Sweet as Honey (The Seven Sisters) (22 page)

He looked back at her. She didn’t
contradict him, because of course he’d guessed right. What woman, or man for
that matter, didn’t worry that the person they were marrying wouldn’t turn up
on the day? And that was without the added worry that he’d done it before.

“Unbeknown to me,” he said, “Jude’s mum is
a marriage celebrant.”

Honey’s eyebrows rose and she glanced at
Wendy. “Oh…” Her brain worked furiously. Did that mean…
Oh my God…

“Jude suggested I book Wendy for the day before
the wedding. Just in case.” He took her hands. “I thought about it over the
next few months, and gradually became convinced it was a great idea. Honey, I
want to marry you. I still want you to have your wedding day with our proper
vows and your family and the big dress and all the paraphernalia that goes with
it. You can still have that—the only thing that would change is that we
wouldn’t sign the register again afterward. And I still want to wait until our
proper wedding night to sleep together. But I don’t want you to worry that I
won’t be there, or that Cathryn will somehow spoil it. I’m worried she’ll turn
up somehow, and this way, there’s absolutely nothing she can do to stop us
getting married.”

He lifted her hand that held her engagement
ring and kissed it. “I didn’t agree to this so you wouldn’t have time to think
about it. If you want to take a while to talk to Koru and Daisy or even Wendy,
or if you’d rather wait until Saturday and make sure it’s what you want to do,
that’s fine. But I would like to marry you now, so I know you’re mine and
nobody can take that away from me. If you can forgive me. And if you’ll have
me.”

She studied him without saying anything. He
looked hopeful and panicky at the same time, his blue eyes wide.

“Say something,” he said as she stayed
silent.

She chewed on her bottom lip, not missing
the way his gaze dropped briefly to her mouth. The hunger that flared in his
eyes as he obviously thought about kissing her made her catch her breath. How
could she deny him this? What was the point in saying no just to punish him,
when this was what she wanted more than anything else in the world?

“You’re killing me here,” he said softly.
“I promise you I’ll love you forever, Honey Summers. I’ll treat you like a
princess. And I promise I’ll be a saint from now on.”

She surveyed him thoughtfully before
finally raising her eyes to meet his. “I never said I wanted to marry a saint,”
she said.

He blinked a few times. “Huh?”

She started to smile. “You’re a bad boy,
Dexter Concannon, and I wouldn’t change that. The naughty twinkle in your eye
is what attracted me to you in the first place.”

Relief crossed his face, and then he
grinned. “I thought it was the uniform.”

“That as well.”

He pulled her a little closer to him.
“Well, if you like the devil inside me, maybe I won’t try so hard to exorcise
it.”

She lifted a hand to cup his cheek. “You’re
not evil, Dex. Just as I’m no angel.”

“I’m banking on that. In the bedroom, anyway.”

She slipped her hand into his hair. Little
did he know how much that devil inside him turned her on. “I want you,” she
said huskily, raising herself on tiptoes so her lips hovered near his. “I want
to wake up next to you every morning, and make love you to every night. I want
to feel you naked next to me. I want you inside me so much it makes me ache.”

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled
her close. “I want you too. Say you’ll marry me today, Honey.”

“Yes, I’ll marry you today.”

And so Wendy had married them, and they’d
kissed under the apple tree, and then Dex had gone back to work and they’d
carried on with the stag night and hen night as if nothing had happened. Only
Jude, Koru and Daisy had known, and Cam of course, as Dex had felt it only right
and just that her father was aware what was going on.

But now, watching Dex’s back and waiting
for him to turn, her heart rose in her mouth and panic filled her stomach. He’d
dated Cathryn for a long time, and their relationship had obviously been passionate
and reckless. Did he miss that? Was he regretting sending her away?

Then he turned around, and the joy and
relief on his face nearly made her cry. He strode up the aisle, right up to
her, put his arms around her and kissed her hard, taking her breath away and
bringing heat to her cheeks as all the guests cheered.

Peter laughed as they pulled apart. “Shall
we continue?”

Dex looked at her. And Honey nodded. “Yes,
please.”

Peter cleared his throat. “I’m afraid I
have to ask you once again. Please repeat after me. I solemnly declare that I
do not know of any impediment to this marriage between me, Dexter Mark
Concannon, and Honeysuckle Summers.”

Dex opened his mouth, hesitated, and
briefly glanced around him. And that was it, Honey started giggling, everyone
began laughing and Dex’s face broke out into a wry grin.

After that it was plain sailing. They said
their vows, and when Peter asked if she promised “to
love
him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health; and, forsaking
all others, and to be faithful unto him as long as you both shall live,” she
said yes without reserve.

 Once again they exchanged rings, Dex sliding
hers onto her third finger.

“These rings serve as a symbol of the vow
you have just made,” Peter said, and smiled. “You are now lawfully married.” He
grinned at Dex. “Again. And yes,
now
you may kiss the bride.”

And there, under the palm trees with the
sun streaming through and the fantails fluttering in the branches, Honey let
her husband take her in his arms and seal the deal with a kiss.

The rest of the day sped by happily with no
further unwelcome interruptions, to Dex’s relief. They spent some time under
the palms having photographs taken—alone, with Cam, with Honey’s sisters and
Koru, with their friends and their partners, some with everyone, and a few
shots to laugh at later, with Honey showing off her stockings and garter, him
lifting her up in his arms, and one with Dex, Koru, Chase and Jude fooling
about.

At one point, watching Honey have a photograph
with her dad, Dex wondered whether he should have invited his own father and
brothers. Honey had pressed him gently but he’d swept her suggestion aside, not
wanting any of his past to intrude on his precious present and future. Watching
Cam kiss her cheek and her cuddle up to him, Dex thought maybe he’d been a bit
harsh. He’d kept in touch with his father and rang him once a month or so, and
thought that Graham Concannon might have liked to see his youngest son get
hitched. But Dex had been embarrassed about his family, who were rough and
ready and would have looked out of place and uncomfortable in suits, and he
hadn’t wanted them to regale Honey and her family with stories of his miscreant
youth. He’d rung his mother, who had wished him well, but there had been no
question of her coming halfway around the world to see him.

If Charlie had been alive, he would have
wanted him there. But Charlie was gone, and life moved on.

Anyway, the wedding was just one day. He
had the rest of his life to sort things out. Maybe later, he thought, when
babies came along, he might feel secure enough to reintroduce bits and pieces
of his old life into his new one. But for now, he was content to have his
present and the future he’d promised her.

Finally, the photos complete, they moved
indoors for canapés and to greet the guests who were arriving for the
reception. The room looked stunning, just like the photos the wedding organiser
had shown them. In the end, Gillian had done a wonderful job. There were round
tables covered in white cloths, white lilies decorating the tables and green
ferns providing a colourful contrast, curtains of golden fairy lights casting
the room in a warm pretty glow, and elegant waiters in black tuxes ready to
serve the amazing food after orders were taken.

Guests could choose between manuka smoked
salmon, marinated and slow cooked pork belly or a vegetarian option of kumara
gnocchi in a rich cheese sauce, and there were a variety of delicious desserts
to follow. Everyone gave speeches and drank champagne and ate too much, and
afterward a local band played popular songs that had everyone on their feet,
including Cam, who always protested he didn’t dance.

Throughout the evening, Dex had trouble
tearing his gaze away from his new wife. Honey shone brighter than a supernova
in the room. Although he knew her well enough to sense the underlying sadness
because her mother couldn’t be there to share it with her, still she seemed to
be having the time of her life, dancing with her sisters and friends, then coming
to fetch him from the bar for a slow dance.

It was growing late, after midnight, and
Dex had drunk enough to feel fuzzy at the edges without being smashed. He let
Honey lead him to the centre of the floor, and he put his arms around her and
drew her close. The band had been replaced by a DJ who now played an incredibly
old and corny love song, but Dex didn’t care. Any excuse to get close to her.

She put her arms around his neck. Her
cheeks were flushed from the warm room and the champagne and, as she looked up
at him, her lowered eyelids illustrated the blend of alcohol and tiredness that
made her press herself up against him.

He tried not to groan at the feel of her
soft body and instead rested his hands on her back. She reached up to kiss his
lips and missed the target a little, hitting the corner of his mouth.

“Are you drunk?” he asked, amused.

“No. No!” She relented. “Okay, a tiny bit.
It
is
my wedding day.”

“I wasn’t complaining.”

“There’s so much champagne. It seemed a
crime not to drink it.”

“Absolutely.”

“Do you love me, Dex?”

“I do, sweetheart. Can’t you tell?” He
pressed his hips against hers as he nuzzled her neck so she could feel the
state of semi-arousal he’d been in most of the evening as he watched her dance.

She pressed back. “Mm. I think we should go
to bed soon.”

Adrenalin shot through him, making his
heart pound, and he raised his head to look at her.

“I’ve been thinking about it all day,” she
murmured.

“Me too.” His mouth had gone dry.

“I think they’re bored with us now anyway,”
she said, glancing over her shoulder. Nobody was paying any attention to them. Koru
had found himself a blonde, surprise surprise, some friend of one of the
sisters, and was currently sweet talking in her ear and making her giggle. Missy
and Jasmine had been dancing all evening and were sitting this one out, their
feet propped on chairs, drinking wine. Jude and Chase—who’d danced with all the
sisters one by one that evening so nobody felt left out—were now dancing with
Belle and Lily.

Dex glanced around. Cam was dancing with
Aroha. No surprises there. But they weren’t canoodling. Cam held her at a
respectful distance, and as the song came to an end, he just smiled and led her
over to her niece and other friends. It didn’t look like she’d be warming Cam’s
bed that night. Would he ever be able to get over Marama’s death? True, it had
only been a year. Still, Cam was a relatively young man at forty-eight. Marama
wouldn’t have expected him to stay single for the rest of his life, surely?

Or maybe she’d been the sort of woman who’d
said, “If I die, I’ll haunt you if you ever sleep with anyone else.” Honey had
said her mother was passionate and temperamental, and maybe Cam felt her ghost
watching over him, and the guilt would always be too much to overcome.

Honey kissed his jaw, and Dex lowered his
lips to hers. It wasn’t the night to be thinking about ghosts and death. The
woman pressed against him was very much alive, and would soon be naked in bed
with him, and he’d be able to stroke her soft skin and run his hands through
her hair. That was all that mattered at the moment.

Honey lifted her head and moistened her
lips as she looked into his eyes. Presumably she could feel his growing
arousal.

“Okay,” she said. “Let’s go to bed.”

But first there was the palaver of saying goodbye
to everyone, of hearing good wishes and having final bits of confetti stuffed
down his shirt, of watching Honey hug each of her sisters and wipe away tears.

Eventually he stood back, laughing, and let
her get on with it, leaning against the bar with Jude, Koru and Chase.

“Another?” Jude raised his whiskey glass.

“No, I’m done.” The only thing he wanted
now was his wife. His heart pounded in his ears. He couldn’t believe the moment
had finally come.
Jeez, I hope I don’t screw it up.

“You all right?”

He turned his head to see the others
watching him with amusement.

“He’s nervous,” Chase said in delight.

“Want some tips?” Jude asked.

“I think I’ll be okay,” Dex said wryly. He
held out his hand to Chase, who shook it, to Jude and then to Koru. “Thanks for
your help in getting us here.”