Page 4 of The Shape of Your Heart
Waiting until they close the door behind them, I sit at my dressing table, watching the hair stylist curl my hair before pinning some of it loosely. It seems incredible that after all the planning, the anticipation, this day is here; that a couple of hours from now, I’ll be arriving at the church.
As the hair stylist finishes, there’s soft knock on my door. ‘Callie?’
‘Come in, Mum.’ I turn to face her. ‘What do you think?’
For a moment she doesn’t speak. ‘You look beautiful.’ Usually unemotional, she blinks away a tear as she holds out something. ‘I don’t know if you have a something borrowed, but I wore these on my wedding day. I’d love you to wear them.’
Opening the little box, I gasp as my mum’s diamond earrings sparkle back at me.
‘Try them on,’ she says quietly.
Going over to my mirror, I carefully put them on. Like everything else about this day, they’re perfect, understated even as they sparkle in the light. I turn back to my mother. ‘I love them.’
‘Good. They look lovely on you.’ Glancing at her watch, she clears her throat before reverting back to her typical self. ‘Good heavens. I can’t believe the time. I haven’t even done my nails – and the cars will be here soon.’
Feeling my excitement build, I smile at her. ‘I need to get dressed, don’t I?’
* * *
In my dress, I take a moment to gaze at my reflection. My eyes shine back at me, my tan setting off the dusky colour of my dress, while my hair is just as I wanted it. Adding a last slick of lip colour, as I glance around the familiar walls of my bedroom one last time, a feeling of gratitude fills me, for the past, for everything that’s brought me to this moment.
Closing the door behind me, I make a grand entrance down the stairs of the house I grew up in. At the bottom, my sisters are waiting in the bridesmaids’ dresses they chose themselves. Their faces light up with love, another moment I commit to memory.
After Mum and my sisters go ahead in the first car, I have a moment with Dad. Typically seen pottering around in jeans and an ancient sweater, in a dark suit, apart from his slightly unkempt hair, he’s unfamiliarly smart.
‘I know I gave you a bit of a hard time when you and Liam were first together.’ His face is solemn. ‘I wanted you to always have the best of everything.’
‘I know. And I do – the important things aren’t about money, Dad.’
‘You’re right. I’ll even go so far as to say you’ve taught me that. Liam is a good man – and he loves you. I do too,’ he adds.
My heart is full to bursting as I reach to kiss his cheek. ‘I love you, Dad. Thank you, for today – for this incredible wedding.’
‘Your mother’s loved every second,’ he says wryly. ‘I’m not sure what she’s going to do with herself once it’s all over. Anyway… the car’s outside.’ He glances at his watch, before offering his arm. ‘I think it’s time. Shall we?’
* * *
As we drive to the church, I take in the familiar Cornish countryside I’ve always loved, the green of summer broken by grass verges peppered with wild flowers, the swallows soaring in a cloudless sky. On my lap, I’m holding my bouquet. More of a small, wispy posy, it looks as though it’s been just picked from the hedgerows.
As we reach the church, the car slows down.
‘Ready?’ My dad winks at me.
My heart flutters with excitement. ‘Never more so.’
But when we stop outside the church, Rita hurries towards us. As my dad lowers the window, her face is anxious. ‘Liam isn’t here yet. Can you go around the block again?’
An uneasy feeling grips me. ‘Have you called him?’
Rita’s worried too. ‘Several times.’
My stomach lurches as I meet her eyes. ‘He wouldn’t stand me up like this.’ It hasn’t so much as crossed my mind. But suddenly I’m worrying. Has he had second thoughts? Was the big country wedding too much for him?
‘We’ll do another lap,’ my father says firmly. ‘Most likely he’s had a problem with his car and he’ll be here any minute.’ He leans forward to the driver. ‘Can you drive on?’
‘Something’s wrong,’ I say as the car drives away. I can feel it, deep in my bones. ‘No way would Liam do this. He was planning to get to the church ages early – so that he could talk to people as they arrived.’ With each passing second, my fear is growing. As a helicopter flies overhead, I start to panic. ‘That’s the police helicopter. What if Liam’s been in an accident?’
My father stays calm. ‘I’m sure he’ll be waiting for you at the church. Shall we go back now?’
