Page 134 of Try Hard
She nodded and told my mum, “We’ll see you later, then.”
I felt giddy. She knew she was welcome here. She spoke to my mum like she was completely comfortable. Sure, we spent every night together, either here or at her parents’ place, but I still couldn’t believe my luck. Maybe I’d never stop thanking every lucky star that I’d made it to this point.
We headed out and I held Ophelia’s door for her before climbing into the driver’s seat and heading over to the wedding.
Kieran and Kim had managed to identify the person behind the leaked pictures and, unexpectedly, had gone off so hard at them that they’d uninvited them from the wedding. Opheliaand I had both assured them that wasn’t necessary, but they’d both insisted it was. Honestly, I’d have maybe expected it from Kieran, he’d always looked out for me like a big brother, but I was surprised by, and appreciative of, how outraged Kim had been. Ophelia hadn’t been especially surprised though, so maybe it was just another sign of why the two of them worked well as friends.
When we arrived at the venue, massive and imposing as expected, Ophelia shot me a look and returned the favour from earlier, moving around the car to get my door.
“Nice place,” I said, locking the car and wrapping one arm around her as we walked up the gravel driveway.
“Oh, I thought you’d be used to places like this, Archer. You know, big celebrity that you are.” She smirked up at me, and she was the cutest thing ever, her red hair blowing in the wind like the breeze was her personal stylist.
“Yeah, you know how it is. Every second day I’m in places like this.”
She laughed. “I mean, some of your clients aren’t far off this.”
“Okay. Fair point.”
In the days since my statement, Row had been pleased to announce that inquiries had gone up rather than taking the hit I’d been worried about. And, better still, most of the inquiries were from women-led businesses that were absolutely aligned with the ethos of my statement. Of course, we still did private work in homes, but it was gratifying to see how many people still wanted our names—or my name—attached to their offices and venues, even after my social media rant. And my upcoming conversation with Taylor.
We’d recorded it yesterday. Ophelia had been in the room cheering me on, and it was the first time in my life that I’d felt completely at peace during an interview. There was nothing holding me back. I’d said my piece, I knew what mattered, and Iwas ready to live with the consequences of naming that publicly. What more did I need?
We arrived at the doors of the venue and joined the small queue waiting to get inside. It really was an amazing feeling just getting to hold Ophelia as we stood amongst the guests. I’d spent so much time around her and other people wishing I could be hers, that I could love her out loud, and now, there we were, tangled together, undoubtedly a couple even to those who hadn’t seen the social media storm. I was the luckiest woman in the world.
I grinned when we made it to the front of the line and were greeted by Kieran, Adnan, and some of the other groomsmen.
Kieran looked between me and Ophelia. “Well, I guess you two can just pick whichever side you want. I can’t imagine you want to sit on opposite sides of the aisle for the whole thing.”
I scoffed. “After how long it took me to get to this point? Absolutely not. We’ll share a single seat before we sit apart.”
“No need for that. There are plenty of seats.” He sucked in a breath and, despite how certain and happy I knew he was, I saw a hint of nervousness. I got that. It was like the nerves before a match, knowing it was going to be amazing but the wait was agony.
I clapped my free hand on his shoulder. “We’re happy for you, man, and really glad we could be here.”
Ophelia smiled genuinely next to me. “It’s going to go great.”
I wasn’t surprised she’d picked up on the nerves too. She always had been perceptive.
He nodded. “Well, I guess I’ll see you on the other side. Got to keep this line moving.”
“See you when you’re married,” I said before we moved along, giving the others brief greetings.
Adnan shot me a look that was somewhere between jealousy and congratulations that I did not, in fact, fuck it up withOphelia this time. He’d never seen her for who she really was, so he’d never deserve her, but I wasn’t above basking in the joy of other people knowing how happy I finally was.
The hall was gorgeous. Hundreds of chairs laid out under the vaulted ceiling, pink and white flowers everywhere, and a soft pink carpet right down the middle of the aisle. The designer had done a great job, matching the wedding to the room in a balanced, flowing way.
I was having a great break, but maybe I was ready to dive back into work soon. Well, so long as Ophelia was still at my side—at home, on the road, wherever… We were living the dream. And life on the road felt different when it was with her.
“We should sit on Kieran’s side,” Ophelia said quietly, pulling me from my admiration of the decor choices.
“But Kim’s your friend…”
“She’ll understand. He’s yours, and you two actually kept in touch over the years. It just makes sense.”
“You’re sure?”
She nodded and pressed a kiss to my lips. I wasn’t sure what the lipstick she was wearing was, but it wasn’t one I’d seen her in before today. Similar colour, different feel when she kissed me. All of it was perfect.
