Everyone had a partner, except me. Even my sisters who never really
dated anyone seriously for long, had dates, but I sat alone. Even with
our problems, I just wanted to be with him. Maybe I really did love
him.
Chapter nineteen
Norah
I was kneeling in my very expensive bridesmaid dress trying
to straighten out the skirt underneath Tiffany’s dress. Her dress had
so many layers and they were bunching after her third trip the
bathroom. I stood up and looked down to make sure my dress didn’t
get wrinkled.
“You look beautiful, Norah. Burgundy is a great color on you,”
she said. The dress was long, and cut in at the waist. It looked as
though there was a belt but it was just the way fabric cut in. The
straps were skinny, and the top was a sweetheart neckline. The
fabric was silk and moved with our bodies. I swayed back and forth
to watch it move.
“Norah, the most beautiful man I have ever seen is outside
asking for you, and if you don’t go to him now, the vultures are going
to eat him alive,” Lisa another bridesmaid panted as she walked in
the room. I turned to look at her.
“Oh my goodness! He came all this way to see you! Whatever
it is making things so complicated, it doesn’t matter. He wants you,
Norah!” Lorraine gushed. She pushed me towards to the door.
“It isn’t Liam, he wouldn’t come all this way,” I said, but
wasn’t so sure.
“Okay, well he didn’t give me his name, which I think could
be Mr. Sex, but his accent made me and the other women around
melt. So get out there!” I rolled my eyes and started out the door. I
walked down the hall and pushed open the double doors to the
garden. I looked around but didn’t see him. I walked to the end of
the patio and saw the groomsmen standing in a circle playing hackie
sack. They were supposed to be getting pictures taken. I turned to go
back in and there he was right behind me.
He was wearing a black suit and burgundy tie. His hands were
in his pockets and he just looked at me. I waited for him to say
something but he didn’t, so I did.
“You look nice. What brings you to the United States?”
“I heard there was a beautiful young bridesmaid without a
date. I didn’t want to cause an international incident, so I got here as
quickly as I could.” He was trying to be funny.
“My not having a date is not really an international incident.”
“Well when it gets out that her boyfriend is from England, it
might cause one.”
“Not if she didn’t want him here,” I snapped. He lowered his
head. “What are you doing here, Liam? I told you I needed time. I
was thinking a little more than five days.” I crossed my arms against
my chest and then lowered them not wanting to wrinkle my dress.
“If you want me to leave I will, but I missed you so much,
Norah. I’ve been a wreck without you. They told me you were
miserable too, I thought you might want to see me.” He didn’t raise
his head when he talked to me. He fidgeted with his hands like I
always did when I was nervous.
“Who told you I was miserable?” I asked. He looked up at me,
and I could see tears in his eyes.
“Your sister, she called me. Lorraine. She told me you were
unhappy.” He stepped closer. “Doesn’t that tell you we should be
together, Norah? I can’t think, work, even eat without you, baby.”
He leaned his head against mine and touched my arm. “But if you
want me to go, I will.” He pulled his head away. “I’ll leave and let you
contact me when you’re ready.” He waited for an answer.
“You would really just walk away, and leave right now, if I
wanted you to?”
“It would be so hard……but yes.” He was still touching my
arm. I couldn’t let him go now. He was here, right in front of me, I
could smell him, touch him, and see his beautiful sad face. I couldn’t
let him go.
“I can’t talk about this now, Liam. The wedding will be
starting in a few minutes.”
“Do you want me to stay or leave?” he asked looking deep in
my eyes.
“Stay….please stay.” He exhaled, and kissed my forehead
then rested his chin on my head.
“It’s so good to hear you say that.” I took his hand and turned
to walk to the garden when the vultures pounced.
“This is Liam? Good Lord, Norah, you said he was good
looking, but I had no idea!” Shelly’s comment.
“Wait until you hear him talk, it gets better!” Lisa said.
“I told you it wasn’t complicated, Norah. He crossed the
ocean for you, I think that’s pretty clear,” Lorraine added. Liam
tightened his grip on my hand.
“Ladies, please,” I smiled. “He didn’t swim here! He has his
own private plane. Don’t give him a bigger ego than he already has,”
I laughed. “Yes, ladies this is Liam Hastings. Liam, this is Lisa, whom
you’ve met, Lorraine, whom you spoke to on the phone, and I will
talk to you later about that, missy! And Shelly, the maid of honor.”
Liam nodded and greeted all of them. When he smiled they giggled
like school girls. “Lisa, please take him to his seat, if you think you
can keep your hands off of him,” I gestured for Liam to go with Lisa.
“I’m not making any promises, Norah. Maybe I can just push
him to the end of the aisle and get the minister to marry us really
quick,” she took Liam’s arm and started walking away. I laughed and
waved as he was drug off by Lisa. Who knew, he might be married by
the end of this, and I wouldn’t have to worry about how complicated
things were between us.
“There is nothing complicated about that ass!”
“Lorraine!” We all said in unison. She shrugged her shoulders
and went back inside.
The ceremony was very romantic and moving. I tried to focus
on anything but him. But I could feel his eyes on me. Every few
moments I glanced over and he would smile. Just having him close to
me made me feel relaxed. I had been miserable and cried more in
the last days than I had my whole life. Being away from him made
me tense. Then I couldn’t stop looking at him. I wanted to be with
him, touch him, and have his arms around me. I could see he was
feeling the same way. As soon as the ceremony was over I walked
through the crowd trying to find him. Most everyone was heading to
the other side of the yard to the reception area, and I was supposed
to be going with the bridal party for pictures, but I had to talk to him,
I had to tell him that I loved him. I kept looking and didn’t see him
anywhere. I went back to the where the ceremony had been, and
there he was. He was still sitting in the same seat, he hadn’t moved.
His head was lowered and he was still. I walked up behind him.
“So, are you a married man now? Did Lisa get her wish?” I
tried for a joke. He turned to face me. He smiled which was a relief.
“She tried, but I managed to keep her at bay. I told her I had
my eye another bridesmaid.” He stood and walked to the end of the
aisle. “Now she wouldn’t have had to try very hard to get me to
marry her,” he folded the program and put it in his jacket pocket.
“Really?” I asked narrowing my eyes at him.
“Really.”
“So if I went and got the minister right now, you would marry
me?”
“Would you marry me?” he asked. I hated the way he did
this. He never gave me a straight answer on this subject. He asked if
wanted to marry him instead of asking me to marry him. I asked if he
would marry me, and he asks if I would marry him.
“It’s a simple question, Liam.” I wasn’t budging. He lowered
his head and then looked back at me. He stepped closer and took my
hands in his.
“Yes. I would, no question. I love you, Norah. I don’t want to
be without you. I just can’t take this rejection, and uncertainty on
your part. I know I hurt you in more ways than one. But this is me,
I’m here now. This is the man I am. I didn’t ask you if you would go
through with it as a diversion for me not to answer the question
myself. I know how I feel about you. I know, right now, without any
doubt that you are it for me. I want you with me. Just seeing you
walk with another man down the aisle made me crazy.” He ran his
hands over his face and through his hair.
“He was just a groomsmen, Liam. No big deal.”
“Yes, but that was Mike, right? The guy that emailed you
several months ago, wanting to date you again?” I couldn’t believe
he remembered that. I nodded.
“It made me crazy, Norah. But it isn’t my feelings I’m worried
about. It’s yours. What do you want?” I lowered my eyes and laced
my fingers together.
“I want you,” I said in a very low voice. He stepped closer to
me, and wrapped his arms around my waist.
“You do?”
“Yes.” I looked up at him. “I love you, Liam.”
“I love you too, baby.” He leaned and kissed me. “Marry me,
Norah. Please marry me,” he panted.
“I will.” He kissed me again, and then I pulled away.
“And you’re lucky, because we’re here in Vegas, so we can
get married right now, if you want!” We both laughed and kissed
passionately until Lisa came to get me for pictures.
“Come with me,” I said.
“Oh I’m not letting you out of my sight!” he said with a smile.
Chapter twenty
Norah
The pictures seemed to take forever. But when they were
finally done I drug Liam to officially meet my family.
“Liam, this is my mother, Mary Birch, and my sisters, Lorraine
and Maggie,” I gestured toward each of them.
“We have heard so much about you, Liam, it’s so nice to
meet you,” my mother said.
“Yes, it’s very nice to finally put a face with a name,” Lorraine
nodded and bobbed her head, while she held on to Liam’s hand and
looked at him like he wasn’t real.
“That’s enough, Lorraine,” I said, as I took his hand from hers.
“Maybe we can have a dance later,” she said as Maggie
pushed her out of the way.
“Please excuse my sister. She’s still on hot guy over load from
this summer.” Maggie shook Liam’s hand lightly.
“Oh, right. Norah told me you girls were going on the hunt for
a college. Did you pick out one?” he asked.
“We decided on a top four. The University of Central Florida,
The University of Oklahoma, UCLA and Norah’s old school U of
Nevada. We’re still waiting to hear from them.”
“So are you going back to London after the wedding or are
you staying here for a while, Liam?”
“I don’t know. I guess it depends on this one,” he nudged my
hip. “I will do whatever she wants. I’m at her disposal.”
“Would you move here to Las Vegas for her?” Lorraine asked.
“Lorraine! Shut up!” Maggie elbowed her in the stomach.
“Why? We’re all thinking it! None of us want her to leave. If
he moves here than she won’t leave,” Lorraine countered.
“I do have a home in California and New York as well. I guess
buying a house here in Las Vegas wouldn’t be a problem. Anything to
make this one happy.”
“Good Lord, you are rich,” Lorraine gushed.
“Lorraine!” Maggie yelled. “Sorry, I’m gonna take this one to
get a drink, nice to meet you Liam.” She grabbed Lorraine’s arm and
pulled her away. We stood quiet for a few minutes. My Mom fixed
my strap on my dress and then touched some of my hair.
“I know Lorraine is uncensored in her thoughts, Norah. I’m
sorry she embarrassed you.” She pushed some of the hair off my
shoulder. “She’s just worried about you. We all are. This behavior is
so unlike you.”
“Mom, enough really. I’m fine.”
“If Lorraine had run off over the summer and fell in love, then
told me she was moving to England, I wouldn’t hesitate to believe it.
But with you,” she stopped and looked over a Liam.
“I apologize, Ms. Birch. Norah’s behavior over the summer is
my fault. We were so caught up in traveling and getting to know
each other, it didn’t leave much time for her to call you, and I am
very sorry. I’m sure you were very worried about her.”
“Who was worried about her?” Jim said as he walked up
holding a beer. We all looked over to him.
“Liam, this is my…….my Mom’s boyfriend, Jim. Jim, this is
Liam.” Jim held out his hand to shake with Liam, but he didn’t budge.
