Page 4 of Before You Say I Do
But happy.
When she opened her eyes, Marcus’s gaze was focused on her. He squeezed her hand and sighed.
“You see, this is what I don’t want. This is the countdown to our wedding, and you’re the most important person on that day.” He stabbed his chest with his index finger. “Not me. I’m the luckiest person because I’m marrying you.” He leaned forward to emphasise his point.
“And yes, I know Mother got a bit carried away, but she was right on one thing. You need an assistant for the run-up to the wedding. Someone who’s just focused on you.” He paused. “I thought this after the last time you met her, and today only solidified it. Look at you, you’re all flushed and stressed.” He sat up straight, before fixing her with his I-mean-business stare. “I’ve been doing a little research, and I have a solution. It might sound a little unorthodox at first, but it could be the answer to our prayers.”
Abby could see his mouth moving and words coming out, but she was struggling to make sense of them. “What do you mean by unorthodox?”
“I’ve found a woman who runs a service called Professional Bridesmaid. She’s kind of a bridal PA, exactly what we’re after. So I took the liberty of contacting her.”
“You did what?” They weren’t even married yet and Marcus was already doing things on her behalf? An alarm sounded throughout her body. This was not okay.
“If you’re worried about money, don’t be. It’s my treat.”
“It’s more the Montgomery takeover I’m worried about.” Abby bristled. “You can’t just keep doing things behind my back. It keeps happening with this wedding. Sometimes I feel like a bystander.”
But Marcus shook his head, putting a hand on her leg. “It’s all been done to make things easier for you. I know you’re short on time. You’re working towards a promotion at work. You’re busy. This woman seems very capable. She can even step in to be your bridesmaid if you want her to, which might not be a bad shout seeing as Delta has fallen to pieces since Nora broke up with her.” Marcus wasn’t finished. “But mainly, her role is to be there for you, right up until the end of the wedding day.”
Abby frowned. She still couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “My bridesmaid? Are you mad?”
Marcus gave her a tepid smile. “She’s your personal assistant/bridesmaid. There just for you. Someone on call 24/7.”
Abby was still shaking her head. “I have bridesmaids, Marcus. I don’t need a fake one. Delta is my maid of honour, you know that. And it’s precisely because she’s just been dumped by her useless girlfriend that she needs something to focus on. Being my maid of honour is it. I can’t take that off her. She’d crumble completely.”
Now it was Marcus’s turn to frown. “I’m not saying take the title from Delta. Just the responsibility. You have to admit, she’s already causing you stress, asking you loads of questions about the hen weekend which she should have already sorted. Between Delta and my mother, I’d say this woman could be just what you need.”
He had a point. Abby had tasked Delta with organising the hen weekend trip, but had ended up doing most of it herself. Delta had promised to take on the details, but then her split had happened. Since then, she’d holed herself up like it was the end of the world, forgetting her best friend was getting married in a few weeks, and her hen weekend was fast approaching.
“I don’t know.” But Abby’s brain was already processing.
“I think you do. Is Delta going to be there for you? Or your cousin Taran? Think about it. Someone to confide in, someone to do whatever you need. You only get one go at this, Abs. I want you to arrive at our wedding stress-free. If that means paying for someone to hold your hand for the next few weeks, so be it.”
“I’m a grown-ass woman, Marcus. I can handle this myself.” She could just imagine what her Glaswegian mother would say about a professional bridesmaid stepping in.
He gave her a look. “This woman can deal with my mother for the next few weeks. She can take all the flack.”
Abby stilled. “Can she deal with her totally? And take over the hen do?”
Marcus nodded. “All that and more.” He pulled back, wincing before he continued. “Like I said, I already emailed her, just to see if she was available. And she is.” He held up his hands like Abby was about to shoot him. “Just think about it, okay? For me? At least, have a meeting with her, see what she has to say. Her recommendations are off the chart. If you don’t get on, no problem. We’ll can the idea. But if she can make your life easier, then why not?”
Her insides were still boiling. How dare he do this? But this was Marcus. It came from a place of love, not control. Unlike his mother.
Plus, if this woman could deal with Marjorie, maybe it wasn’t such a crazy idea.
“I’m still mad at you for doing this behind my back.”
“You’d never have agreed otherwise.” He gave her his special smile, the one he reserved for her.
She gave him a long sigh. “You’ve already contacted her?”
He nodded. “I sent the email yesterday, so she’s going to give you a call. Her name is Jordan.”
“Jordan.” What kind of a name was that?
Chapter 3
“Why are we doing this again?”Jordan could barely speak she was so out of breath, but she kept her feet moving. She knew from grim experience that if she stopped, it was doubly hard to get moving again. Beside her, Karen was gliding like she was on roller skates. There was clearly something to be said for regular training, as opposed to doing your first run in at least a month.
