The hotel staff had kicked them out of the room just after five, as Dave’s speech had dragged on a little longer than expected, and Alice had taken the opportunity to change into her evening gown and freshen up. The honeymoon suite was everything she had hoped for. High ceilings, a four-poster bed and a balcony with a view of the lake and luscious green lawn where the photography session had taken place. Picture-perfect didn’t come close to describing it, but then she’d left nothing to chance, and had spent the majority of her free time in the last two years planning every minute detail. From the embossed ‘Save the Date’ cards, to the individual handheld dessert selection that had been served during the speeches, she had overseen every detail.
Today was her day, and nothing was going to spoil it.
She hadn’t seen Ben since the breakfast, but Dave had found her and promised the rest of the lads were looking after him, which probably meant they were drinking and exchanging banter where they couldn’t be overheard. The evening guests were now gathering in the suite ready for the evening disco and buffet, awaiting the newlyweds’ arrival and the cutting of the cake.
‘Are you having a good day?’ Dave asked, leaning closer again.
‘The best,’ she gushed.
‘I’m sorry I was late getting Ben to the church,’ he continued sombrely. ‘It’s absolutely my fault, and you shouldn’t blame him. It took us ages to find an open pub. The one I’d planned for us to go to was closed, and we had to drive around until we found one. Ben kept saying we should just forget about it, but I wanted him to have a proper send-off. I hope you can forgive me. The last thing I’d want is to spoil your big day.’
She patted his arm warmly. ‘It’s okay, Dave. No harm done.’
A sudden crash into the table was followed by a hand resting on Dave’s shoulder.
‘Hey mate,’ the owner of the hand slurred. ‘You got a cigarette I can steal?’
Dave looked annoyed at the interruption, but turned to face the man. ‘You don’t smoke, Abdul.’
‘Yeah, but I like one every now and again, when I’ve been drinking. Go on, don’t be tight.’
Dave shuffled the chair back and stood, reaching for the suit jacket draped over the arm. ‘Sure, I’ll come out and join you.’ He paused and turned back to Alice. ‘Have you two met? Alice, this is Abdul. Abdul, this is Ben’s better half.’
Alice hadn’t met Abdul before, but she’d heard Ben and Dave talking about him. From India originally, he had met the other two at university and they’d spent most of their time high as kites, before going their separate ways at graduation.
‘Hi,’ Alice waved.
‘Great day,’ Abdul replied. ‘Appreciate the invite.’
‘I’ll see you in a bit.’ Dave winked at Alice, before following Abdul away from the table and towards the hotel lobby.
A moment later, Alice’s mother plonked down in the chair Dave had vacated.
‘You’re supposed to be waiting for us in the hall, Mum,’ Alice said patiently.
‘Your dads would be so proud of you right now,’ her mum replied, her eyes welling instantly. ‘It’s been a lovely day so far.’
It had taken enough planning, but it felt good to have all that effort vindicated by someone who could be so judgemental.
‘Thank you, Mum. Are you okay?’
Her mum removed a tissue from the sleeve of her violet cardigan and dabbed the corner of her eyes. ‘I’m hanging in there. I wish both your dads could have been here to see you walk down the aisle. You looked like a princess from one of those stories we used to read to you as a child.’
Alice could feel the sting of tears and took a moment to compose herself. ‘Stop it, Mum, you’ll set me off.’
Her mum hugged her tightly. ‘I’m so proud of all you’ve achieved, Alice. I wanted you to know that.’
Alice eyed the large glass of wine tentatively poised in her mum’s hand; she always became more emotional under the influence.
‘Well I’m so glad I have you here to celebrate with,’ Alice said, squeezing her back.
She saw Ben stumbling towards the table before she heard him. ‘Here are my two favourite ladies,’ he said, planting a kiss on Alice’s lips.
She could smell the whisky on his breath; he looked happier than she’d ever seen him.
‘It’s time for us to make a grand entrance,’ he slurred. ‘You’d better take charge of the cake knife though.’
Alice had enjoyed a couple of glasses of wine, but she’d wanted to keep a clear head so she could commit every second of the day to memory.
‘How is my new son-in-law?’ her mum asked.
Ben leaned forwards and planted a kiss on his mother-in-law’s cheek. ‘Does this mean you’re happy with me calling you Mum at last?’
It had been a running joke between them since he’d first strolled into her parents’ kitchen and called her Mum. They’d only been dating for three months at the time, but he’d later revealed that he’d already known he would marry Alice one day. He was a determined individual, and when he set his sights on a goal, nothing would stop him achieving it. It’s why he now headed one of the largest logistics companies on the south coast, and why they lived in a six bedroom house in the affluent area of Chilworth. He wanted to fill the property with the sound of children’s laughter and had implied he’d like at least four children; Alice, though, would wait until they’d managed to conceive one before thinking about more.
Smiling and nodding as she moved through the sea of smiling faces in the suite, she tried not to think about how uncomfortable being the centre of attention made her feel.
Ben was holding her hand, as ever her rock, leading her through the crowd to the large table in the corner where the three-tiered cake stood, miniature marzipan figures of Alice and Ben on the top. The smallest layer was fruit cake, the middle a moist chocolate sponge and the bottom a jam and vanilla mix. Something for everyone.
Moving behind the table, Ben took her hand, and together they coiled their fingers around the cold knife handle and held it on the white icing, pausing and smiling at the cameras as the room erupted with bright flashes, startling them both. In her head she counted to ten, before she pushed down together with Ben, cutting through the light sponge as another wave of flashes erupted.
It was as close to perfect as she could have imagined.
The gathered guests applauded the moment, and as Alice posed with Ben, both beaming into the continued flashes of cameras and phones, she wished she could freeze the moment in time forever.
Tara was the first to come over and hug her, swiftly followed by Faye, who looked much happier than she had in the car. ‘We’ve got something for you,’ Tara said into her ear, just as a man in a shabby-looking brown suit approached Ben and began to say something into his ear. Alice didn’t recognize the man’s face; moustachioed, wrinkles bearing the passing of time, she was sure she’d never been introduced to him.
Before she could interrupt the two men though, Faye and Tara whisked her away to the opposite side of the room, and the two men disappeared behind the throng of guests.
‘Here you go,’ Tara said, handing over a small jewellery box.
Alice craned her neck to see whether she could catch a glimpse of Ben and the stranger, but it was no use.
‘Go on, open it,’ Faye encouraged. ‘We had it specially made.’
Alice