Heartbeats in Moonlight

Chapter 57

"Ella, that is a ludicrous, bloody, decision!" Amelia mumbled. Ella shook her head at Amelia. Amelia rolled her eyes, "Ella! And I didn't swear in public until I met you." Amelia watched sadness flit through Ella's eyes.

Not telling Amelia earlier was Ella's fault and telling Amelia at her wedding was a mistake. But Ella only decided relatively recently,  didn't want to spoil Amelia's wedding, and she did not want Amelia to return from her honeymoon only to find that Ella was not living locally.

"Exactly. Bad influence huh?" Ella told her friend before turning serious once again. "I promise I'll be back to visit often." She crossed her fingers behind her back "I will be back to pack up my furniture and stuff. I will need your help to pack up." With a bit of luck, she would have developed strategies to deal with David for small periods. He'll have moved on by the time she returns. Probably would follow Jack down the aisle, with any one of the numerous women who seemed to find David attractive in his morning suit. Ella agreed with those women. She saw David when she'd entered the church earlier. He was standing alongside Jack at front benches. They both looked incredibly dashing she thought as she took a seat three benches back.

Despite the fact the church was packed, David glanced over his shoulder and he'd caught Ella's eye. Long seconds elapsed as they both just stared at each other. Her heart was in her mouth. Then Jack turned around and whispered a question to David. David broke eye contact with her.

Ella didn't dare look up after that. Her mind was filled with images of him, standing at the altar. Silly, silly, silly, she reprimanded herself. This is why she had to leave town.

"But you won't be living close by." Amelia tried not to feel as if she was being abandoned, or a prima donna.

"You're moving remember?" Ella pointed out dryly. Amelia had already moved into Jack's place. The rest of her stuff was boxed, ready to be shifted when she returned from their honeymoon.

"You know what I mean." Amelia huffed, knowing she wasn't going to win this particular argument no matter what she tried. "I just moved within our town, not to some random town, wherever it is!" She knew Ella was every bit as stubborn as she was. If Ella had made up her mind to move, then Ella was going to move.

"You do remember the phone, that communication equipment that allows us to talk, remember?" Ella smiled gently to lessen the mockery, while Amelia frowned at Ella's irony. Ella stated firmly, "Ames, we'll stay friends. Always. You know that."

"It's not the same." Amelia huffed. "You could sort this!"

"I have. I made a decision."

"No you haven't! You are running away. Talk to David." Amelia looked over at Ella and said quietly, "Your reaction to him made your decision. And I am not sure you have checked your facts or reviewed your feelings towards David."

"I know exactly. I know how I feel about him." Ella huffed, "And I know what he thinks about me?"

"How? Have you spoken about it?" Amelia scoffed.

"I know, for a fact, that he thinks I am an icicle." Ella yapped.

"You don't know that! You should stop and talk to him. Really talk to him, not just trade insults or names. Sit down, put you cards on the table and talk."

Seconds passed.

"I can't, Ames." Ella said quietly and lowered her eyelids. "In any case, you can bring your family to visit." But don't bring David, she added in her mind. "And I'll come down to visit." Only when David wasn't around, she hoped. Or when she'd developed a thick enough skin to survive his company. "Jack's house is built for family!"

"Where are you going?" And even as she asked the question her mind had already shifted to the image Ella's words had conjured up, family. Jack, her and children. Family. She smiled wistfully. They'd talked about children, wanting four, but they hadn't talked about when.

"Not sure. Dad's due back in a couple of weeks for some award or something. So I'll be in Auckland with my sister, Martina for a while. Then we'll see. Jennifer is down in Wellington now, so, I'm not sure whether to head north or south!" She was starting to think that she needed to be around her family, spend some time with her nephews and nieces, because this would be the closest to having children of her own. She wasn't likely to have any children because she wasn't likely to be getting married. For the only man she'd contemplated marrying, shunned her. The only man she'd ever loved, thought she was an icicle. That thought made her sombre and sad. "What about you?"

"What?" Amelia resurfaced from her thoughts about children.

"Where's the honeymoon?"

"Fiji." Amelia frowned, then pinned her friend with a cool stare "And stop trying to distract me. Why do you have to leave?" She tugged Ella's arm and pulled her closer, and said with clear excitement, "You could move into my place."

"No. I've made plans." Ella vetoed that suggestion quietly.

"Which include?"

"I'll let you know." Ella replied cagily. She wasn't sure herself. Not yet.

"I hate it when you clam up like this." Amelia grumbled. "I bet you haven't got any plans. And I'm going to really miss not having you around." She tucked an arm around Ella's waist and leaned in, "What if that bloody heifer Davina shows up?"

A grin split Ella's face, "You don't need me around to fight your battles. And somehow I doubt if that cow will show her face around here, again." Ella was fairly certain that Davina had no intention of ever returning, given her bid to regain her ex, had failed spectacularly.

"It's really strange." Amelia chuckled. "From no boyfriend worth speaking of, to wife. Wife to the hunkiest guy in the whole world! I think I'm evidence that reserved wallflowers can attract reformed-rakes!"

Ella chuckled. "You were never a wallflower." She shook her head, then she threaded her arm through Amelia's, "And sorry Ames, reformed-rakes? Jack?" Ella chuckled. "Come on, I bet your husband has dispatched a searching party." Together they turned and started to walk back toward the steps. "Anyone who thought you were reserved is seriously deluded!" She told her friend and laughing they walked slowly back to the marquee. "Bet he's been wondering where you've got to?" Ella teased, and glanced at her watch, "And you've only been gone ten minutes!"

Some ten minutes later, Ella and Amelia returned to the Marquee.

No sooner had Amelia stepped into the marquee. Ella noted that Amelia's eyes scanned the room for Jack. They both spotted Jack talking to Greg Lorimar, one of the groomsmen. Ella noted that Jack had turned his head and his eyes met Amelia's.

Time stood still.

Ella shook her head, when she realized her friend had stopped contributing to their chit-chat. Again, Ella tracked Amelia's gaze and wasn't at all surprised to see who was at the end of it. Ella couldn't help the sigh as she took in the look that passed between Amelia and Jack.

"Would you excuse me, Ella?" Amelia murmured and started making her way toward Jack without waiting to see if Ella responded. Jack left Greg and strode toward Amelia. A few seconds later they met. His fingers reached for her hand, in a gesture that said a lot about their relationship. Their fingers entwined, even as their gazes locked.

"Mrs Santiago, I thought we could get some fresh air." He leaned closer and whispered suggestively in her ear.

"Mr Santiago, I've already reconnoitred. I know the perfect place." Amelia told him and draping an arm along his hips, she steered him toward the marquee exit as she whispered, "You know if anyone had asked me, even a few months back, whether I'd be suggesting a nice quiet spot to get some fresh air with rogue like you, I'd have laughed out loud." Amelia told him and leaned against his arm, quietly content.

"If anyone had told me I'd manage to persuade a heart-stopping beautiful, sexy, super intelligent woman to marry me, I'd have laughed." He replied and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.