Page 110 of All Yours

The only problem was, when he ran round to the pool house the next morning, hoping to catch them before the wedding, the door was locked. And Robyn and Willow were gone.

Chapter Sixty-One

Robyn

‘Ready?’ Wren asked from the doorway of her spare bedroom, where Robyn had crawled under the bed covers last night and cried herself hoarse.

‘As I’ll ever be,’ Robyn replied from her position in front of the full-length mirror. Wren appeared behind her and their eyes met in the glass. Robyn’s green dress matched her eyes and her hair tumbled down her back. She wore heels and a slick of lip gloss. At least she looked put together on the outside, even if inside she was falling apart.

‘I’d come if I could, to be beside you as moral support,’ Wren said. ‘But it’s a bit tricky . . . I’ll try to be there at the reception, even if it’s just for the toasts.’

The twins were home, swaddled in matching blankets in moses baskets next to each other in the sitting room, but they’d only been discharged the night before and Robyn knew Wren was exhausted.

‘It will be fine, you know. Fox is a good man,’ Wren said, putting her arms around Robyn’s waist. Robyn’s eyes burned immediately, and she swiped fresh tears away.

Rosie appeared in the doorway.

‘And I’ll be there if you need me,’ she said, blowing Robyn a kiss.

‘Don’t start me off, I’ve just put my mascara on.’

‘I hope it’s waterproof,’ said Wren with a squeeze.

The first people Robyn spotted at the church were Reggie and George, adorable in their matching suits with mini waistcoats, and white trainers. Spotting her as she got out of the car with Willow, they shouted and tore across the car park to get to her, throwing themselves at her legs as if they’d not seen her for weeks.

‘Hello, you two,’ Robyn said, crouching down to them so they could see Willow.

She raised her eyes to find Reggie staring at her, wide-eyed. He blushed and dropped his eyes, whispering almost inaudibly, ‘You look beautiful today.’

‘You smell nice too,’ said George, snuffling his nose in her neck. ‘I miss that smell.’

She ruffled their curls, her heart hurting already knowing now that Fox must be nearby.

‘Let’s go get you a seat,’ Rosie said. Robyn adjusted Willow in her arms, kept her eyes on the path in front of her and made her way into the church.

‘Oh my gosh, Robyn,’ Rosie breathed beside her as they walked down the aisle. ‘Did you do all this?’

The end of every pew was decorated with a wreath of ivy and berries, twinkling with fairy lights. A matching garland hung along the altar. As well as wild berries and flowers, Robyn had incorporated fruits and spices – cranberries and glazed cherries, slices of lemon and spiralled orange peel and cinnamon sticks. The whole effect was extraordinary. The arrangements not only looked amazing, but they smelled like Christmas.

The congregation were commenting on them; she could hear the compliments as she walked down the aisle towards the front. Which was good, because if they liked this, they’d love Isabella’s bouquet and the table decorations for the wedding reception. Robyn had imagined today a million times, how she’d soak in the happy vibes, the excited friends and family, the loving couple. But this didn’t feel anything like that. This felt like a walking nightmare. And it got worse as she spotted Fox, her stomach flipping.

Fox was in a tight huddle with Walker, Etienne and Alex. He was fixing Etienne’s tie, knowing that all eyes would be on the groom for the ceremony. But it was Fox that Robyn couldn’t tear her eyes from. He looked gut-punchingly handsome in a blue suit, which highlighted his silver hair. He glanced up, maybe feeling the intensity of her gaze, and their eyes locked.

Fox patted Etienne’s shoulder and excused himself, striding purposefully towards her.

‘Red,’ he said, holding her elbow with one hand. ‘Can we talk?’

The feel of his fingers on her arm jolted her and she heard her breath catch. She opened her mouth to reply but was cut off by the vicar, announcing, ‘Take your seats, everyone, please.’ The church organ boomed into action. Robyn extricated her arm from Fox and slid into the nearest pew. Rosie had exited quietly to take her place in the ceremony.

‘Later then,’ Fox whispered. Robyn nodded, trying to read his face but his expression gave nothing away.

The bridal march began to play and Fox strode back to the front row on Etienne’s side and took his seat. It was time for the wedding.

Nonna appeared first, all five foot nothing of her, happily throwing rose petals from a basket and stopping to pinch the cheeks of her nearest and dearest friends as she made her way to the altar. Robyn bit her lip at the look of pride on Isabella’s grandmother’s face, as though she’d been looking forward to this since the day Isabella was born.

Gabi came next in her kick-arse peacock-blue dress, crop cut styled sleek and glossy. She strode down the aisle, and gave Walker a cheeky wink as she reached the altar. Robyn saw him wink back, both of them perfectly in tune.

Rosie and Amber followed Gabi down the aisle, holding hands, silk slip dresses catching the lights beautifully.