

The ceremony was beautiful, and I wasn’t ashamed to say I cried when they exchanged vows. They’d written their own, and hearing each of them talk about how much they meant to each other and how much they’d changed each other’s lives put everything into perspective. I was so ridiculously proud of Christian, and his decision to be open about who he was. He and David deserved this, and when the registrar pronounced them husbands, everyone cried and clapped as David pulled Christian in for a kiss before resting their foreheads together as they let the moment sink in.

My tears quickly melted into laughter as the string quartet started playing again and we realised they were walking out to the “Throne Room Theme” fromStar Wars. It was so stupidly perfect for them.

Everything got a little hectic after that. There was a drinks reception with an ice cream cart instead of canapes, because it wouldn’t have been Christian’s wedding otherwise, and endless photos. The venue had a restored carousel in the grounds, and we all piled onto it for photos and then smiled and watched as David and Christian had theirs taken. The look of love between them was adorable, and I couldn’t stop smiling as I watched.

“For you,” Félix said, appearing behind me with a cone of caramel and honeycomb ice cream.

“You’re a star. I’m starving.”

“You’re doing a great job,” he said, pressing a kiss to my temple. “How was Christian this morning?”

“Honestly, he was the most relaxed I’ve ever seen him. Like you wouldn’t have known he was getting married.” I leant against Félix as he put his hand around my waist. “So much easier than Liam.”

“I’m glad. By the way, I’ve been thinking.”

“Shit, you don’t want to get married too, do you? I can’t do another one of these so soon!”

“No.” He chuckled. “If you ever want to get married, I think we should just run away somewhere. Save all the fuss.”

“That sounds so much easier,” I said with a sigh. “Sorry, you were saying.”

“I think I want to sell the flat in Lisbon. It’s time.”

“Are you sure?” I paused from shoving the last of my ice cream into my face to look at him carefully.

“I’m sure. I’ve only been there twice this year, and every time I feel like a stranger. It’s not my home anymore.”

“Okay. I’ll support whatever you want.”

“So,” continued Félix, waiting until I’d shoved the last bit of my cone into my mouth. “Would you ever want to get married?”

I choked, and Félix chuckled, patting my back as I hastily swallowed. “Jeez, way to spring it on a guy.”

“I’m not asking. I’m just curious.”

I looked around at all the other couples—Liam and Ali with their beautiful little boy, Kit and Hugo, Lily and Harper, and finally David and Christian. They were all married, or I figured they’d end up that way, but I wasn’t sure if I wanted that. “I don’t know,” I said truthfully. “I’ve never thought about it.”

“Me neither. We don’t have to though. It’s not like I’m going anywhere.”

“You know I’d just follow you until you came back. You can’t get rid of me that easily.”

“Good. I don’t want to.” He kissed me gently, and I tasted strawberry ice cream on his tongue. We were interrupted by Lily, who steered me away to do more groomsmen related things, and we didn’t get another moment together until later.

Christian and David had done half their first dance before they’d pulled other couples onto the dance floor, and then everything had erupted into a party. Lily wasn’t DJing, saying she wanted a night off, so she’d dragged a friend of hers in to do it.

I found Félix standing against the wall of the rustic barn the reception was being held in, drink in hand, watching everything. He looked so fucking gorgeous in his slightly undone suit. His jacket was on the back of a nearby chair, his sleeves were rolled up, and his tie was loosened. Heat flared inside me, and I had an odd sense of déjà vu.

“You know,” I said, slotting in next to him and leaning in close, “I’ve found weddings make people want one of two things.”

“Really?” Félix smirked, swirling the last of his drink around the glass and downing it, his eyes not leaving mine. “What’s that?”

“A wedding of their own, or a good, hard fuck. I don’t know about you, but I don’t really fancy a wedding…”

“What about the second?”

“That’s a different question,” I said, grinning at him and watching lust dance in his eyes.

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