Page 52 of Trust In Me
Tears well in Mia’s eyes, and I reach up with my free hand to wipe them away. One eye smudges, the one that already has make-up on. Oops, looks like they might need to start again. “You think you’re falling for me?” she whispers, averting her eyes. I feel like I shouldn’t have told her that, like it will just cause us both more pain and suffering. But she needs to know what she’s walking away from.
“Yes, how can I not. You are the perfect girl for me, Mia. You love my kid, even when she’s a pain in the ass, and I know you care about me. Even with all my flaws. The more time I spend with you, the more I fall, and I wish I could stop it. I know the more this feeling grows, the more we’re going to get hurt, but I can’t stop it. I’m not even sure I want to.” I take a slow, deep breath and confess something I’ve never told her before. “When I was with Shayla, I thought I loved her. Hell…when I found out about Hallie, I wanted to love her. I wanted to have the feelings everyone else talks about. Don’t get me wrong, I hate her with a passion now, but at the time I had pretty strong feelings for her, but there was always doubt there. Liam kept telling me that if it was love I would know. It might not be the insta-love I felt when I held Hallie for the first time, but the feelings would grow and grow, before eventually taking root in my heart. He said they would grow and make their presence known, even if I didn’t want them to. That's how I feel about you. You’ve taken up residence in my heart, Mia, and I can’t lose you without you taking a big piece of my heart with you.”
Without even a second thought, Mia presses her lips against mine. It’s not sweet and chaste like it was a minute ago. This is raw, passionate, and says everything we’ve been struggling to admit to each other. Her tongue sweeps into my mouth and I can’t help but groan with pleasure as I taste her. We try to pull each other closer, forgetting about the baby in the middle of us. It’s not until Hallie screams to let us know she’s still here do we finally spring apart.
Mia’s cheeks are flushed and her eyes are bright. Fuck, her lips are swollen and bruised, and fuck does she look hot. “Pass her to me while you get in the shower. I think we both need a minute to cool down,” she says, as I stand up and hand over Hallie. I don’t miss the way her gaze settles on my hard cock that is pitching a tent in my grey sweatpants.
Looks like I’m going to have to have a quick wank in the shower. I can’t go to a wedding with a hard-on. Liam would fucking kill me.
* * *
“Ididn’t realise I would feel this nervous,” Liam states as we stand at the top of the aisle, the music has just begun to play, indicating we are about to get this show on the road.
Luckily, I finally managed to get both myself and Hallie dressed, with a lot of help from Mia, and we made it to the venue on time. Hallie is obviously not feeling great as she has been clinging to me like a little spider monkey. Thankfully, she went across to Mia without too much of a grumble, but I’m not sure how much of a flower girl she is going to be. Although, a few minutes before Mia took her, she was laughing with Liam. She kept smacking me around the head because I wouldn’t let Liam hold her. I would rather get beat up by a baby than face the girl's wrath if I let Hallie dirty Liam’s suit in any way before the wedding. Once the pictures are over, she can do whatever she wants. But until then, we all need to stay as clean as possible.
“No regrets?” I ask, with a cocky wink. I already know the answer. No matter how nervous Liam is, the idea of marrying Bree doesn’t even come into question. He’s been a nervous wreck since we got here, counting down the minutes until Bree was due to arrive. I know he is trying not to think about the last time, but the fear will always be there. I feel it too, and when Freya texts to say they’re here, I feel like I can finally breathe again. I don’t think my best friend could survive without Bree.
“Not in a million years.” Liam gives me and his two brothers a big smile, before turning to face the barn door that has just swung open.
Ryleigh is the first to enter, and she’s followed closely behind by Freya. They are both wearing long, silky gowns that are a deep purple colour. They look stunning. The dress almost appears black at times, until the light hits it when it glistens a brighter purple. They are both holding bouquets of white and purple flowers. Everyone is looking at them, the murmurs of how beautiful they look fill the barn. Ry loves all the attention, and she walks at a super slow pace to soak it all up. Freya, on the other hand, practically sprints down the aisle, her eyes looking straight forward, but not really seeing anything. Frey hates attention, so it’s not surprising that she would try to block out everyone looking at her. I also don’t miss the way Ryleigh chastises her for walking too quickly when she reaches her side.
Before they have a chance to start to argue, Mia enters the room. Holy fuck, I feel like my heart is about to explode. If I thought the dresses looked magical on my sisters, it looks fucking gorgeous on Mia. The way the silk clings to her, emphasising the delicate curves of her body, she looks like a model. My eyes rake over her body, and my heart literally skips a beat when I take in the full sight.
Sitting on one of her hips is my gorgeous daughter. She appears to have temporarily perked up a bit, and she is reaching into the basket Mia is holding to grab the rose petals before she throws them on the floor. Her chubby fists scrunch up the flowers, and she literally throws them at the guests as she passes, giggling her little head off. I also catch the moment she tries to put the petals in her mouth, only to be told off by Mia. In retaliation my beautiful Hallie Bear decides to throw the petals at Mia’s face, much to everybody's amusement.
Hallie does go back to throwing the flowers properly, and together they look perfect. It physically hurts me to see them together. Knowing this could be my future. One day this girl could have—no, should have—been walking down the aisle towards me. I know how I feel about her, and I know one day we could have had this happiness. Hallie could have had a real mum, but that has all been snatched away, and seeing this, being able to see what our future could be, it breaks my heart.
Pushing my own dark thoughts out of my mind, I smile and simply embrace the here and now. When Mia reaches the end of the aisle, she looks unsure of what to do. We never really planned how this would go, so we are all winging it, minus a few last-minute instructions Ryleigh threw our way. Seeming to make a decision, Mia walks over to me and I take a couple of steps forward to meet her. Leaning down I place a kiss on my daughter's head, and she giggles before grasping hold of my tie. I manage to prise her little hands off it, but it’s almost like Hallie isn’t there at all. I’m so close to Mia, I can feel her breath on my face. It feels so natural to lean forward to kiss her, and I feel my head move of its own accord.
Before I have a chance to do something I can’t take back, particularly at our best friend’s wedding, and in front of all our family and friends, I pull away. She lets out a small moan that only I can hear, and I realised she wanted me to kiss her. Fuck, this girl is giving me whiplash!
“Can you keep hold of her during the ceremony, please? Or give her to Freya if Bree needs you. Is that okay?” I whisper against her ear. I lean in to whisper, not because it’s a private conversation that shouldn’t be overheard, but because I want an excuse, just for a second, to be close to her.
She nods and we both take a step back, that’s when I hear the gasps from the people sitting behind us. They had obviously witnessed the whole thing and thought we were going to kiss too. It’s like a fucking pantomime and I can’t help rolling my eyes at them. Nobody really knows what is going on with Mia and me. They know at some point we were seeing each other, and now we aren’t. I haven’t even told Liam that I know her secret, about the abuse. Mia has spent a long time hiding that, and she trusted me with it, and her trust is something I would never break.
I watch as Mia hands Hallie over to Freya, who looks over and gives me a reassuring smile. Mia then comes to stand at the front of the venue, next to the registrar's table, opposite where me and Liam are standing. I’m so distracted looking at Mia, I miss the music starting, and it’s not until I hear gasps from everyone in the room that I realise Bree has started walking down the aisle.
Looking like the most beautiful, gothic princess, Bree begins walking, arm in arm with her Gramps, Paddy. She’s wearing a black, flowy dress that seems to sparkle in the light. She looks every bit the princess that Liam tells her she is. I turn to my friend, and I almost feel overwhelmed by the love and adoration that's etched across Liam’s face. I can see the slight hint of tears in his eyes as he watches his entire future walk towards him. I have no doubt that they will have a long and happy life together. Well…they will do it if everyone stops plotting to kill us all.
* * *
The wedding goes off without a hitch, and we all gather in the large marquee that is set up behind the barn. Everyone has done an amazing job of putting together such a gorgeous, intimate event. As we all feast on the meal that’s served to us, my heart begins to race. It suddenly dawns on me that as soon as the food’s been eaten, it’ll be time for my speech. This was the one reason why I didn’t want to be Liam’s best man. I know I’m his best friend, and practically his brother, so I’m the obvious choice, but I’m no public speaker. In fact, I hate people. Give me a computer screen and a dark room any day. But, a room full of people, no matter how much I might know and love them, it’s still terrifying.
You have no idea how many times I’ve re-wrote this fucking speech. I’ve rehearsed it so many times, I know it off by heart, but I still have it on my phone, just in case. When the person who works for the venue announces it’s time for my speech, my stomach starts to flip. Luckily I haven’t eaten too much, or it could be making a reappearance sometime soon. The order was decided by Bree, and so Paddy did his first, then Liam got up and did his. Soppy fucker nearly had us all in tears. Then it’s my turn.
I give a nod to the man who works for the venue, giving him the instructions we had previously discussed. I had met with him a few days ago to tell him what my plan was, but I still hadn’t managed to get his name. Luckily, he has remembered all my instructions as I see his team standing in the wings, awaiting my cue.
Liam hands me the microphone, and I give him a nervous smile. His responding nod of encouragement is all I need. I take a big, deep breath to settle my nerves, then I start my speech. “Thank you everyone for being here. Firstly, I want to let you all know that I absolutely hate giving speeches, or doing any kind of public speaking, for that matter. So, please bear with me, and only laugh at the appropriate places.”
I turn to face Bree and Liam, and with a smile on my face, I recite the words I have practised non-stop for the last couple of weeks. “As most of you are well aware, Bree and Liam didn’t have the most conventional start to their relationship. Bree was tied to his bed before they even knew each other's names. And I don’t know of many relationships that start with one person shooting the other but still work out okay. I knew Bree was a keeper when she put Liam in his place.” Laughter fills the room as we all fondly remember how these two love birds got started. I can still remember Liam's astonishment that this girl was able to catch him unawares enough to pull a gun and shoot him. If it hadn’t been for the vest, things would have gone very differently.
I continue my speech, telling a few funny, embarrassing stories from when Liam and I were kids, and thankfully the speech goes down really well. Now it’s time for the bits I was told to include by Bree. “Before I close off this speech, there’s a few people I want to thank on behalf of everyone here. Firstly, to Paddy and Clodagh. Thank you for helping to make this Bree’s dream wedding. I know the love and support you have shown her, more specifically over the last couple of months, it has meant the world to her, and to Liam. Next I have to thank Kian, even though I would rather not. His head is big enough as it is. But, seriously, mate, you have done a cracking job at organising all of this. Special thanks also goes out to Ryleigh, who helped with lots. Thank you to all the Doughty family for your support, I know Liam is so grateful to have you here. Let’s hope this new-found bond, brought back together again with the help of Bree, will last for a long time.” I stare pointedly at Desmond, hoping he listens to my words. The family has only just got their shit together, I don’t want his thirst for power to pull them all apart again.
My heart rate begins to return to normal, because I only have a couple of people left to mention, then I can get another drink and forget all about this moment. Maybe then I can start to enjoy this party. The next part comes easily, and then I turn to look at Mia, who would have been sitting next to me, if it weren’t for the high chair separating us. Mia is holding Hallie’s hand and has a beautiful smile on her face as her eyes meet mine. “Now, I may be a little biased when I say this, but can we get a massive round of applause for the most beautiful, talented flower girl, my daughter, Hallie.” The room erupts into loud clapping, and Hallie wastes no time, giggling and clapping her chubby little hands together. She literally is the most adorable girl I’ve ever seen. Even with what looks to be mashed potato and gravy covering her pretty, pink party dress, and I think it’s mashed carrots in her hair.
Looking over at Mia, I’m impressed she isn’t covered in Hallie’s food too. Whenever Hallie smacks her hands together, whatever mashed food she had in there, it flies around like an exploded bomb. But she doesn’t care. Mia’s eyes meet mine, and I can feel the electricity crackling between us. “In addition to having the best flower girl, I also want to point out how beautiful Bree’s bridesmaids look. I know you have all helped Bree out so much today, and I thank you for that. Especially you, Mia. You look absolutely stunning, and I think you are doing an amazing job at being Bree’s maid of honour. As Liam’s best man, I would like to formally ask you to do me the incredible honour of joining me on the dance floor with Bree and Liam, later on, to help them celebrate their first dance as husband and wife. I don’t think I could ask for a better, more stunning dance partner.”
I watch as the blush travels across Mia’s cheeks, embarrassed at being called out like this. But, I don’t want her to deny me, and this way she can’t. Unable to find the words to reply, she nods and the room applauds. I release the breath I didn’t even realise I’m holding. Everything with Mia, at the moment, seems to make me nervous.
