Epilogue

EPILOGUE

‘I'm going to be sick,' Jasper says, as he sits on the chair in the bedroom with his head between his knees.

‘Don't be sick,' I tell him. ‘Have something to drink. Maybe a sweet? Is it the heat?'

‘This was an utterly stupid idea to get married abroad,' he moans. ‘We should have really thought this through.'

‘Rubbish,' I reassure him, opening him up some bottled water for him. ‘I've never been to the Far East. I'm having a lovely time. Frank rode an elephant yesterday. He's over the moon.'

‘Oh, well, I'm glad that you're all enjoying the holiday,' he replies, his familiar sarcasm lacing his tones.

I pull another chair opposite him and take his hands. ‘Jasper, it's a small wedding. Your parents, his parents and us. It's everyone here that you love. And Miles, who you've known forever. I don't know what there is to be nervous about.'

‘Snakes.'

‘We're on a beach. Snakes don't like the beach.'

‘They don't?' he asks me.

Bloody hell, I don't know, but if it calms him down .

‘You look very handsome, by the way,' I tell him.

‘Don't exaggerate. I look acceptable. Does all this linen make me look like I'm in a boyband?'

‘Yes.'

‘I appreciate your honesty.'

He stands up, shaking his body out to exorcise his nerves and then reaches out to give me a hug, holding it for a moment too long, then taking a deep breath. ‘Well, let's do this then.' He opens the door to the villa where he's staying. It's a stunning chalet, opening out on to the beach and gardens, bedecked in traditional Thai silks, rattan and dark woods. However, it's Christmas so there's still decorations out, always room for a tree that sits in the corner smartly, bedecked in red and gold.

In the living room stand Frank and Leo, waiting, both of them in patterned shirts that match the fabric of my dress.

‘He's good. Super nervous though,' I inform them.

‘But it's just us…' Leo tells him, plainly.

‘Just us?' Jasper says, and the four of us stand together, grinning at each other. Even though we thought that me leaving work would be the end of an era, it started a new one where we all are often in the same room, sometimes with additional partners tagging along. This wonderful unit of friendship that has endured. And not only endured, we've travelled halfway across the world to Koh Samui to see our boy get wed.

‘I mean, just us, but also a few fair tourists. I've made sure they've cordoned off the area though,' Frank mentions. ‘And I got Norah to lure the last of the monkeys away.'

‘Monkeys?' Jasper asks. ‘How did she lure them away?'

‘We took a guess that they'd like bananas,' he says, and we all laugh.

I'd hope that might calm Jasper down but he still paces up and down the room. ‘Do I smell?' Jasper asks me, puffing out his linen shirt. I go up to him, all of us are unfamiliar with the humidity. ‘There was a body spray in the room and I put it on. It had myrrh in it? I don't even know what myrrh is. I feel like I smell like wet soil?'

‘Earthy, I think is the word. You smell lovely,' I tell him.

‘And you have the rings?' he asks Leo. He pulls two circles of gold out of his pocket to reassure him.

There's a knock on the door as a sign that we're going to begin and I give Jasper one last hug as we leave the room.

‘Love you, Jassy Bear.'

‘Still not a thing,' he says laughing.

Frank, Leo and I leave the room first, going down the wooden porch steps, Leo helping me to carry the length of my dress so I don't trip.

‘Thank you, kindly,' I tell him.

‘You're very welcome,' he replies, kissing my bare shoulder. ‘Perfect.'

‘The beach?'

‘I meant you.' I smile and take his hand.

‘Did you just smell Jasper before?' he asks me as we walk towards the sand.

‘I did. That's what a best woman does, it's in the job description. You two stay in your lane as groomsmen.'

I remember the day that Jasper and Miles asked me and informed me of their plans. They took me out for lunch and I squealed over my steak sandwich. I'd never said yes more quickly. In fact, while I was sitting there, I took out my phone and booked the time off work with my new consultancy firm on the spot. ‘What was the occasion?' the new HR lady asked me. My brother's getting married .

Leo laughs to himself and we all get into position, Frank waving at Norah sitting there in her light blue sundress while I do my bit, handing out tissues to the parents of the grooms. This has been the longest time coming, there will be tears. We wait for them to exit their villas, me hoping that Jasper hasn't made any strange decisions to change his outfit or wear more body spray.

‘As he's double-barrelled, are they going to add his name too?' Leo whispers to me as we wait. ‘Triple-barrelled maybe?'

I laugh under my breath. ‘That's a mouthful.'

‘That's what she said,' he whispers back cheekily and I nudge him in the ribs for being wildly inappropriate, if still the one person who makes me laugh the mostest, ever.

He looks me in the eye, scanning my hair and smoothing it down with his hands, giving me a kiss to the forehead. ‘I do like it here,' he says.

‘It is, however, very balmy.'

‘Talk to Frank about that. He told me before how he had to talc his balls.'

I laugh again, hoping Carmel didn't hear that in the front row. ‘You're good with your wedding small talk, eh?'

He bites his lip and puts an arm around my midriff.

‘Is this how you imagine getting married then?'

‘Maybe,' he says, quizzical.

‘Just nothing that involves flash mobs, heavily choreographed photos or mud.'

And he pauses for a moment to remember a conversation we once had. He's not the only one to remember things. That smile creeps across his face again.

‘Do you think the groomsman might be able to get lucky with the best woman later though?' he enquires cheekily, just as Jasper and Miles head towards the beach hand in hand.

‘Possibly,' I say, adjusting the lapels on his shirt ‘Depends on your speech?' I lean over. ‘You smell pretty nice though.'

He beams. ‘I'd hope so. New scent. Got it for Christmas,' he tells me. ‘My fiancée gave it to me.'

I smile back broadly as he takes his hand in mine and rubs a finger over my engagement ring.

‘She sounds like a woman with excellent taste.'

‘The best,' he tells me.

*

If you were swept away by Maggie and Leo's love story in We Three Kings , you'll love Kristen Bailey's hilariously festive rom-com, Five Gold Rings .

Get it here, or read on for an exclusive extract!