“Oh, Livvy,” Ches said with tears in her eyes as Livvy smoothed her hands over her hips and gazed into the mirror. “You look stunning. No, strike that. You are stunning.”

“I agree, darlin’,” Heather said. “You’re like an angel. My son is a lucky boy.”

Livvy smiled as happiness coursed through her veins. The last four weeks had sped by in a whirlwind of venues, cars, cakes, and dresses. Once she’d agreed to marry Gabe, he hadn’t wanted to wait. Heather had almost fainted when he’d told her that she had such a short time to organize the wedding, but she’d rallied beautifully, taking all the worry and concern away from Livvy and leaving only the fun stuff behind.

Livvy turned to the side. The dress certainly played to her best features. The off-the-shoulder chic lace camisole top allowed her to show off her neck. The fitted satin skirt gave her more curves than she was entitled to and finished in a puddle train that—with any luck—she wouldn’t trip over. The bridal gown was simple yet elegant, exactly what she had hoped for. And even better were the full-length lace sleeves, which covered the scars on her wrists. She didn’t want to be reminded of her past pain. Not today.

She turned to Heather. “Would you mind giving me five minutes with Ches?”

Heather immediately picked up her purse from a nearby chair. “Not at all, sweat pea. It’s time I went, anyway. Need to make sure that son of mine is standing in the correct spot.” She took Livvy in her arms and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “I can’t wait to have a daughter again.”

The conversation Livvy had had with Gabe all those weeks ago came rushing back. He’d refused any further attempts to discuss his brother and sister, and Heather didn’t mention them, either. In fact, this comment was the first time she’d alluded to having another child. Gabe must have told his mother that Livvy, at least, knew the bare bones.

“And I can’t wait to have a mum,” Livvy whispered back, her words making Heather’s eyes glisten. Gabe’s mom dug a tissue from her purse and dabbed the corners of her eyes. With a last lingering glance at Livvy, she closed the door behind her.

“You okay, Liv?” Ches lightly brushed her fingertips down Livvy’s arm. “You’re covered in goose bumps. Are you cold?”

Livvy shook her head as she swallowed past an enormous lump in her throat. “Tell me honestly, Ches,” she blurted. “Do you think I’m being disloyal to Mark by marrying Gabe?”

Ches’s eyes widened in surprise at Livvy’s query. “Absolutely not, Livvy. After everything you’ve been through, you deserve to be happy. Mark wouldn’t want you to live out the rest of your life alone. You’re so young, and you have your whole life ahead of you.”

She put her arms around Livvy, being careful not to brush against her delicately crafted chignon. After hugging her so tightly that Livvy almost passed out, Ches stood back and gave Livvy a no-nonsense shake of the head.

“It was terrible what happened to Mark and Daniel, Liv, not to mention all the trauma you went through at the time—and since—but you’ve paid your dues. You mourned for them both so deeply. Now it’s your turn to be happy.” Ches paused. “Gabe does make you happy, right?”

Hot tears brought on by an intense feeling of love welled behind Livvy’s eyes. She nodded. “Ecstatically happy.”

“Then let yourself feel it, Liv. Every wonderful moment in his company. Every sensation he makes you feel. Every time he touches you.” She winked. “Especially when he touches you.”

Livvy gave her a mischievous grin. “Yeah, he’s pretty good at that part.”

“All right,” Ches said with a faux pout. “No one likes a bragger.”

Livvy laughed as a knock at the door interrupted Ches’s teasing. She went to answer it, but Ches stopped her.

“I’ll go. It’ll be John. Are you ready?”

Livvy took one last look in the mirror, patted her hair, and nodded. “As I’ll ever be.”

As Ches opened the door, she made sure that she blocked John’s view of Livvy.

“Get ready, Pops,” Ches said. “Tissues at the ready.” Standing back, she dramatically bowed and waved John into the hotel room.

As he set eyes on Livvy, his hand flew to his mouth and his eyes shone with pride. “Oh, Liv.” He held his arms out to the side. “Let me look at you.” As Livvy did a quick twirl, John walked closer. When she came to a halt, he took her hands in his. “I wish Beth could have been here to see this.” His voice was rough and hoarse, but as Livvy opened her mouth to comfort him, he squeezed her hands and shook his head.

“Since the day you married my son, I’ve been so proud to call you my daughter, and that’s what you’ll remain. But today is all about you and Gabe, and I, for one, couldn’t be happier.” He leaned forward and whispered in her ear. “And so would Mark. You made him so happy, Livvy. But it’s time to move forward, to leave the past behind, where it belongs. Gabe is your future.” He stood back then and blinked away tears before they had a chance to fall. “You chose well.”

Livvy couldn’t hold her tears back. Praying the waterproof mascara lived up to its name, she let them roll down her cheeks. “I know, John. I know.”

* * *

Livvy hovered outside the hospitality suite where she was due to marry Gabe and took a deep, cleansing breath. The hairdresser made a few last-minute adjustments to her hair, and the beautician Heather had hired was touching up Livvy’s makeup, which was much needed because she’d discovered that waterproof mascara was, in fact, a big, fat lie.

After they slipped inside and closed the doors behind them, John turned to Livvy. “Ready?”

She couldn’t trust herself to speak in case more tears fell. Beyond those doors her happily ever after was waiting, yet her mind turned to her first wedding all those years ago. Unlike this one, her previous wedding had been much smaller, but no less happy. She glanced over her shoulder. Ches stuck her thumbs in the air and nodded encouragingly.

Livvy tilted her head back and looked up. “Goodbye, Mark,” she said so quietly that she knew neither John nor Ches heard her. Turning to John, she gave him a wavering smile. “Okay. Lead the way. I’m ready.”

John tucked her arm in his and patted the back of her hand. He gave a brief nod to the hotel staff that opened the doors. As Livvy and John stepped inside with Ches close behind, Livvy was met with a sea of people… so many people. Her stomach flipped. Jesus, there must have been at least two hundred guests, most of whom, she speculated, were Gabe’s friends, colleagues, and business associates. Heather had kept all the organization away from Livvy. All she’d asked for was a list of names of people Livvy wanted to invite. It had been a very short list.

Her eyes swept up the aisle, falling on Gabe standing by the altar, his best man beside him. Gabe smiled softly, an intense expression on his face, appraising and appreciating her. Livvy took a deep breath and straightened her spine.

The wedding march began, and on shaky legs, Livvy moved forward with John. Vaguely conscious of the scores of people staring at her and whispering what she hoped were kind words, Livvy kept her gaze firmly on the man she was about to marry. Heather was sitting in the front row and caught Livvy’s eye. As they briefly looked at each other, Heather wiped away a tear and reached out to squeeze Livvy’s arm as she passed by.

When she reached the altar, John removed her arm from his and placed her hand into Gabe’s outstretched one. As John stepped back, Livvy looked into the eyes of the man who was about to become her husband. As the reality of how fast things had gone came crashing down, she wavered on trembling legs, but as Gabe reached out an arm to steady her, all her nerves dissipated.

He bent down, and as his lips brushed the shell of her ear, a shiver of delight ran through her.

“You look so beautiful, Livvy. You eclipse every woman in this room. And soon, you’ll be all mine.” His voice was husky and raw. As he moved away, Livvy realized his emotions were as close to the surface as hers.

“And you’ll be mine,” she whispered.

Wearing smiles, they both turned to face the preacher as he began the ceremony.

“Dearest friends…”

* * *

“Almost ready to leave, Mrs. Mitchell?”

Gabe had his arms around Livvy as they stood in the middle of the packed dance floor, gently swaying together.

She trembled with delight at her new name. “You read my mind.”

“Good. Because I can’t wait much longer to make you my wife—in every way possible,” he added seductively.

Livvy’s insides did a double backflip. She studied his face, then curved her hands around his neck. Standing on tiptoes, even in the four-inch heels, she only just managed to touch her lips to his ear.

“Then lead the way, cowboy.”

“You got it.” He placed a warm hand against the small of her back and ushered her through the crowd. But as they headed towards the exit, Livvy spotted Heather and John chatting near the bar.

She tugged on his arm. “We should say goodbye to your mum and John,” she said, nodding in their direction.

Gabe groaned. “If we must.”

As they got closer, Heather looked up with a beaming smile and held out her arms. “You kids okay?” she asked, gripping tightly onto Gabe’s upper arms.

Gabe leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. “We’re going now. I’ll call you in a few days.”

“Okay, darlin’.” She gave him a squeeze before letting him go. “It’s been a long day. You must be tired.” She winked suggestively at Livvy, who felt a hot flush race to her cheeks.

Gabe rolled his eyes. “Very funny, Mother.”

He shook John’s hand, and as the two men shared a few words, Heather whispered in Livvy’s ear. “My son chose well, Livvy. You and he are made for each other. Be happy, sweat pea.”

Her kind words brought tears to Livvy’s eyes. As John pulled her close for a hug, she let them fall.

“Thank you for coming,” she managed to get out between sobs.

“Now, now.” John dug into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled tissue. He dabbed it against her cheeks. “I wouldn’t have missed it.” He turned to Gabe. “You take good care of my girl, now.”

Gabe nodded. “Yes, sir.” His arm curved around her waist. “Come on, darlin’. Time to go.”

With a last glance back at Heather and John, Livvy reluctantly allowed Gabe to lead her towards the exit. As they stepped through the doors, a loud voice called out to them.

“Hold it right there, Hayes.”

Livvy turned around and spotted Ches making her way through the throng of people.

“You’ve got one minute,” Gabe said to Ches. “And it’s Mitchell now.” He wagged his finger at her, making her chuckle.

“Shit. That’s going to take a bit of time to get used to. Okay, one minute. Now shoo,” she said, directing him elsewhere. “I want to talk to my girl in private.”

Gabe walked away, giving them room to chat. Ches enveloped Livvy in an enormous hug. “God, I’m going to miss you so much. Call me when you know where you land.”

“I will. I’ll miss you too. Make sure John gets home okay.”

“Don’t you worry about a thing. Enjoy the honeymoon. Be happy, Liv.”

Livvy choked back tears as Gabe returned. He kissed Ches on the cheek. “Safe trip back to England. We’ll be in touch.”

He put his arm lovingly around Livvy’s waist and ushered her out the door. She glanced over her shoulder and gave Ches a quick wave before her best friend disappeared from sight.