CAROL MARINELLI - The Consultant's Accidental Bride

They stood for a couple of moments admiring their reflections in the mirror until the phone rang and they were gently reminded that there was a room full of people and an anxious groom waiting downstairs for them.

‘You look stunning,’ Leah whispered, her eyes filling with tears as she fiddled with Kathy’s veil. ‘You’re the most beautiful bride I’ve ever seen.’

‘And the best bit is that I get to do it all again when we get to England.’

Walking behind Kathy, Leah blushed as she always did when people looked at her. There wasn’t a single familiar face in the crowd to give her an encouraging smile unless she counted Cole Richardson, but his smile wasn’t exactly encouraging. He gave her a brief glance before turning his attention to the bride and groom, playing the part of the best man to a T as Leah stood beside him, trying to ignore how heavenly he looked in his dark grey suit, trying to remain unmoved by the heady scent of his cologne, which easily overpowered the gorgeous flower arrangements. There was not even one nervous pat of his pocket to check for the rings as he stood supremely confident, dwarfing her with his height as they shared the order of service. Leah’s hands trembled as she tried to read the blur of words in front of her.

She always cried at weddings. Even when she wasn’t particularly attached to the couple, there was something about the grandeur of the event, watching two people pledging their love, embarking on life’s journey together, which made her arms tingle with goose-bumps and tears test her waterproof mascara to its limit.

Unfortunately, as gorgeous as her lilac dress might be, there was absolutely nowhere to hide a tissue and Leah tried to sniff subtly, praying her nose wouldn’t start to run. But God must’ve been concentrating on the ceremony and when dignified sniffs wouldn’t suffice, trying to catch Cole’s eye remained her only option.

‘Have you got a tissue?’ she whispered frantically as Cole stared ahead, frowning at the intrusion.

‘What?’

‘A tissue?’ Leah begged, desperately trying not to sniff too loudly.

‘Oh, God,’ he muttered when finally he turned and faced her, no doubt appalled at the vision that greeted him. ‘You’ll have to use this.’

Cringing at the prospect of Kathy’s wrath, she accepted the gorgeous lilac silk handkerchief that perfectly matched her dress and was supposed to poke out of the top pocket of his suit.

‘Try and keep one corner clean,’ he hissed out of the side of his mouth.

Leah did her best, but it was a rather sad-looking effort that hung out of Cole’s pocket as they lined up for the photographers for the seemingly endless photos. Finally it was over and they sat down to a sumptuous meal before the inevitable speeches, which seemed to go on for ever, finally got under way. Cole’s was easily the best, Leah decided, witty without being embarrassing, endearing without being gushing. Best of all, he kept it short and Leah sipped at her coffee liqueur as she watched him, smiling reluctantly at his jokes, her cheeks curiously flushed as she recalled their four hours alone on the plane. He entranced her for all the wrong reasons. Pompous, condescending he most certainly was, but there was something else that she couldn’t quite put her finger on. It wasn’t just his looks, though undoubtedly they spoke volumes, but something about his strength, his dignity. As his speech neared its end, Leah’s eyes, which were still stinging from her embarrassing tears earlier, filled up again as she glimpsed the pain behind the rather severe mask Cole wore so well.

‘My late wife, Heather, adored Dale, saw him more as a brother than a friend. Despite her sunny nature, where Dale was concerned, none of the girlfriends he dragged to our dinner table for Heather’s opinion were good enough…

‘Until Kathy breezed into our lives a couple of years ago, that is.’

He cleared his throat and stared at the notes he was reading from for a second too long before continuing.

‘After they left we watched them drive off, and when Heather shook her head I waited, waited for Heather to have picked up some fault I’d missed, some glaring glitch in Kathy’s character I’d seemingly ignored. Instead, she let out a long sigh then smiled. “That’s the one,” she said. “That’s the one Dale’s going to marry.” And, though unfortunately she isn’t here to see it, Heather, as always, was right and I know that everyone in this room hopes that you’re as happy in your future together as Heather predicted you would be.’

Given that the sole handkerchief was safely back in his pocket, Leah had to make do with a couple of deep breaths and a quick sip of her drink. Looking up, she realised the whole room was looking at her and it took a second or two to realise that Cole was at the end of his speech and performing the duty toast to the bridesmaids.

Or bridesmaid!

Blushing crimson, she forced a smile as Cole held up his glass. ‘When Dale asked me to be best man, naturally I was thrilled, but never more so than now. The bridesmaid truly looks beautiful.’ A tiny smile softened his face as he worked the room. ‘And unlike the rest of the guys here tonight, at least I know that I’m guaranteed a dance.

‘To the bridesmaid!’

It was a joke, a light-hearted comment to end his speech on, Leah knew that, knew that, but as the speeches ended she sat burning with anticipation. Something in his voice, something in the way his eyes had held hers as he’d spoken told her he had meant it, that this would be more, so much more than a duty dance. As the lights dimmed and Kathy and Dale took to the floor for the first dance, Leah’s heart rate shot up as Cole approached. Shooting a look up from the refuge of her fringe, there was an expression she couldn’t quite read in his eyes and she knew there and then that the attraction she felt was most definitely mutual. As his hot hand closed on hers she could barely catch her breath as she walked alongside him in unfamiliar, impossibly high heels.

They stood shy and awkward for a moment so fleeting it was barely there, then Cole wrapped his hand around her waist and she slid into his embrace. The music carried them around the room and so tall was he, even in heels her cheek only rested on his chest as his deep low voice drifted to her ears.

‘I meant what I said. You really do look beautiful.’

Leah gave a small laugh, pulling her head up slightly so he could hear her. ‘It’s amazing what a posh frock and a few heated rollers can do. I think yesterday was a more accurate version of me.’

‘You looked beautiful then.’

Such was the honesty in his voice, such was its impact, Leah forgot they were supposed to be dancing and stilled for a moment.

Cole’s admission was obviously having the same effect on him and while the dance floor revolved around them, while couples entwined and moved to the music, for a second or two everything stopped.

‘You didn’t make me feel very beautiful,’ Leah responded, amazing herself at her boldness. ‘In fact, you made me feel incredibly irresponsible and rather unworthy.’

He didn’t answer, just stared on as Leah’s mouth started to move at a hundred miles an hour, nerves catching up with her as her senses kicked into overdrive. ‘If I remember rightly, you fell asleep at the first opportunity. After you’d told me off…’

‘That was the safer option.’ His eyes were on her, burning into her, and she stared right back. Never had she felt such an attraction, never, not even once in her life had she felt such a connection with another person. And it hadn’t just happened on the dance floor.

The instant he had appeared at the check-in desk, he had filled her mind. Her token annoyance at him had been just that.