Page 99 of Dead Serious Case 5 Madame Vivienne
The floor has been repaired and resurfaced, and all the gorgeous parquet flooring polished. The debris of the old bookshelves has been cleared away and the books that could be saved are stacked against the walls. Stepping further into the room, my belly rolls in anticipation, and I glance up to see the ceiling has been strung with white fairy lights, bathing the room in a soft, romantic glow.
On either side of the room are neat rows of chairs swathed in chiffon and bows. Rose petals scattered along the floor create a path that leads to an archway entwined with roses and more fairy lights. But my gaze is locked on Danny, wearing a gorgeous deep blue suit and a soft smile as he watches me walking towards him.
Standing next to him as his best man is Sam, whose eyes, unsurprisingly, are locked on Harrison beside me. I walk past the guests, vaguely aware of Nick and Aiden cosied up with Danny’s sister Leigh watching them. Ever since she’s arrived in London, she’s made it her mission to lavish Aidan with motherly love. Maddie and Sonia are alongside them as they’ve become fast friends with Leigh, bonding over embarrassing stories of Danny as a child.
Brandy, Ari, and his son, Benny, are here, as are Ruby and Ginger. Henrietta and most of the staff from the mortuary have also joined us, and I feel so blessed. Even Ellis and his best friend Rosie from the hotel in Yorkshire have come to London for the event, as Ellis and I have become friends. Not that I had much choice, seeing as he’s pretty much messaged me nonstop about the ghosts at the Ashton-Drake ever since we left.
In a year and a half, I’ve gone from being pretty much all alone to being surrounded by friends and my found family, and believe me, seeing as much death as I do, I’m grateful for every moment with them.
We arrive at the arch and Danny reaches for my hands. I’m trembling with nerves from having everyone’s eyes on me, but I can’t stop the wide, beaming smile that splits my face as I gaze at the man I love. Harrison, acting as my best man, steps back and takes his place with Dusty, who is wearing a bridesmaid dress and another huge tiara. Ever since the whole Spirit Guide pageant queen episode, she’s been going through a phase of wearing fancy gowns.
“Shall we begin, then?” Chan says.
Danny and I turn to face him as he winks at us. We have a registrar here too, to make everything legal, but we knew we wanted Chan to be our officiant.
Chan begins speaking, and I’m overwhelmed with love for him. He’s worked so hard, learning all the details for performing the ceremony and setting up the perfect venue. The bookshop may have been a bit of a weird choice to some, but Danny and I agreed it was perfect for us.
I glance away from him for a second to see Bruce standing next to Dusty, and I almost laugh out loud. You can tell he died in the eighties because his concession to the formality of the occasion is a suit that makes him look like he’s stepped straight off the set ofMiami Vicein white linen with the sleeves rolled up—of course—and a shocking pink t-shirt.
Evangeline is also here, perched neatly in one of the chairs, wearing a rather pretty dress and cardigan. But I notice they aren’t the only ghosts to join in the celebration. Many of the other bookshop ghosts circle the room, dozens and dozens of them, watching eagerly. Like they haven’t had enough entertainment recently.
“And now, if you’d like to say your vows, Danny,” Chan says, and I turn my attention back to Danny.
He lets out a breath, clearly as nervous as I am. “Tristan, when I left Leeds and came to London, I wanted a new life, a fresh start, and maybe a little adventure. I couldn’t have imagined how incredible my life would become because of you. You’re my everything. I promise to love you, protect you, and make you as happy as I can for the rest of my life.” His mouth curves. “And even beyond that. I can’t wait to see where our lives take us”—he chuckles—“and where it rates on the Everett Scale. Because one thing is for certain, life with you will never be dull. I will love you without limits, with my whole heart, and with all ofmy soul. I will be your partner, your best friend, your confidant, your cheerleader, your rest, and your peace.”
I squeeze his hands and begin my own vows.
“Danny, I’ve always been someone who believed in science, that if it couldn’t be quantified or proven, then it wasn’t real. Fate, destiny, providence, pre-destination, whatever you want to call it, didn’t exist. Until I met you. It was like finding the part of me I didn’t know I was missing. I will love you without limits, with my whole heart, and with all of my soul. I will be your partner, your best friend, your confidant, your cheerleader, your rest, and your peace.”
“You guys,” Chan coos, holding his hands to his chest.
The rings, I mouth.
He blinks. “Oh, right!”
“Do you, Daniel Lionel Hayes”—I hear Dusty snort loudly behind me as Chan continues—“take Tristan Frankie Everett to be your husband?”
“I do.”
“And do you, Tristan Frankie—how cute is that, by the way? —take Daniel Lionel Hayes to be your husband?”
I grin. “I do.”
“Okay, you may exchange the rings, blah, blah, blah. Nowkiss.” The registrar rolls her eyes as Chan bounces excitedly in his spot. I slip Danny’s ring on his finger and he does the same for me before pulling me into his arms and dipping me as he lays a very thorough kiss on me.
The roars and thunderous applause ring throughout the room and I’m laughing breathlessly by the time he sets me upright. Everyone’s standing, whistling, clapping, and whooping in delight.
As my gaze sweeps the room, something catches my eye. I look back and see my mum and dad, smiling and waving.
“Give it up and make some more noise for Mr and Mr Everett-Hayes,” Chan hollers.
Danny and I walk back down the aisle while being showered with rainbow confetti. Which, when I pluck on off Danny’s collar and look closely, I realise are all cut in little ghost shapes. I shoot a look at Chan, who winks.
As we circle the room, talking to people and accepting hugs and kisses, General Chan has his army of helpers whip all the chairs into new configurations around tables he’s had them set up around a super tiny dance floor. He even managed to squeeze a DJ in. It’s a good job the shop is a fair size once you clear out all the bookcases.
The food is set out on larger tables at the side of the room, and the cake is hilarious. I don’t know who the hell Chan got to make it, but it’s aGhostbusterstheme, featuring little figures of Danny and me standing on the top layer in our suits and wearing proton packs. It’s decorated with ghosts and along the side of one of the tiers, iced in an elegant scrawl, are the wordsWho you gonna call?
We get strange looks from some of the guests, but hopefully they’ll just assume Danny and I are fans of the films, because I’m not about to tell them the truth.