Penelope looked over her shoulder for Bonnie’s help, sure that the bride must need something from her. But Bonnie only waved her on. “Aunt Kay’s the best, Pen. You’ll love her.”
Aunt Kay proceeded to lead her straight to the bar, where she ordered two glasses of champagne. Penelope gratefully accepted one, finally ready for a drink.
“I hear you’re the one to thank for all this,” Kay said, gesturing towards the wedding decorations. “Derek can’t say enough amazing things about you.”
“Ah, well….” Penelope fumbled, unsure how to answer. Not sure how much she knew or how much Bonnie would want her to know.
Luckily, it wasn’t really a question. “Bonnie too. And believe me, I’ve been asking. I wanted to know who it was that stole my son’s heart so thoroughly.”
“Oh.” She flushed, even more flustered by the woman’s straightforwardness.
“A teacher and a writer, from the sounds of it. That’s lovely. Both teachers and artists in their own way. I like that,” she nodded approvingly. Then cut straight to it. “You know the last one broke his heart. Selfish bitch.”
Penelope couldn’t help herself; the intensity of the swear caught her off guard. She tried to raise her glass before the champagne came spitting back out, failing completely as it landed on the lawn.
Her reaction only seemed to egg Kay on. She calmly handed Penelope a napkin, continuing where she had left off. “She was, too. Always looking out for herself. She’d never have done something like this.” She nodded towards the happy bride and groom, clutching each other’s hands as they were now free to mingle among the crowd.
Unexpectedly, Kay’s eyes narrowed in on her with intensity. “You love him?”
The boldness of the question surprised her, although she was quickly learning it probably shouldn’t have. Penelope braced herself, looking her boyfriend’s mother directly in the eye. “Very much.”
Kay nodded again, cracking a smile. “Yes. You’ll do. You’ll do nicely.”
“Mam!” They both swiveled at the sound of Finn’s approach.
“Mam, back away from her,” he teased warningly. “You all right, Penelope? She can be a bit much.”
“I’ll have no such thing said about me. I’m exactly the right amount of whatever it is I choose to be,” Kay said indignantly.
“See?” he said, as if this proved his point.
“I think I like her.” Penelope drank in this character of a woman, aware she could learn a lot from her.
“Good,” Finn said boldly, taking Penelope’s hand and heading towards the dance floor. “Because if I have my way, you’ll be stuck with her.”
Dumbstruck, Penelope followed a step behind, her feet having trouble moving as her mind ran over his words again and again. Luckily, it was a slow song. Nothing beyond leaning against him and swaying was required. Letting him guide them around the dance floor, her head resting against his chest, breathing in the smell of his cologne, and listening to the sound of his heartbeat with his arms wrapped around her.
“Finn,” she dared hesitantly as the song finished up, afraid to ruin the moment but needing to know. “What exactly were you saying?”
Without answering, he cleared a path for them through the growing crowd, stepping off the dance floor with her in tow as a faster song came on. Moving them to a quieter spot at the edge of the garden, his fingers teasingly ran down her back as if it were the strings of his guitar. He stopped when they were at the edge of the lawn, not quite daring to take her into the wooded area beyond.
“I think you know exactly what I’m saying, Penelope North.” He tilted her chin up, looking down at her as if no one else in the world existed. “But I’m not saying it yet. I will go to the ends of the earth to make this work. I’d like us to have all the time we want. But if I can’t get a feckin’ visa any other way….”
“Are you asking… I mean saying…?”
“I’m saying you are the woman I want to spend my life with. To have adventures with and grow old with. But for right now, I’m simply asking you to take a chance on us. To know that this isn’t going to be an easy relationship all the time, but that I’m in it. I’m committed. I’m asking you if that’s something you can say yes to?”
Before she could give her whole-hearted answer, Bonnie’s face was somehow next to hers, bursting the little bubble they’d created.
“Come on, Finn. You promised. It’s time,” she said insistently.
“Seriously?!” Finn struggled to physically restrain himself from strangling her. “Right now? I’ll be there in a minute. Go set yourself up with your husband, where everyone can stare at the lovely couple.”
“Everyone’s waiting,” she pointed up the grassy slope, where literally everyone was waiting, staring down at them.
Finn groaned audibly, turning back to Penelope. “Come on. The first song I play is for them. Because it has to be. The second one is for you.”
Bonnie pulled Penelope right along with her, making her way up to the dance floor, dropping her hand just before stepping onto it to join Felix.
