“I know,” she said with a shake of her head. She looked down toward the grass, but Liam’s finger caught her chin and turned her face up to him.
“You can do this. I know it. But I have to say you are missing something.”
Her eyes widened in panic. What had she forgotten? Ring? Check. Lipstick? Check. Overwhelming sense of paranoia? Check. “What did I forget?”
“You don’t have the rosy blush of a young woman in love. But I do believe I can fix that.” Liam leaned in and pressed his lips to hers.
As much as she had tried to deny her attraction to Liam, her body always gave her away. The heat of his touch immediately moved through her veins and she could feel the tingling of the kiss from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. She suddenly felt flush under her dainty sweater. Her knees were still shaking, although for different reasons than before. She gripped at his lapels to keep steady and pull him closer to her.
Liam’s kisses were dangerous. She should’ve learned that the very first day. A girl could get lost in one if she wasn’t careful. And right now, it seemed like the perfect escape from everything else. Couldn’t they just stay in each other’s arms here on the front lawn? That seemed like the kind of thing a new couple might do, right?
When Liam finally pulled away, he held her close to keep her from swaying. She felt a definite heat in her cheeks as she looked up at him. “No lipstick on you this time,” she noted.
“I was being more cautious today. But it worked—you officially have the bridal glow. Let’s get in there before it wears off.”
He looped her arm through his and escorted her down the stone pathway that led into the garden reception.
At first the party was a blur. There were easily a hundred and fifty people there, which was impressive on such short notice. Someone announced their arrival, and a rush of people came over to hug and congratulate them. There were pictures and toasts to the happy new couple. Francesca worried it would be hard to keep up the act, but after a little practice and a little champagne, showing people her ring and gushing about how beautiful the party was became easier and easier.
It wasn’t long before Francesca was able to slip away from Liam and the crowds to get herself a drink and admire her friends’ party-planning handiwork. Scarlet and Ariella really did an excellent job. The garden itself was beautiful, but she could spot the touches they’d added, like white paper lanterns in the trees and a gauzy fabric and flower arch behind the string quartet. The layout of the food and seating areas generated the perfect traffic pattern through the space. It was those details that made what her friends did special. Hassle-free events were their forte.
She picked up a glass and filled it at the four-foot-high silver punch fountain. Just as the lifted the frothy pink drink to her lips, she heard a woman’s voice from behind her.
“That’s got champagne in it, you know.”
Francesca turned to find Ariella with a silver tray of pastel petit fours in her hands. “Am I not allowed to have champagne at my own engagement party?”
Her friend smiled and passed the tray off to one of the catering staff. “That depends on why you and Liam Crowe are in such a rush to get married.”
“I am not pregnant,” Francesca said with a pout. She should’ve known that rumor would be one of the first to start circulating. They liked nothing better than juicy gossip in these circles and they weren’t above making some up if it was in short supply. She swallowed the whole glass of punch just to prove the rumor wrong.
“Good.” Ariella refilled Francesca’s glass and filled one of her own, then gestured over to a few chairs under a wisteria tree dripping with purple flowers. “So, just between you and me, what’s going on?” she asked once they were seated.
Francesca knew her friend would grill her, although not in the same way that Aunt Beatrice probably would. She just wanted the details so she could understand and be happy for her. Or concerned, depending on if she thought she was being stupid or hasty. That’s what good girlfriends did. They kept your head on straight. “It all happened so quickly, I can hardly tell you. The moment I saw him, it was like the last few years we’ve been apart never happened. There were fireworks.” That wasn’t exactly a lie. It was more like armed missiles, but there were explosions nonetheless.
Ariella looked into her eyes, searching her face for a moment. Then, satisfied, she smiled and patted Francesca on the knee. “Then I’m happy for you. I just wish you had told us what was going on.”
Francesca wished she could really tell her what was going on. She could use a sounding board, but Liam had been adamant that no one know about their arrangement. No one. That was tough for her, considering how close she was with her friends and family.