Read Online The Wedding Dress by Lucy Kevin - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Lucy Kevin
Tags: General Fiction
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waitress?
Unfortunately, his smile didn’t last long. Not when he still had to tell her about the DNA test.
Because all it took was a half dozen of her smiles for him to realize that the nondisclosure agreement didn’t matter. She did.
Now, the tricky part was finding the right way—and time—to tell her.
* * *
Anne laughed while they went to go check on their shoes in the shoe garden, and Gareth told her the story of the first time he’d chased a criminal as a cop, and how they’d both ended up so out of breath he’d barely been able to read the man his rights.
“You must have been very determined to go after him like that. What had he done?”
“Actually, he was a shoplifter,” he admitted with a wry twist of his lips. “But he’d broken the law, and I wasn’t about to let him get away.”
They both laughed then. Gareth was so easy to talk to. They started to walk back to his car and ended up on a park bench, buying bread from a bakery so they could throw breadcrumbs to a small flotilla of ducks that bobbed on the water expectantly.
The best part was that he always listened so intently. When she started to tell him about different kinds of lace and this lovely little place nearby where she liked to buy it, only to realize that a big, tough private detective probably wouldn’t be interested, he actually suggested that they drop into the store, rather than trying to change the subject as most men would have.
“I think I’d rather sit here awhile longer,” Anne suggested, sliding her hand into his.
* * *
A little while later, sitting on Pier 39, they watched the sun start to fall. It was one of those things Gareth had heard of doing, but who actually did it?
Anne did.
She looked as beautiful as ever as she tilted her face up to the sky to soak up the rays of the setting sun. He couldn’t imagine standing and watching a sunset alone, but with her, it actually made sense.
It was such a small thing, but Anne took those small things and looked at them until she found the beauty in them, and when she did, he could see the beauty too, for the very first time.
It was almost enough to drive thoughts of the DNA test from his mind.
* * *
Anne felt like she was living a fairy tale as she walked along the sandy beach in the moonlight, hand in hand with Gareth.
It wasn’t just how strong, how steady, he was. No, those things were wonderful, but the best part, the part that made it special, was the fact that he seemed to feel the same way and was content to walk with her in the kind of comfortable silence that lasted until Anne noticed a particularly beautiful shell, or until she wanted to tell him about the time she’d been to the beach with Rose when they were both kids.
And yet, Anne could tell Gareth was thinking about something as they walked. Something important.
She hoped he would feel comfortable enough with her to talk to her about it soon.
* * *
Gareth whirled round in a circle with Anne in his arms. He still wasn’t sure how she’d talked him into dancing barefoot on the beach with no music. It wasn’t the kind of thing he did.
Except that here, now, with her, dancing in the sand made perfect sense.
“That’s it,” Anne said breathlessly. “You just have to listen for the music in the waves.”
A few minutes later, their legs tangled up, and they tumbled down together on the sand. They were so close now that it was easy to kiss her. Easy and amazing at the same time.
They held each other like that for long minutes, looking out over the waves, with Gareth’s arms wrapped around Anne as they did so.
It was perfect. Too perfect to ruin by saying the wrong thing.
He’d tell her about the DNA test when he took her home. That would be better, anyway, because then he could comfort her in private if the news hit her hard.
“Would you like to come back to my place for a late-night dinner?” Anne asked, out of nowhere.
“Your place?”
Anne
Unfortunately, his smile didn’t last long. Not when he still had to tell her about the DNA test.
Because all it took was a half dozen of her smiles for him to realize that the nondisclosure agreement didn’t matter. She did.
Now, the tricky part was finding the right way—and time—to tell her.
* * *
Anne laughed while they went to go check on their shoes in the shoe garden, and Gareth told her the story of the first time he’d chased a criminal as a cop, and how they’d both ended up so out of breath he’d barely been able to read the man his rights.
“You must have been very determined to go after him like that. What had he done?”
“Actually, he was a shoplifter,” he admitted with a wry twist of his lips. “But he’d broken the law, and I wasn’t about to let him get away.”
They both laughed then. Gareth was so easy to talk to. They started to walk back to his car and ended up on a park bench, buying bread from a bakery so they could throw breadcrumbs to a small flotilla of ducks that bobbed on the water expectantly.
The best part was that he always listened so intently. When she started to tell him about different kinds of lace and this lovely little place nearby where she liked to buy it, only to realize that a big, tough private detective probably wouldn’t be interested, he actually suggested that they drop into the store, rather than trying to change the subject as most men would have.
“I think I’d rather sit here awhile longer,” Anne suggested, sliding her hand into his.
* * *
A little while later, sitting on Pier 39, they watched the sun start to fall. It was one of those things Gareth had heard of doing, but who actually did it?
Anne did.
She looked as beautiful as ever as she tilted her face up to the sky to soak up the rays of the setting sun. He couldn’t imagine standing and watching a sunset alone, but with her, it actually made sense.
It was such a small thing, but Anne took those small things and looked at them until she found the beauty in them, and when she did, he could see the beauty too, for the very first time.
It was almost enough to drive thoughts of the DNA test from his mind.
* * *
Anne felt like she was living a fairy tale as she walked along the sandy beach in the moonlight, hand in hand with Gareth.
It wasn’t just how strong, how steady, he was. No, those things were wonderful, but the best part, the part that made it special, was the fact that he seemed to feel the same way and was content to walk with her in the kind of comfortable silence that lasted until Anne noticed a particularly beautiful shell, or until she wanted to tell him about the time she’d been to the beach with Rose when they were both kids.
And yet, Anne could tell Gareth was thinking about something as they walked. Something important.
She hoped he would feel comfortable enough with her to talk to her about it soon.
* * *
Gareth whirled round in a circle with Anne in his arms. He still wasn’t sure how she’d talked him into dancing barefoot on the beach with no music. It wasn’t the kind of thing he did.
Except that here, now, with her, dancing in the sand made perfect sense.
“That’s it,” Anne said breathlessly. “You just have to listen for the music in the waves.”
A few minutes later, their legs tangled up, and they tumbled down together on the sand. They were so close now that it was easy to kiss her. Easy and amazing at the same time.
They held each other like that for long minutes, looking out over the waves, with Gareth’s arms wrapped around Anne as they did so.
It was perfect. Too perfect to ruin by saying the wrong thing.
He’d tell her about the DNA test when he took her home. That would be better, anyway, because then he could comfort her in private if the news hit her hard.
“Would you like to come back to my place for a late-night dinner?” Anne asked, out of nowhere.
“Your place?”
Anne
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