Laura was more reserved than she had been anytime since she'd come back from Cornwall and that was saying something. Barely any words had been spoken in the Martin Wilson household in the last few days, aside from polite conversation about their days at work or a final goodnight as they lay back to back in bed. The only conversation Ricky had attempted was about wedding venues as Chris had suggested. He was told in no uncertain terms that was the last thing on Laura's mind.
Ricky entered the bedroom in his suit, white shirt and black tie. Laura looked him up and down but said nothing as she added lipstick to her lips, replaced the lid and stroked down the pleats of her black dress. There had been none of the changing of outfits endless times that Ricky usually found so comical. Her dress had been ironed the night before and hung on the end of her wardrobe in preparation for the day she had been dreading.
Laura took a final look in the mirror, before checking her watch. "We better be off. The traffic might be terrible." And with that, she left the room.
Ricky followed her downstairs moments later. He slipped on his black shoes, placing each foot in turn on a stair as he did up the laces. Straightening his tie in the hallway mirror he saw Laura stood behind him looking sadder than he'd ever seen anyone look in his life. He turned to face her.
"Don't do this on your own Laura." He'd gripped each of her hands in his own. "I am here now. I'll be here tonight, tomorrow, forever." He paused. "As long as you let me."
Laura allowed her eyes to meet his. She knew he meant every word he said. She just had to accept it. But there was too much to think of first.
"We have to leave now." Laura slipped her hands from his and picking up the keys from the table, she headed towards the front door.
Aidan hadn't made it. There'd been some garbled message on her answerphone when she'd left work the day before explaining that although he could get a flight to the UK, getting back for the time he needed to was a little more tricky. He'd said he loved her, he always would and as he'd told her the other day, he would be there for her whenever she needed him. But he wasn't was he. She needed him today and he was five and a half thousand miles away. But Ricky would be. Well this time she'd learnt that it was truly time to move on.
- - - - - - -
Four figures stood outside the crematorium. Two men discussing each of their cars in hushed tones. And two women, one holding the other's hand.
"That's it then." Laura announced to her best friend.
"I'd have thought James would have shown his face." Katie hadn't been impressed by the lack of his appearance.
"He's recording in France. I told him not to worry. He text me this morning. He'll be thinking of me." Laura released her hand to dab at her eyes. She had cried. Not floods of tears, but she'd cried. And Ricky had held her hand the whole time and she'd let him. There for her as he said he would be. Laura looked across to him now. Katie followed her gaze.
"It was good of Tom to take a day off work." Laura said, watching as Tom and Ricky were now bending down looking at something on the door of Tom's car.
"He wouldn't have dreamt of not coming to support you Laura. Neither of us would. He's going on about that bloody scratch again! I can't help it if I let go of a full trolley of shopping on a slope!" Katie huffed, making Laura smile at her friend's clumsy behaviour. "What now then? Home?" Katie asked turning her attention back to Laura, who nodded.
"Maybe a stop on the way back. Then yes, home." Laura stuffed her tissue away in her handbag. "Ricky wants to look at wedding venues next weekend." Katie was a little surprised.
"And how do you feel about that?" Katie asked, thinking back to the conversation they'd had in the wine bar a few nights ago.
"I think I'll know when we look at them. We need to talk, Ricky and I." Laura watched Ricky. He was smiling at something Tom had said. His eyes were hidden behind his sunglasses, but she knew they would be sparkling. "He loves me. I love him. That's all that matters now. I've got to stop feeling that the whole world is just waiting to let me down. I've had a life time of it. Things have to change." Katie put her arm around her friend and pulled her to body tight.
"That's my girl. Leave Aidan in the past. The future is all that matters and I'm desperate to be a maid of honour, so just you get him down that aisle and give me an excuse for a posh dress!" Katie let go and winked at Laura who was just about to protest, but stopped herself, kissed Katie on the cheek and thanked her.
They drove up the A2 towards London after leaving the crematorium.
"Can we make a detour?" Laura asked as they headed towards the Blackwall Tunnel. Ricky took his eyes from the road to look across to her.
"Of course we can. Where do you want to go?" he asked, not really knowing the area at all.
"Greenwich Park," was all Laura said, not explaining her reasons why. Ricky saw a sign to turn off, indicated and left the route they had been taking.
They crossed Blackheath and turned right at the roundabout, then a left, following the wall of the park, finally arriving at the park gates and drove down the road that divided the lawns mowed to perfection. They managed to park down by the observatory and while Ricky got a ticket, Laura began to walk towards the statue of General Wolfe at the end of the road.
She stopped and looked out across the view of London, so different, yet so similar to the view from Primrose Hill. Laura felt Ricky behind her.
"We used to come here. It's one of the only places I remember mum bringing me to. I used to play, running up and down the hills, while she sat on the grass." Ricky didn't speak, but allowed her to continue. "We'd go down to the swing park, if I'd been good. We didn't go often. There was always some misdemeanor she made up, something I'd done she didn't approve of." Laura walked to the end of the wall and round onto the grass, dusting off the wall before sitting down. Ricky had left his jacket and tie in the car and now, sitting on the wall next to her, he rolled up his shirt sleeves. Still he said nothing, waiting for Laura to continue.
"I owe you an apology Ricky." Laura began, sensing Ricky turn quickly her way.
"You don't owe me anything Laura. I can't begin to imagine what you've been through these last few weeks. If anything, I owe one to you..." Laura waved her hand to quieten him.
"You offered to help me, to come with me. I told you no. But every minute I was in Cornwall, it was you I wanted. Then I was angry. God, I've been so confused. A complete mess inside. I just wanted life to be back to normal. I thought the drink that night would help. If it was good enough for my mum, numbed her mind enough to help her forget, well it was good enough for me."
"You scared me that night. Drink is never the answer." He looked down at his hanging feet swinging as he spoke. "I have to ask Laura and you are going to hate me for this...Aidan?" He felt Laura tense. "I trust you to the moon and back, but you were so different from how you were on the phone to how you were when you got home last Saturday. And this week, it's like I've not existed." He continued quickly not allowing her to get a word in. "And I know I'm not the important one here, but something changed." His swinging legs had stilled.
"You are the important one here. More important than you'll ever realise because I think I find it hard to show you how important you are." Ricky listened. "But Aidan?" He held his breath as she mentioned his name. "Yes something did happen." Laura saw Ricky's hand fly up to cover his eyes. "Nothing like that. I'd not do something like that to you! I realised for all the support he'd been, for all I thought he should be the one there with me, I was wrong. It should have been you. He said as much himself. That made me angry, that he realised I needed you before you did. I have to leave Aidan in the past now. Move on. But that's like losing another member of my family. It's been hard to get my head around that." Ricky's hand dropped away.
"What happened?" he asked, surprised to hear that someone he'd thought of as competition had actually been on his side.
Laura thought back to the hotel room and how Aidan had stood in her way. How he'd taken her hand and sat her down on the bed. He had told Laura he would always love her and he'd always be there for her. She thought about how she listened as he'd told her how wonderful he thought it was that she'd found a man like Ricky. How he could never give her all that Ricky could, the family life, the secure future. And how, whilst they had talked Laura had once again wished Ricky had been there and that Aidan would be a thing of the past. She'd got angry and with all the other emotions she'd been feeling, Ricky had bore the brunt of all this anger once she'd returned home.
She explained this all to Ricky and inside he felt a flush of relief.
"But I told you not to come, I know that. What I hadn't understood until I'd got to Cornwall, when I'd got back as well, was how much I hadn’t ment it." She ended what she had to say.
"I should have insisted. Everyone I've talked to can't believe I didn't go!" Ricky told her.
"Everyone?" Laura questioned.
"Simon and Chris." Laura nodded her understanding. "I can deal with you being angry with me." Ricky continued, "What I can't deal with is the thought of Aidan winning your heart again." He admitted to Laura. She leant against him.
"Never and I have to wake up to the fact that I have to stop fighting against you. I have to let you do all the things you say you will do for me. You're not my mother, you don't let me down like she did."
Ricky threw his arm around her and pulled her tightly to him. He kissed the top of her head before she looked up to him. Then it was her lips he was kissing.
They lay in bed that night, but face to face now. Ricky stroked her face, before rubbing his finger across her bottom lip. Laura pretended to bite it, as Ricky faked pain with a gentle "Ouch!" His hands fell to her waist and pulled her towards him. And there he held her until she fell asleep.
- - - - - -
Ricky was parked outside the radio offices where Laura worked the following Friday ready to whisk her away to Yorkshire for the weekend.
All had been resolved between them. Getting married was all she wanted to focus on now.
They had a list of appointments to see a variety of wedding venues, all with availability before the year was out. They had spoken. They had both written a list of what was important for them when it came to their wedding and with a few exceptions, they'd both felt the same. Neither had wanted a church wedding. Neither had wanted a large venue. And a magazine deal was just completely out of the question. A place for close family - mostly Ricky's obviously - and friends only and a party celebration afterwards.
After spending the night at Ricky's parent's home, they were up early the following morning, heading towards Harrogate for the first appointment of the morning. It was a town centre hotel and like buying a new house, Laura knew in the first few seconds it was not the place for her. But Ricky, being ever the gentleman and eager to please, allowed the appointment to continue, feigning interest at all the three apparent wedding coordinators that were suddenly on duty when they found out that the groom was in fact The Ricky Wilson.
Laura hung back, letting them have their moment with him, a sly smile of 'He's mine actually,' on her face when they finally remembered she was the bride.
The next place was very different. A small country house where they were left alone to investigate the grounds and the house. Ricky could have been an A list Hollywood actor for all the elderly owner of this estate knew. It was a blessed relief after the hotel.
After a quick lunch, they headed north west, towards the moors that Ricky knew Laura loved so much.
The drive way to Durby Hall, skimmed the edge of the moorland, the valley to the right dropping away in the distance. Laura, straight away, could imagine the purple heather of the autumn providing a perfect backdrop to any wedding photos. They pulled up outside the small palladium building and were instantly greeted with the barking of two chocolate labradors that bounded from the side of the house towards them, tails wagging energetically.
"Bruno! Duncan!" A woman appeared, shouting to the dogs. "I am so sorry!" she exclaimed as Ricky and Laura both fussed with the dogs. "They definitely won't be on the loose when your wedding guests arrive. I'm Sandra Bucklehurst, pleased to meet you." They shook hands in turn and said their hellos, introducing themselves. "Well that's ten pounds I'll owe my youngest daughter." Sandra went on. Laura and Ricky both looked confused. "We had a bet whether it would be you or not," Sandra told Ricky. "Looks like she was right." Sandra turned on her welly boot heels and began to lead the way. "Don't worry, you won't be bothered by paparazzi up here." She turned back to them. "The hunting guns usually scare them away." And with a wink they all continued towards the house. Laura slipped her hand into Ricky's, giving it a slight squeeze and smiled at him.
After being shown the entrance hall, they were led through to the room which was used to hold the actual wedding. Sandra strode around the room, straightening paintings and checking for dust as she spoke. "This room holds 70 people, but we can always get a few more in if necessary. Some of your popstar friends! My Gillian, my youngest, will be in seventh heaven. She'll want to work that Saturday!" Laura and Ricky shared a smile. She's got the deal signed, sealed and delivered, Laura thought as she looked about, what seemed to her, the perfect room for a wedding. Large picture windows let in light and allowed views across the moors. She stood and looked out.
"Spectacular views aren't they," Sandra joined her. "I love this place. Great for weddings if I do say so myself. Anyway, you can look around here again later. I'll show you the rest."
Laura and Ricky followed Sandra through the house, both looking about themselves as they did so. Smiles spread across their faces.
"We have 12 rooms for your guests to use, your favourite ones anyway." Sandra grinned. "And there are a few bed and breakfasts in the village. The rest can sort themselves out." She opened up a pair of double doors, revealing the most beautiful room Laura had ever seen. Floor to ceiling windows, the width of one wall, opened out to the view Laura knew she wanted to be the backdrop to her wedding. Sandra had continued to talk, but there was nothing she needed to say that Laura needed to hear. "Anyway. I shall leave you two to wander around at your leisure. Shout me if you want me." Sandra disappeared through one of patio doors into the garden.
"What do you think?" Ricky asked. Taking the first opportunity he'd had to get a word in edgeways. Though he was sure he already knew the answer. He stood next to Laura, looking outside.
"I think it's perfect," she told him.
Ricky put his arm around her shoulder, "Another thing we agree on then," he said as he planted a kiss on the side of her head.
- - - - - - -
Happy New Year and what better way to start the new year than some exciting wedding news for Ricky and Laura!