CAL
Sun pours through the large arched windows of the old manor hotel, casting a golden glow over the white roses lining the aisle. I straighten my suit and check my watch.
Dean places his hand on my back. “Mate. Stop fidgeting. She’ll be here.”
I let out a jagged breath. All our friends and family sit patiently waiting for her arrival. Mum holds Caleb in her arms, keeping him quiet with milky buttons. The white dribble runs down his chin onto his dapper suit. Steph would have a fit if she saw. I smile and wave at our boy in the front row.
Sue walks into the room and takes a seat. Her wide lemon hat covers her eyes, but her lips curl into a smile.What’s up with her?I thought she would protest at this marriage, but so far she’s been amiable.
“You have the rings, don’t you?” I give Dean a sideways glance.
“Mate, just chill, yeah. Everything is under control.”
Chill, he says. It’s a little hard to chill, even if I am dressed up like a penguin. Fuck, this suit is so itchy. I scratch my chest over the white shirt. I’m sure it’s given me a rash. When the service is over, I’ll be happy.
We have a room upstairs waiting for us. As soon as she says ‘I do’, she’ll be in that hotel room as fast as I can carry her. She can leave her dress on, but her knickers are gonna be ripped from her pussy with my bare hands.
Aerosmith plays, ‘I Don’t Want To Miss a Thing’. My girls walk down the aisle in their lilac lace dresses with white tulle. Bethy beams brighter than the sun’s rays, and Livvie has that look where secretly she’s happy, but she likes to pretend she’s not.
Cassie and Cairen walk behind. The light bounces off their golden hair, and I know my Steph is next to walk through the door with her dad, John. I straighten my collar and smooth my sweaty palms over my jacket. Dean elbows me, giving me a grin as we face the doors at the back of the room, waiting for her to appear.
The wedding staff opens the double doors, and I hold my breath. Her dad, John, walks out in his black suit holding a white casket with silver handles, held up by Justin and several others. Chills course through my veins, and I look around me as the room is swept up into a tornado.
Caleb cries out, but I can’t reach him. My girls have gone too, swept away with the whirlwind, and everything has turned to grey. Darkness closes in, suffocating me, and I reach for the coffin. Dean holds me back as I cry out. I claw my way free and throw open the lid to get to Steph. Her rosy cheeks have turned blue. She’s so cold. “No, no, no…”
* * *
STEPH
A shrill screamstartles me awake. I throw the covers from me and rush downstairs to the living room, holding my side. Cal’s head thrashes on the sofa.
“Cal.” I kneel beside him, placing my arm over his drenched t-shirt and shake his shoulders to wake him. “Cal.”
He jumps up head-butting my face, then fists my top and throws me to the ground.
“Cal, it’s me.” A sharp pain stabs me in my side, causing me to shield and protect my ribs.
His eyes are wide and his breathing stutters, like he’s struggling for air. “Steph?”
He unclenches his fist from my pyjama top and holds his weight above me, resting his elbows on either side of my head. “Fuck Steph,” he exhales, his breath tickling my cheek. “Did I hurt you?” His trembling hand caresses my face, almost scared to touch me, as if I’m a china doll.
“I’m fine.” My face screws up as I say the words. The stabbing still piercing my side.
His fingers gently graze my skin, leaving tingles in their wake. “What are you doing?”
“You were having a nightmare.” I move my hand over his damp hair, pulling it from his eyes so I can see his gorgeous face hovering above me. Our lips inch closer like magnets drawn to each other, but before he reaches me, he rolls onto his back on the living room rug.
His breathing steadies as his arm leans on his forehead.
I roll onto his side and place my potted arm on his chest. “Are you all right?”
“Yeah.”
“What were you dreaming about? I’ve never seen you like that before.”
“I don’t know.”
The blanket from the sofa lays crumpled on the floor, and I pull it over the two of us. The pain in my ribs subsiding a little as I move and settle in next to him. His hand goes to my cheek. “Your lips bleeding.”