Sorry he said it the way he did, she thought, but not sorry about what he’d said. He meant every word. He was done with her.
‘Look, Scotty, if my being here tonight makes you uncomfortable, you can say so,’ she said. ‘I’ll understand if you want me to leave. I’m sure Alex or Vanessa won’t mind running me back into town.’
Scotty took a step back. ‘Alex? You came with him?’
Claire nodded.
‘And, what, are you two together now?’ He clenched his jaw.
She frowned. ‘No, we’re just friends,’ she said deliberately. ‘What does it matter to you anyway? You’re about to marry Nina.’
Claire bit her lip. It was the closest she’d come yet to admitting to Scotty that she was jealous of his intended; that she wished she were in Nina’s glamorous shoes instead of her own cheap thongs. She could never compare. She should have seen that from the start.
It was Scotty’s turn to laugh; his was every bit as bitter as hers had been. ‘You’re right. It shouldn’t matter. But it does,’ he said. He closed the gap between them and let his hands rest on her hips. He leaned in close. ‘You’ve never done your dash with me, Thorne,’ he whispered.
Her thoughts were a maelstrom as his lips brushed her ear. This is wrong! He’s five minutes away from getting married!
And yet Claire felt her body respond to his touch the way it always had. She rose up on her tiptoes and tilted her face towards him, aching for another kiss that would feel like the first – the one they’d shared on the roof of the stables thirteen Christmas Eves ago.
This would be their last first kiss.
She closed her eyes as she felt his warm breath on her cheek. And then . . .
‘Scotty! Where are you, bro?’ Chris’s voice shouted from somewhere close by. ‘Let’s get this show on the road.’
‘Time to rock’n’roll, mate,’ yelled another voice, followed by a burst of male laughter.
Scotty pulled away from her as sharply as if she had burned him. His emerald eyes widened in horror. He backed out of the stall.
‘I’m so sorry,’ Scotty said. ‘For everything.’
And then he was gone.
Scotty stood at the altar, sweating into his wool suit as the guests took their seats. The temperature had to be close to thirty degrees, despite the lengthening shadows. Why had he picked Christmas Eve? What kind of idiot got married outdoors in the middle of summer?
Nina stood opposite, looking gorgeous in her green dress. But she wouldn’t meet his gaze and Scotty felt her hand trembling when he took it in his.
They’d decided not to bother with the whole walking-down-the-aisle thing. None of Nina’s family was in attendance, so there would be no traditional ‘giving away’ moment. There wasn’t much about this wedding that was traditional – least of all the fact that it wasn’t really a wedding at all.
It looked the part, though. The branches of the surrounding trees were festooned with fairy lights and the streamers and balloons Claire had bought. Scotty was sure he hadn’t hung them the way she would have, but decorating wasn’t exactly his strong suit.
He saw Claire slip into the chair next to Alex Jessop and wondered if she’d noticed the decorations, if she thought he’d created a fitting setting for a hasty betrothal. Alex turned and said something to Claire. She nodded and gave him a shaky smile, but her eyes glistened. Scotty knew she’d been crying.
Scotty’s heart rate kicked up a gear as he watched Valda Chadwick advancing down the aisle towards him, clutching an official-looking leather compendium. Nina had balked when he’d booked a real marriage celebrant, but Scotty had insisted. It wasn’t going to look legit if he asked Ken Broome from the footy club to officiate, was it? And Valda was okay with performing the fancy ceremony now and then doing it again, officially, in January.
A hush descended on the crowd as Valda took her place in front of them. Nina suddenly turned to Scotty, panic in her eyes.
‘Are you sure, Scotty?’ she whispered. ‘Are you really sure you want to do this? It’s still not too late to change your mind.’
‘Shall we get started?’ Valda said pleasantly.
He gazed out at the congregation – if that was the right word for a group of people witnessing a civil ceremony that wasn’t legally binding between two people who didn’t love each other. The faces of two hundred friends, acquaintances and family members beamed back at him. They all thought they were watching a fairytale love story play out: the joining of two people who were so mad about each other they decided to throw caution to the wind and get married after just six weeks.
Well, all but one of the wedding guests felt that way. As Scotty’s gaze alighted on Claire, something broke inside him. She was the only person in his life who had expressed doubts about the speed of his relationship with Nina. The only one who seemed to care about his wellbeing – or his sanity. Her concern for him wasn’t driven by the feelings he’d so fervently hoped she still had for him, but by genuine care nonetheless. Care that he’d repaid with lies and manipulation and more lies.
Claire’s face was the picture of misery. Hardly surprising, since he’d nearly kissed her just minutes ago and then left her alone in a horse stall while he went off to marry another woman.
Scotty turned to Valda. ‘Absolutely.’ He tried for resolute, although his voice sounded flat. Best to just get on with it now. He had no choice but to lie in the bed he’d made and let Claire find someone who actually deserved her.
Valda opened her compendium. ‘Friends and family, on behalf of Nina and Scott, I would like to welcome you
