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Holly should’ve known it wouldn’t be negative. Of course, Maud wouldn’t have written anything in the slightest bit downbeat. That just wasn’t who she was. And after reading her friend’s final words, Holly hadn’t been left feeling devastated or alone the way she had feared. Instead, it had left her with a sense of disbelief.

Despite Holly being seated next to Evan on the original seating plan for the day, the haphazard manner in which theevent had come together meant that the table plan had gone entirely awry.

As Evan was best man, they decided it would be easier if he sat at the top table with Jamie’s mum, while Holly found a place with Caroline and Michael, who had also passed their children on to the grandparents for the rest of the day.

As much fun as Holly had with her friends, her head was still lost in Maud’s words. Trying to process what it all meant. In all the confusion, it was hard not to want to be with Evan. And to be solely with him. Still, Holly pushed thoughts of both Maud and Evan to the back of her mind. This was a day that came around once in a lifetime, and right now, Fin and Jamie needed him more than she did.

As such, it wasn’t until Jamie and Fin had performed their first dance, and they invited other couples onto the dance floor to join them, that Holly finally had a chance to talk to Evan with some degree of privacy.

‘I feel like I haven’t seen you all day,’ Evan said, as he wrapped his hands tightly around her.

‘I know. I feel the same.’

For a second, Holly thought they were going to start dancing, but instead, a deep crease formed between Evan’s brows.

‘I know this probably isn’t the best timing, but there’s something I need to tell you. A couple of things, actually. Can we go outside? Talk properly?’

Around them, couples were holding each other close and swaying with the music – Ben and Georgia, Sandra and Eddie even. All looked completely lost in one another. And Holly wished she had that luxury, but Evan wasn’t the only one who needed to say something. She had things of her own to say, too.

71

They headed outside, where the sun was sitting just above the horizon, casting the sky a pinkish hue. The chairs from the ceremony had all been packed away, but there were several hidden benches in the garden. Holly took a seat on one of those and, for a moment, she stared out at the rolling hills. Only when Evan cleared his throat did she turn to look at him.

He was looking unusually nervous.

‘Okay, here goes,’ he started, only for Holly to interrupt.

‘I’m sorry. I know you want to talk to me, but I just want to let you know I’ve got something I need to talk to you about too,’ she said, resting her hand on his knee. ‘Something kind of important.’

Evan nodded as he bit down on his lip. ‘Okay, the thing is, I know it’s really ungentlemanly, but do you mind if I go first? Just I’ve been wanting to get this off my chest for quite a while. Although, if you need to tell me?—’

Holly shook her head and smiled. ‘It’s fine. Mine can wait.’

With a passing look of relief, he momentarily closed his eyes and took a deep breath in.

‘I’ve got a confession to make,’ he started. ‘A couple, actually.’

Fear flooded through Holly. Instantaneous and heated. Had he cheated on her? Was he already seeing someone else when they met? Had he just stayed with her until the wedding so he didn’t ruin Jamie and Fin’s big day? Those were the thoughts that rolled through her head until he finally spoke again.

‘I don’t like the fact that you live in your ex’s house.’

‘Oh,’ Holly said, stunned by the unexpected route the conversation had taken. It took her a moment to find any more words. ‘You know Giles isn’t?—’

‘I know he’s not technically your ex in a relationship sense,’ Evan cut across her. ‘And that you guys didn’t date, but there was something there. Something that I think is still there for him. I mean, we know he didn’t do all this for Jamie, did he?’

He paused as if he expected her to reply, but what could she say to that? Giles was her friend, one of her best friends. And she did love him as a friend, the same way she did with Caroline and Jamie. That was all it was. Still, as her pause lingered, Evan took her hand.

‘And I know you don’t feel the same way. I know you are all in with me. But that’s how I feel. And it doesn’t help that he’s such a stand-up guy, too.’

Holly wanted to laugh. If she saw him later, she would have to tell Giles that Evan thought of him ‘a stand-up guy’. He really was managing to shift his reputation.

‘I get why you feel that way,’ she said eventually. ‘If it was the other way round, I probably wouldn’t be too keen on the idea. In fact, I’d probably find it kind of crazy. But you know I said I wanted to talk to you?—’

Once again, Evan interrupted her. This time with a hasty shaking of his head.

‘Sorry, it’s just you said I could speak first, and that was the first part. The mini confession before the big one.’

Holly’s stomach lurched again. Being jealous of Giles didn’t seem enough of a deal to warrant a serious talk outside.