Page 92 of Full Mountie

We crawl into bed, me in the middle, and Lachlan strokes my cheek. “Was that better stress relief?”

“That was perfect.”

“After the wedding, everything is going to quiet down. Then we’ll have the summer to explore this thing between the three of us in detail.”

“Detail?” Hugh asks, delight dancing in his voice.

Lachlan winks. “Great detail. Intimate, careful, close-up…detail.”

I twist my arms around so I’m hugging them both. “I can’t wait.”

“And I have another surprise for you both,” Lachlan says.

“What?”

“I finalized the travel schedule this afternoon. Without any inappropriate manipulations on my part, Hugh and I are both off the rotation schedule for the prime minister’s honeymoon.”

“Oh.” My eyes go big and round, and hope leaps in my chest. “So we can have some down time together?”

He nods. “I think we should rent a cabin for a few days after the wedding, don’t you think?”

I throw my arms around his neck. “You’re a genius.” I kiss his mouth with a loud smack, then spin around and kiss Hugh, who’s laughing at me. “Just the three of us, surrounded by nature. Mountains, maybe?”

“You want mountains?”

“Yes.”

“Then you’ll have them.”

31

Hugh

June

I’ve never beena fan of weddings. Maybe I’ve been going to the wrong ones, but the promised easy bridesmaids or curious groomsmen thing never panned out for me.

This wedding, however, might just change my mind. For one thing, while Beth and Lachlan aren’t officially a bridesmaid and a groomsman, I’m definitely getting lucky with both of them. And for another, the setting is fucking magical.

Enough to win over even the least romantic of souls.

Gavin and Ellie are getting married at a lodge high on a summit above Squamish, a picturesque former logging town halfway between Vancouver and Whistler.

And despite the fact that I’m working, implementing our security measures, I’m able enjoy the beauty more this time around.

Two days ago, I was here with the advance team assessing the site and establishing a security protocol and my attention was focused on finding all the security holes and coming up with ways to plug them.

There are a lot of trails around the venue that are easily accessible without the aid of the gondola for anyone who’s willing to do some serious uphill hiking.

And Squamish has no shortage of people into that, so cutting public access, even for a day is a no-go. As an avid hiker himself, Gavin wouldn’t even consider the notion.

Instead, we opt to restrict access to the lodge where the wedding and reception are being held and set up a secondary perimeter of remote cameras which will be monitored from a mobile command centre.

Fortunately, paparazzi are our biggest security concern. We’ve managed to arrange a no-fly zone around the venue, and secure access to the suspension bridge and viewing area, so it would take a mighty intrepid photographer lugging one of those over-sized telephoto lenses to get any kind of shot, let alone one worth selling.

I meet Stew and Adrienne’s three boys on the suspension bridge as I head back to the lodge.

“Where are you guys headed?”

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