The Wedding Engagement

Chapter Nine

“Are you ready for this, Aggie?” Arran asked, rubbing his hands together with a glint in his eye.

“I’m not sure, to be honest,” Liv replied. “I’ve not been out on a weeknight since around 2015.”

He laughed. “Same. That’s why it’s exciting.”

Only a few days since their recruitment as wedding-band bookers, and they were about to scout out their first group.

She eyed the pub they were queuing outside. “Are we sure these guys are legit? I mean, what kind of wedding band plays the small-pub circuit?”

He shot her a grin. “Who knows? They were recommended by Shuggie.”

“ Shuggie? ” This was not good news. “For fuck’s sake. I didn’t realize the friend who was mates with the wedding band was him. The guy skis naked. Plus he’s been sacked from every job he’s had for fornicating on the premises.”

Arran laughed. “But he has good taste in music.”

She drew her mouth into a disapproving line. “Good taste in music to shag in the back room to is not the same as good music to play at my brother and both of our best mates’ wedding.”

He shot her a wink, which made her weak at the knees. “We’ll soon find out.”

She shook her head with a smile as they moved to the front of the queue. At least they were getting in for free. Their names had been left at the door by Sam and Arran’s friend.

The temperature rose by at least ten degrees and by one hundred percent humidity as they crossed the threshold, and Liv removed her coat so as not to overheat and keel over.

The pub was situated in a nearby town and had a very rustic feel. In the adjacent room, which was an old converted barn, the band were setting up to play. To be fair, the place was pretty packed, so perhaps these guys were actually good—despite their dodgy recommendation.

Arran bought them a couple of pints at the bar and they made their way through the throng to a round table at the back of the gig area. It was the sort that was designed to stand at, so it had no seats. They put their beers down, and Liv shoved her coat underneath the table, Arran following suit with his leather jacket.

He ran a hand over his hair. “I haven’t been to this place in years. I saw my first gig here.”

“Nice,” Liv said, taking a sip of her pint. “I had my first snog here.”

Arran arched an eyebrow and it did funny things to her insides.

“Really?” He eyed her as he drank. “A situation you’re planning on re-creating tonight?”

Liv held his gaze for a moment, trying to work out whether he was flirting with her or not.

He gestured behind them. “Any of these guys take your fancy?”

Okay. Not flirting, then. She craned her neck to look behind him. “Nope.”

He let out a pained sigh. “Oh well. You’ll just have to be single with me forever.”

“I suppose so,” she replied, performing her own dramatic sigh and placing the back of her hand on her forehead as they smiled at each other.

Arran cleared his throat. “Let’s hope these guys are what we’re looking for and we can give Sam and Maya the go-ahead to hire them.”

Liv nodded, crossing her fingers under the table. Perhaps this would be a good find, despite the small, sweaty venue and the recommendation from the world’s flakiest man.

“How much do wedding planners make, by the way?” Arran asked her with a grin. “We should invoice Sam and Maya for our time.”

Liv laughed. “Are you saying that you need to be paid in order to spend time with me? Am I that much of a chore?”

His smile softened, and something flickered in his eyes. “Nah.”

Her attention was drawn from him as the crowd began to cheer and move away from their table, toward the small stage. Four bearded men appeared from stage side to clamber up to the equipment. One headed to the back to sit behind the drums and the other three took up positions in front, one lifting a bass and the other a guitar. The fourth, clearly the front man, grabbed the mike. “Hey. We’re Devil’s Erection.”

The crowd cheered loudly as Liv practically spat her drink across the table. “ Devil’s Erection? ”

Arran was laughing so hard he couldn’t speak. “Oh my fucking God,” he finally managed to get out.

“Are you telling me you didn’t know their name up until this point either?” Liv asked, her tone incredulous despite the smile threatening to crack her face in two. Though it only now occurred to her that she hadn’t asked the name of the band either; they’d heretofore only referred to them as “the wedding band.”

Arran shook his head, still laughing as the band did a sound check. “I can’t believe we didn’t notice that we didn’t know their name.”

“I know,” Liv said, moving round the table to shout into his ear as the music started. “But I suppose it’s easily done, like how no one noticed they didn’t know Edward Norton’s character’s name in Fight Club , or Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s name in Fleabag .”

He nodded, jutting out his lower lip in an “it figures” kind of expression. His lip looked soft and bitable and Liv had to drag her eyes off it. “Anyhow,” he said. “It isn’t necessarily a measure of their music—”

“ Fuck you and your stupid fucking crock, if you don’t like it, you can suck my cock! ” the front man half sang, half shouted down the mic to a tumultuous response from the die-hard fans in the mini mosh pit at the front.

Liv arched her eyebrow, giving Arran a sardonic look. His face was frozen, the last syllable of his cutoff sentence still on his lips. He met her gaze, closed his mouth, and swallowed. “Perhaps this isn’t their wedding repertoire?”

She let out a laugh that was close to a snort and Arran joined in, the two of them dissolving in laughter until they both had to pretty much hold each other up.

Liv wiped her eyes with one hand as she gripped Arran’s biceps with the other. “Can you imagine this playing in the function suite at Glenavie Castle?”

He gave her waist a squeeze as he grinned. “Yes. I think I’d fucking love it.”

She shook her head, imagining the scene as people dressed in their wedding attire moshed their heads off, wedding hats and fascinators sent flying through the crowd. “As much as I love that scene, I think this is a nonstarter.”

Arran nodded. “I think you’re right.” He took out his phone as the band started their second verse, this time imaginatively rhyming the words fuck and Innsbruck . “I’m defo texting Shuggie about this, though, before we leave.”

“I mean,” Liv said, checking out the manner in which the front man commanded the stage and the heavy yet surprisingly catchy melody, “they are talented. Just perhaps not what we’re looking for on this particular occasion.”

“Right?” he replied, looking at his phone screen. He glanced up, a glint in his eyes. “We’ll keep them in mind, though, like if we’re planning a children’s birthday party or something.”

Liv chuckled.

He glanced back at his phone screen. “Shuggie says their wedding repertoire is classic wedding songs. But with a metal twist.”

She raised her eyebrows as he brought his gaze up to hers. “Metal twist, you say? Sounds like the perfect romantic ambience.”

His smile grew wider, making his eyes shine. “We’ll say no to this option this time but keep it in mind for the next one of us to get hitched.”

“Excellent plan, Mr. Adebayo.” She clinked her pint glass with his and they drained their drinks.

They reached under the table to grab their jackets and made their way toward the door, but then Arran grabbed her hand. As she turned back to look at him, he had a mischievous look on his face. “Fancy a go in the mosh pit before we leave?”

A smile spread over her face, as if his cheeky expression was contagious. “Let’s do it.”

They bunged their coats in a corner and Arran kept hold of her hand as they pressed through the crowd to the front, moving with the rest of the crowd to the music. The heavy bassline throbbed in Liv’s chest, making her head nod on reflex.

Right at the front the crowd were pressed in tight, and Arran hauled her around in front of him to protect her from the throng. She realized that a person as tiny as herself could well get trampled, so having a tall bloke as her marker was fortuitous. And the fact that he was hot didn’t hurt either.

They surged forward and back again, not in control of their movements but carried with the throng and simultaneously held up by it. They were shoved left, then right, then Liv found herself and Arran being dragged in different directions. But before she could reconcile herself to the fact that she was going to lose him and just have to deal with it, she felt the strength of his arm around her waist, hauling her to him and against his chest. She was facing the stage with her back pressed into his front, both of his arms wrapped tightly around her middle.

A tsunami of sensation enveloped her. The heat of his body against hers and the strength of his arms around her. The touch of his lips on her ear as he pressed in to shout, “Okay?” Every bit of her body that was in contact with him (which was a lot) was tingling and fizzing with excitement.

She managed a nod, her heart accelerating to near passing-out proportions.

Someone in front climbed up to the stage and then fell onto the crowd to surf the room. Liv turned her head and went onto her tiptoes to press her mouth to his ear. “I always wanted to try that but was scared ’cause I’m so little.”

He smiled down at her. “Do it. I’ll catch you.”

Excitement pulsed through her. “Should I?”

His smile widened. “Trust me.”

That was enough for Liv. She (somewhat reluctantly) extricated herself from his grasp, stepped forward through the front line of the crowd to the stage, and climbed up. The front man clocked her and gave her a wink as he sang/shouted into the mic.

The crowd was an undulating sea of faces in front of her, and it was kind of mesmerizing. As if enveloped in a cloud of unreality, she turned and fell back onto the crowd, hands underneath her holding her up as the ceiling moved overhead. She sensed she was moving away from where Arran had been standing. But just as she resolved that once back on her feet, she’d need to head back into the crowd to try to find him, a pair of hands grasped her around the waist, lifting her down. She knew it was him. It was funny how she’d already learned the feel of his touch.

He came into view as she was lowered into his arms, his head turned to the people who had been holding her up. “She’s with me.”

Something about that sentence made her feel warm and fuzzy. He held her gaze as he brought her against his chest. “How was that?”

Liv’s feet made contact with the floor as she looked up at him. “It was awesome. I thought I’d lost you, though, and was a bit nervous about finding you again when I’m one of the smallest people here.”

He shook his head, giving her a wink. “Nah. I was with you the whole time, waiting to get my hands on you.”

Something pulsed between them and she could’ve sworn his pupils dilated slightly. But then he was taking her hand to lead her away toward where they’d stowed their jackets.

As they left the pub and headed out into the night air, the fun-filled heat of the pub gave way to the sting of cold. It was accompanied by a sense of disappointment that they hadn’t solved the band issue.

“As much as I enjoyed that,” she told Arran as they made for the bus stop, “we still don’t have a band for Sam and Maya.”

He was quiet for a moment as they walked the last few yards to the bus shelter. Then, upon reaching it, he leaned against the edge, an unusually pensive look on his face. “It’s okay. I think I’ve got the answer.”

She raised her eyebrows. “As long as Shuggie’s not got anything to do with it. I don’t want our next stop to be a gig by a band named Satan’s Schlong.”

He laughed. “Don’t worry. This one will be different. What are you doing on Saturday night?”

—

Liv kept watch out of her living room window, waiting for Arran’s car to arrive. This time she had learned her lesson and refused to come along until he told her the name of the band. They were called Love to Love and that seemed like a good sign.

For some reason Arran had been ever so slightly subdued since he’d suggested them, though, which was weird, because surely if they were as good as he said, and also free on the date they wanted, then it was a win-win.

So why the long face? she thought as she spied him arriving.

She left the house and climbed into his car, shooting him a smile. “You sure you don’t mind driving?”

He shook his head as he took them onto the main road out of town. “It’ll be easier than getting the bus. And I don’t fancy a drink anyway.”

She eyed him as he drove. “But you said you’d drive from the get-go. How did you know a few days back you wouldn’t fancy a drink tonight?”

Arran flashed her a smile. “Just a gut feeling.”

He was hiding something, but Liv got the distinct impression that whatever it was, he didn’t want to disclose it yet.

Their destination was a large hotel out in the countryside, between Glenavie and another town farther south. The band were playing a wedding (another good sign) and had told them they were welcome to pop in during the evening reception to listen to a couple of songs from the back of the room. Liv had been a little nervous about being seen as a gate-crasher, but Arran had assured her this was normal practice, he and Jess having done it when picking their wedding band.

Arran took them up a narrow, winding country road that eventually brought them onto the grounds of the hotel, and they parked at the front. It was an old converted stone building, with a large new extension at the rear that housed the function suite. The low pulse of music was apparent as they climbed out of the car and crunched across the gravel toward the main entrance.

Heartened by the fact that said music did not contain any expletives, she gave Arran a smile. He looked a little pensive again as they walked through the big oak doors and into the reception area.

“You know this is part of a chain of hotels?” she told him. “Apparently the sister one in Glasgow does the best afternoon tea ever . I’d love to go there one day.”

Arran smiled at her. “You and your scone obsession.”

“Yep,” she replied. “Sorry not sorry.”

They were directed through to the back of the hotel, where the music grew louder and Liv could already tell she was going to like the band. A gorgeous, soaring female voice was singing a cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition” with spot-on percussion, cool-as-fuck bass, and the backing of two male voices.

They walked through glass doors into a large conservatory, one wall lined with glass and overlooking the hills. “This is amazing,” Liv said, casting her eye around the place. Arran still appeared ill at ease, and she tried to fathom what was wrong. This definitely wasn’t the same venue he and Jess had booked for their canceled wedding, so it couldn’t be that.

They bought a soft drink for Arran and a glass of wine for Liv and hung out by the bar. Liv smiled as she watched the happy wedding crowd, a few the worse for wear but in a joyful way as they danced and chatted and celebrated the wedding of their loved ones.

The two brides wore white, though very different styles, with one in a tightly fitting fishtail dress and the other in a long-sleeved bodice that gave way to a full pleated skirt.

“They look so beautiful and happy,” Liv murmured, almost surprised when Arran agreed; she’d thought her voice had been too low to hear over the music. “And the band are brilliant,” she added, eyeing the red-haired singer in her green velvet gown and nattily dressed male colleagues. “I mean, this is decided for me already.”

He didn’t comment.

She glanced over at him, and he was still watching the brides. “What say you, Mr. A?”

He blinked, then cleared his throat with a smile. “Agreed. I’ll message Sam to say we should lock them down for the date.”

“How did you hear about them?” she asked, watching the dancers again.

He hesitated for a beat. “I’ve heard them play before.”

Glancing over, she raised her eyebrows. “Oh yeah? At a wedding?”

He swallowed. “Yeah. That’s right.”

Just as Liv was about to ask him what was up, the fishtail-dress bride popped up in front of them. “Hello! I don’t think we’ve met. Are you friends of Sarah’s?” She gestured toward her new wife.

“Oh no, sorry,” Liv replied, feeling guilty. “I’m afraid we aren’t on the guest list. The band said it was okay to pop in and listen to a quick couple of numbers because we’re looking to book them for a wedding.”

The bride’s face lit up. “You two are getting married too? That’s awesome!” Before Liv could correct her, she’d started waving madly at her spouse. “Sarah! Come here!”

Liv shot Arran an apologetic look, but he had a smile on his face. She turned back to the bride. “Sorry, I didn’t mean—”

“These guys are getting married too!” Fishtail Bride said to Sarah, who gave them a shy smile.

“That’s lovely,” Sarah said. “Are you friends of Angela’s?”

“No,” Angela replied, clearly the more gregarious of the two. “They’re here to see the band. They’re going to book them for their wedding.”

“When are you getting married?” Sarah asked.

“Oh, we aren’t—” Liv began.

“June,” Arran said, taking hold of her hand and stopping her in her tracks.

Angela squealed. “Not long to go! Bit last-minute, aren’t you?”

Arran slung his arm around her shoulders and Liv thought she might drop down dead from a heart attack. “I know, right?” he said smoothly. “It’s just that a cancellation came up for Glenavie Castle and we had our hearts set on it.”

Liv swallowed against her dry throat. “Yes. Hearts set,” she parroted.

“Well, we can definitely recommend these guys,” Sarah said, gesturing toward the band. “The dance floor’s been full all night. They really know how to get everyone up and partying.”

“Thanks,” Arran said. “We were just saying that we’re going to lock them down because we liked what we heard.”

Angela grabbed Liv’s hand. “You should come and dance with us. That way you’ll get a proper feel for them!”

Before Liv could comment, Angela was pulling her and Arran toward the floor, Sarah in tow. As soon as her feet touched the wooden dance floor, Angela began gyrating in time to the music, whirling Liv and Arran round to face her and grabbing Sarah to dance next to her so the four were in a circle.

Glancing across at Arran, Liv was relieved to see that he had finally relaxed and was performing on Angela’s instruction, imitating her moves and adding one of his own to throw the dance baton back to her. Angela threw back her head and laughed in delight as Sarah smiled at the scene, her own moves more understated.

Liv grinned as Arran began to moonwalk across the floor between them, and Angela tried to imitate but ended up tripping on her tightly fitted fishtail and falling into her wife’s arms. The two kissed as the band began to play Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance with Somebody,” and Liv’s heart turned to actual mush.

She turned away to let the happy couple dance in each other’s arms and saw that Arran was moonwalking back toward her. He held his hand out with a grin and she took it, her skin tingling at his touch, as the opening bars of the song gave way to the first of the lyrics.

They moved in time with each other, his arm around her waist and her hand reaching up to take his shoulder, holding hands on the other side. Her senses were heightened by his proximity, as if she were aware of every microscopic nerve ending in contact with his body—and each one of them fizzed with excitement.

His face was fully open and relaxed for the first time that evening, and it made her heart soar. The chorus kicked in and he released her waist to spin her around, coming to meet her and lift her in the air as the spin ended.

She laughed in exhilaration, holding her arms out like Kate Winslet on the bow of the Titanic as he twirled them around, her trust in him to hold on to her and keep her safe unwavering. The room was still spinning a little as he lowered her to the ground, bringing her down against his body. “ With somebody who loves me ,” sang the lead singer as Liv’s eyes met Arran’s.

Her heart smacked against her rib cage at the intensity in his gaze. His pupils were large and dark, swallowing up all but a tiny rim of the honey color of his irises as his eyes dropped to her mouth. She held on to his neck and he held her waist, and for a second, Liv almost believed the two of them were the couple that Angela and Sarah mistakenly thought they were.

The last notes of the song played out and Arran eased forward to rest his forehead against hers. Liv’s breath caught in her chest. As they swayed together, she gently let it out through parted lips, somehow afraid that any larger movements might break the spell between them. She closed her eyes, clinging to the moment, and wished with every fiber in her being that he would kiss her.

But the spell inevitably faded with the dying notes of the song and he shifted away from her, meeting her eyes for a second before giving her a sheepish smile and running his hand over the top of his head. “Good moves, Aggie.”

She smiled, though it felt kind of wobbly on her face. “You too.”

She blinked, and someone standing at the edge of the dance floor caught her eye, a man their age in a white shirt tucked into gray trousers. He appeared familiar and was looking at her. For a split second she didn’t recognize him. Then her brain clicked and a heaviness dropped in her stomach, spoiling the magical feeling that dancing with Arran had created.

Liv tried to give the man a weak smile, but he just blinked and turned away. Her stomach churned.

She stepped toward Arran and took his hand. “Is it okay if we go now?”

He eyed her expression, frowning. “Course. Everything all right?”

Liv nodded as she turned and pulled him off the dance floor and toward the exit. He fell into step next to her, still holding her hand.

Arran grabbed the door to let her through, and she mourned the loss of his touch. “What’s wrong?” he asked her as they walked through the hotel to the main exit.

She took a breath, attempting to quell her nausea. “Just saw an ex-boyfriend of mine.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Anyone I know?”

“Yeah. Remember Dean?”

A look of recognition crossed his face. “The one you were with when we were eighteen?”

She nodded, stepping out into the night air and feeling grateful for the cool temperature. “That’s the one.”

He touched her arm as they crossed the gravel. “Was that the first time you’ve seen him since he broke up with you? That’s tough.”

“Mmm,” Liv replied, not wanting to confirm or deny that statement. It was the first time she’d seen him, all right. But she didn’t fancy discussing the “who broke up with whom” thing.

They got into Arran’s car and he fired it up. “Wanna talk about it?”

She glanced over. “Not really, to be honest. It didn’t end well and I haven’t seen him since. I just got a bit of a shock when he was there tonight. He left Glenavie years back, so I didn’t expect to see him again.”

Arran nodded as he took them out of the car park and onto the windy road.

“Anyway. Apart from that, it was really fun,” Liv said. “That’s definitely the band for Sam and Maya. Did you text him to say?”

“Yeah. He’s going to call them in the morning.”

She sank back into her seat, content in the knowledge that they’d helped solve that issue. “Awesome.”

He smiled gently as he drove.

Liv hesitated for a second, then pressed ahead with what she wanted to say. “I’m glad you enjoyed it. Because up until we met the brides, you seemed like you’d rather be anywhere but here.”

He was silent, and for a moment she thought he wasn’t going to answer. “I was just a little apprehensive, that’s all.” He paused. “Love to Love were the band that Jess and I had hired for our wedding.”

Of course. That explained everything, and she didn’t understand why she hadn’t put two and two together before. She touched his hand. “I’m sorry.”

Arran flashed her a smile. “It’s fine.” They drove silently for a couple of minutes, and Liv took hold of his fingers. He held hers back.

“I feel bad for not suggesting them earlier,” he told her. “They’re probably the best in the area, so I knew it was likely that the canceled wedding at the castle had them booked and now they’d be free.” He sighed. “Fucking selfish of me not to say anything to Sam sooner.”

She squeezed his fingers. “It’s okay.”

Arran glanced over to give her a smile.

“Was it as bad as you thought?”

“To be honest, no. It wasn’t. Once we were there and started talking to the brides, I enjoyed myself and even forgot that they should’ve been my wedding band.”

A sense of relief warmed her. “That’s good. So you think you’ll be okay on the day, when they’re playing the evening reception?”

He nodded firmly. “Absolutely.” They reached the junction and he let go of her to execute the turn. “You know what?”

“What?”

He gave her a warm smile. “Being there with you helped.”

Her breath snagged like it had when he’d held her close on the dance floor. “I’m glad I was there.”

She allowed herself to study him and the contented expression on his face for a few more seconds, before dragging her eyes away and onto the dark scenery ahead.

“By the way,” Arran asked, “what do you want for your birthday? Not long to go now until the twins’ big day, and I already got you the sonic screwdriver.”

“That’s okay. You don’t have to get me a present.”

He pursed his lips and shook his head. “Oh, yes I do. We’re best buds now. I get something for Sam, and so I’m getting something for you.”

Liv laughed. “There’s really nothing that I want.”

He smiled knowingly. “I’ll just have to go with my gut, then.”