Page 19 of Wedding Games
Zoe pushed out of her chair and went to his side, holding his hand. He squeezed it as if to reassure her that everything would be okay.
‘It means the world to Zoe and me that you have taken this time out of your lives to share this moment with us,’ he continued before turning to smile at her. This was the cue for her to continue with the most emotional part of the speech.
She swallowed her anxiety and smiled at everyone. ‘We want to give you a gift.’
Surprise murmured around the table.
‘Wine?’ asked Morag before Fiona hissed at her.
‘To thank you for your support, your friendship, and your love,’ Zoe continued.
Her mother sniffed. ‘I love you, Zoe!’ she yelled. ‘I love you sooo much!’
Despite how annoyingly drunk her mother was, Zoe grinned back. ‘And I love you too, Mum.’
‘I love you more!’ her mother cried.
Rory took five large bags from Clive and handed them to each of the women at the table.
‘Dude,’ said Charlie. ‘Where’s my present?’
‘Only one of the presents is specifically for you,’ Zoe told him. ‘The rest you can share with your better half.’
‘If she lets you,’ added Rory.
‘Aww babe,’ said Sam to Zoe. ‘You shouldn’t have.’
Zoe’s chest was full to the brim with love. Both she and Rory wanted to do something personal for the people closest to them, and the fact it was unexpected made the surprise even sweeter.
‘So,’ Zoe continued. ‘The present specific to each of you is a crystal tumbler. It’s etched with your name, the date of our wedding, and a map of Kinloch. To go with the glass, you have the choice of a bottle of special edition MacGinley whisky from the GlenWyvis Distillery or a bottle of Scosecco.’
‘Sco-what?’ asked Sam.
She grinned at her best friend. ‘We wanted all the gifts to come from Scotland, so this is the nearest thing to Prosecco we could find.’
‘Morag? You ever tried Scosecco?’ Mary asked.
Barbara tutted loud enough for the whole table to hear.
Zoe gritted her teeth and forced her smile to stay in place. ‘There’s also a Scottish silver photo frame for you to put whatever photo you want in it after the wedding,’ she continued hurriedly, ‘a set of beeswax candles scented with essential oils of Scottish lavender and chamomile, pine, and mint, and a special edition lambswool blanket in the MacGinley tartan.’
‘Thank you, both,’ said Barbara.
At the other end of the table, Mary was trying to open the bottle of Scosecco. Arnold tried to assist but she batted him away.
‘Twist and tug, Mary,’ encouraged Morag. ‘Twist and tug. It’s just like giving a—’
‘Such a thoughtful set of gifts,’ Barbara interrupted.
Zoe’s head went from side to side as if watching a tennis match being played to the death.
‘Give it a shake,’ Morag urged.
‘I know they will be appreciated for years to come,’ Barbara continued.
There was a loud pop as the cork exited the bottle at maximum velocity, along with most of the Scosecco, drenching Arnold and Sam.
‘Thar she blows!’ yelled Morag, trying to rescue what was left in her empty wine glass.
