Page 145 of Kiss Me Like You Mean It
‘Yes,’ Ma sniffles. ‘Some of us have sensitive eyes.’
‘Anyway,’ Jack thumps a hand on my shoulder and gives a light squeeze, ‘I’ll see you down there, yeah?’
‘Sure,’ I agree while he and Claudia exchange a significant look.
Between the tux, Jack’s sentimental non-outburst and Ma being unusually early to an event, something definitely feels off.
‘Darling, I need to talk to you about a couple of things.’ My mum drops down onto one of the armchairs and gestures for me to take the seat across from her. ‘I asked Charles if he’d take a look at something for me, now that this whole mess has been sorted out.’
She hands me the envelope, and intrigued, I open it, pulling out the stack of documents inside. When I see what they are I almost fling them straight into the fireplace.
‘Divorce papers? What the fuck, Ma?’
Her eyes widen innocently. ‘Well, darling, I was only trying to be helpful. After all, better to do it as soon as possible, isn’t it? I know you and Lee are planning on giving the relationship a go, but you’re hardly going to stay married, are you?’ She wrinkles her nose. ‘It’s always best to get the unpleasant paperwork out of the way.’
‘But I don’t want divorce papers.’ My voice is too loud in the stillness of the room.
Her brows lift. ‘Perhaps I misunderstood,’ she says. ‘When you gave me the rings back, I assumed—’
‘Lee gave them to me. I could hardly tell her to keep wearing them, could I? She only agreed to this fake marriage thing to help me out.’ I glare down at the papers in my hands. ‘I was going to wait, to see if… I don’t know. But I’m not signing these. I don’t care if it’s unreasonable. I’m not divorcing her.’
‘Why not?’
‘Because I’m in love with her. I want to be married to her. I want her to be my wife.’ When I look up, my mother is beaming.
‘I know, darling.’ She reaches into the small purse she’s carrying wrapped around her wrist, and extracts a ring box. ‘But don’t you think you’d better tell Lee that?’
I take the box and open it. Inside, the diamond daisy engagement ring sits alone.
‘Where are the others?’
She stands, dusting off her dress, and looks down at me, her eyes full of affection. ‘Jack has them, of course. Isn’t that what the best man does?’
Chapter Forty-Eight
Lee
‘I still can’t believe Magda did this,’ I say as Tara carefully curls the back of my hair. ‘Who decides to throw a black tie event with less than twenty-four hours’ notice? I mean, what were you doing travelling with a dress like that?’
Tara shrugs, stunning in a long, strappy dress of lilac silk. ‘What can I say, I’m an overpacker.’
‘But Gran and Cynthie, too!’ I exclaim. ‘Am I the only one not packing emergency evening wear?’ As someone who takes a significant amount of pride in her ability to pull together a travel wardrobe, I’m shaken to my core by this revelation.
‘You know that mine was because of a work thing,’ Cynthie calls from the bathroom where I can see through the open door that she is applying her mascara. She looks gorgeous, too. Her dress is actually quite similar to Tara’s but a darker shade of purple.
‘I do always travel with evening wear,’ Gran shrugs from where she’s perched on the bed, elegant in a long, burgundy dress with a matching bolero jacket. She examines her fingernails. ‘One never knows.’
‘And you’re sure this dress you have is going to fit me?’ I call to Cynthie. ‘You’re taller than I am.’
‘Not with the heels on,’ Cynthie argues. ‘Anyway, I don’t see that you’ve got a lot of choice at the moment, do you?’
‘No, I suppose not.’ Whatever Cynthie has with her is going to be more suitable than anything in my wardrobe. Apparently the whole town is turning out in ball gowns and tuxedos.
There’s a knock at the front door.
‘I’ll get it!’ Phoebe yells from the front room.
‘There, that will be Luke with the dress now.’ Cynthie wanders through, her makeup flawless, her famous face almost dazzlingly perfect. ‘I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about the dress code switch earlier, or maybe we could have found you something in town.’ She looks crestfallen.
