Page 88 of Away With You
And now we’re here, the morning of the big day. The sun has made an appearance in place of the rain I absolutely hadn’t been hoping for (that would make me an awful person, wouldn’t it? Hoping for rain on Victoria’s wedding day?), and I’m lying on my side watching Nathan carefully to gauge his reaction to theevents about to unfold. If what Victoria and her harpies were saying is true, if what I fear may be happening is true, wouldn’t I be able to see it somehow? Wouldn’t it be apparent in his demeanour or his actions? Or at the very least, a few facial tics to give him away? Because the man holding me close to his chest and peppering me with kisses could not seem less bothered.
“What’s going on up here?” Nathan asks, tapping my temple.
I roll over to face him. “I’m wondering how you’re doing. It will not be easy for you today.”
He shrugs, his jaw clenching ever so slightly. “It is what it is.”
Well, that’s giving me nothing.
“But you have to feel some type of way about it. She’s your ex-girlfriend marrying your brother. I saw how you were when it all went down earlier this year. You were heartbroken.”
His brows dip. “What’s this about?” he asks, his eyes narrowed as he watches me.
I sigh, pulling back and changing course. “I want to make sure you’re alright. That’s all. No one is expecting you to be fine today, especially me.”
He brushes his lips over mine and turns to silence his phone. It’s been chirping non-stop for the last few minutes, and we’ve been doing our best to ignore it. “It’s my mother,” he says, reading his text messages with a grimace. “Apparently, there’s some sort of wedding emergency they need my help with.”
I sit up, gathering my hair into a bun high on my head to give my hands something to do. Something other than snatching his phone and flinging it into the ocean.Why would that woman think it’s appropriate to ask Nathan for any help with this wedding?
“I’d better go deal with this,” he says, scrunching his nose. “She won’t leave me alone otherwise.”
My stomach clenches as a bad feeling settles over me. “Are you sure you want to do that? She shouldn’t be asking you for anything today.”
His shoulders bunch around his ears, and he rolls his neck to relieve some tension. “You’re right. But I also know her well. It’s easier to give in and get it over and done with.”
He pulls on a pair of navy-blue shorts and a white linen shirt before crossing to the bathroom. “I’ll be back as soon as I can,” he yells through the door.
I nod, though he can’t see it, and settle back against the pillow, watching him leave with a wave and a finger-press to his lips.
It’s fine. It’s all going to be fine. One more day and then we can get away from these people and all their toxicity. And talk.
After Nathan leaves, I take advantage of having the bungalow to myself and some time to kill. I take a quick soak in the hot tub to get rid of some of my tension. When that doesn’t work, I take a shower and slather my body with my decadent vanilla-scented body butter, pleased to find that my feet and ankles finally match the rest of my body.
Take that, Victoria!
Once my body is moisturised and glowing, I tackle my hair. During our time here in tropical paradise, it’s taken on a life of its own and needs serious taming. I use my favourite Miracle Serum and blow-dry it straight. I then spend fifteen minutes lying on the bed under the ceiling fan to recover. With some energy restored and a few biscuits in my belly, I straighten my hair with my trusty GHD (this thing changed my life) before adding some soft curls back in. It takes well over an hour to get me here, but once I’m done, my hair looks smooth, elegant and as though I just woke up like this.
Perfect.
With the bulk of my grooming done, I re-check the time, my ominous feeling deepening. Nathan has been gone for almost two hours; what sort of emergency takes this long?
“Screw it,” I mutter into the empty space. I can’t sit and wait like this any longer. If there’s an emergency that requires his help, then perhaps I can help, too.
Decision made, I throw on a maxi dress and shove my feet into a pair of sandals, hightailing it out of the bungalow and straight into the path of Giselle. Just the person I wanted to find.
“Dr Winslow,” she says with a bright smile. “Is there something I can help you with?”
“Um, I was wondering if you’ve seen Nathan? Mr Jackson? He went somewhere to help with the wedding a little while ago.”
Her forehead crinkles a bit. “I think I saw him go up to the chapel…”
I look where she’s pointing. The wedding chapel is in the prime position on the top of a towering cliff overlooking the ocean. From my deep-dive Google search, I know it offers 180-degree panoramic views of the Caribbean Ocean below and is the drawcard for choosing this resort for your wedding. It’s stunning.
“Thanks.” I rush off in that direction, checking my phone in case Nathan’s sent me an update on his whereabouts.
Nothing.
“What’s he doing?”
