Page 39 of A Cornish Wedding Retreat
‘You won’t relax and enjoy the rest of the day if I keep you here.’ He turned her around to face him. ‘It’s okay. I’ll let you off.’
She tried not to be distracted by the fact he hadn’t bothered to get dressed before coming to look for her. It was a challenge to keep her mind on vol-au-vents and fruit cake while plastered up against six feet of naked, gorgeous man. By his wide grin she knew he’d read her mind.
‘Don’t worry, honey, Iknowwhat you’d rather be doing, but your conscience is a very active creature and we’ll enjoy each other more when your mind isn’t elsewhere.’ He squeezed her tighter and Maggie squealed. ‘I’m goin’ to shower and get dressed. You can fix me a cup of coffee if that isn’t too much trouble and then we’ll head back to face Bridezilla.’
Maggie couldn’t resist another kiss but it used every atom of self-restraint she possessed to stop there. ‘You are one very special man.’
‘Keep believin’ that and we’ll be good,’ Chad teased and let her go. He sauntered out of the kitchen, giving a quick shimmy of his hips to make it abundantly clear what she was missing out on.
She groaned and heard him chuckle as he headed off towards the bedroom.
Chapter Twenty-Two
‘Ready for Round Two?’ Maggie’s cheery voice made Chad look up from the tables he’d been arranging. ‘I bet you didn’t think you’d be back at Polvennor House again?’
That was the understatement of the century. ‘You could say that. How’s our dear Emily this morning?’
Maggie laughed. ‘About as calm as you’d expect a hormonal, overwrought woman to be. Thankfully Aunt Judy is holding her hand while we get the last details finished for the reception.’ She glanced around with satisfaction. ‘I still can’t believe we were lucky enough to get an opening here at the last minute.’
‘It’s a neat place,’ Chad agreed and held out his arms to Maggie. ‘You look like a woman in need of serious kissing.’
‘And why would you say that?’ The question was at odds with the way she hurried to nestle against him, making happy sighs as he stroked his hands up and down her spine. When she fixed her deep blue eyes on him and slowly trailed her tongue around his mouth Maggie drove him nearly out of his mind.
‘You little minx,’ he half-heartedly complained.
‘We need to get the cake in from the car.’
‘Yeah, cake, will do.’ Chad murmured and went back to kissing her.
‘Um, I’m afraid it has to be now.’ Maggie wriggled out of his embrace and frowned at her watch. ‘We’ve got twenty minutes to finish up and get back to the house.’
‘Slave driver,’ Chad groused. She didn’t take him seriously and popped a quick kiss on his forehead before flitting back to the kitchen. He followed along behind, exactly as he’d done that first day and didn’t make any attempt to wipe the smile from his face.
* * *
Maggie hadn’t expected to find Emily’s wedding day so emotional and without Chad’s steady presence would have spent it as a blubbering wreck. As it was she’d held out until one o’clock when Emily walked down the stairs ready to leave for the wedding before dissolving into tears. The champagne silk dress made her sister’s skin glow and the circle of creamy roses nestled in her blonde hair were the perfect final touch. ‘Oh, Ems, you look so beautiful. I wish Mum and Dad were here to see you.’
‘Me too.’ Emily held Maggie’s hands. ‘But I’ve got you and I’m so grateful for that.’
‘The car’s here if you’re both ready,’ Chad said, strolling in from outside. ‘I’m a lucky guy to have two lovely ladies to admire.’
‘You certainly are. Make sure you appreciate it,’ Maggie joked.
His eyes darkened as he checked her out. ‘Oh, I do, honey. No question about it.’ Chad fingered the stiff taffeta of her dress. ‘Where did you find this? It’s gorgeous.’
Maggie lowered her gaze to the floor under his intense scrutiny. ‘Emily and I sneaked off last week to your favourite shop in Redruth. The lady was most helpful when we mentioned your name, probably because you made all her business dreams come true when you spent the equivalent of a small country’s gross national income there.’
‘She had some good stuff,’ Chad explained unapologetically.
‘I told her I was interested in something vintage but not a straight up and down flapper dresses because it wouldn’t suit my figure. She told me this was a tea gown from 1930.’ Maggie loved the way it draped around her curves, falling barely to her ankles, and making her feel pretty and feminine. The cream background and small pale gold pattern was a perfect foil for Emily’s wedding dress.
‘You could at leastpretendI’m the most beautiful, after all it is my wedding day,’ Emily pretended to be offended.
‘You are definitely the most beautiful bride, and Maggie’s the most beautiful bridesmaid. How’s that? Everyone happy now?’
‘I certainly am.’ Maggie linked her arm with his. ‘I’m pretty sure my annoying sister is too. Let’s go and get her married.’ She opened the front door and let her Aunt Judy and Emily walk out first. They got into the cream Rolls-Royce trimmed with fluttering silk ribbons. Chad was driving them in his rental car so they could get away quickly after the ceremony. She wanted to make sure everything was ready at the reception before her staff took over. Maggie knew she wouldn’t enjoy herself if she didn’t make sure there’d be no repeat of the mutilated cake incident.
Out in the car Chad didn’t start the engine straight away but stared at her again, touching her face so gently her heart flooded with love for him. He wore the same suit he’d had for Fiona’s wedding and the memories slammed back, only a few weeks on the calendar but so much more in her head. He’d looked handsome then but today everything was quite different. Maggie knew about the scar on his knee from a bad fall on the basketball court, the odd way his middle left toe was longer than any of the others and his new craving for English chips with salt and plenty of vinegar.
