He felt a smile rising. ‘Yes.’
Miguel’s eyes flicked to his then to Quinn’s. ‘So, I’ll leave you alone for a few moments then...’
Way to give the whole thing away!
‘What’s going on?’ Quinn was eyeing them both suspiciously, the ghost of a half-smile on her lips.
‘Nothing...’ He patted his pocket covertly, checking for the ring box, then leaned back against the seat, trying to hold his smile in tight. ‘Nothing at all.’
If you enjoyed this story, check out these other great reads from Ella Hayes
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All available now!
Keep reading for an excerpt from Slow Dance with the Italian by Scarlet Wilson.
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Slow Dance with the Italian
by Scarlet Wilson
PROLOGUE
DARCY HELD HER hands in her lap, twisting one of the green leaves in her bouquet. ‘Where is he?’ she asked again, knowing that her voice sounded awkward with strain. She could see the sweat at her dad’s collar.
The chauffeur gave a difficult smile. ‘I’m sure it will just be a few minutes. Most brides aren’t as organised as you and are usually running way behind. We’re here dead on time. It’s almost unheard of.’
He tugged at his jacket and Darcy looked down at the gold watch on her slim wrist. She could see the hint of pale green near the church’s main doors. Her sisters. The bridesmaids had gone ahead as planned. But it seemed that they too had arrived before the groom.
Darcy took a deep breath. She was already worried about Laura. The pale green colour that had looked so beautiful in the early planning stages of the wedding had washed out her already paler than pale sister, making her look sicker than she wanted anyone to know she was.
It was a mild summer’s day, but would Laura be cold? The bridesmaids’ dresses were strapless, and Darcy didn’t want her sister to have to hang around the church entrance—getting more chilled by the second—because Damian couldn’t organise himself enough to get to his own wedding on time.
They’d often joked about how chaotic he was—the polar opposite to Darcy, who planned things to perfection. They drove each other to distraction, but opposites attracted, didn’t they? That was what people always said, and Darcy assumed they must have been fated to meet.
A brisk breeze caught the jacket of the chauffeur and Darcy made up her mind. ‘We’re getting out,’ she said to her father, who started in surprise. ‘I’m not having Laura stand in the cold. We can all go inside and wait in the foyer. I’ll get Fizz to call Damian and see where on earth he is. The other car has probably broken down or something.’
Her stomach gave an uncomfortable twist as she gathered up her skirts and opened the car door, stepping out onto the road outside the church. She waved her hand at the photographer, who tried to stop her as she strode up the path towards her sisters, her father hurrying behind her.
Her mother was sheltering in the foyer, her pale pink hat perfectly positioned on her head. ‘What’s going on?’ she asked Darcy.
Darcy looked from side to side. The minister was hovering in the background, clearly as unnerved as the rest of them. The chauffeur appeared beside Darcy. ‘Can you give my sister your jacket for a few minutes, please?’ she asked.
He looked surprised, but after one glance at frail Laura he immediately nodded and slipped his jacket off, and around her shoulders.
Fizz—who had been missing for a few seconds—appeared from the side, a phone in her hand. ‘Darcy—’ she said in a croaky voice ‘—come here.’
Darcy’s stomach plummeted. She knew. She knew what was about to happen. But she didn’t actually believe it was about to happen to her.
Fizz had gone ahead with a few family items in the bridesmaids’ car. Just normal things, like touch-up make-up, phones, emergency snacks and safety pins—because you never knew when you might need a safety pin. The overnight bags were already at the reception hotel.
But Fizz was currently holding a phone in her hand. It was silver. Which meant it was Darcy’s. Fizz had the same phone in pink, and Laura in green.
Darcy handed her orange gerbera and dark green leaf bouquet to her mother and walked over to Fizz. She spoke in a low voice. ‘What is it?’
Fizz looked pained. ‘I heard your phone pinging. I think you have some texts.’ She blinked, and Darcy knew her sister was blinking back tears on her behalf.
She calmly took her phone from her sister’s hand.
