Page 4 of Ice & Sweet

CHAPTER FOUR

Luke

Swallow Hill was one of those picture-postcard small British towns that felt like it only existed in films, TV shows, and the imagination of tourists.

The sandy-coloured chocolate box buildings were covered in snow and glowed under the golden streetlights and endless strings of Christmas lights. Although from my quick glances, it seemed like this was the sort of place where an inflatable Santa would swiftly be banished or binned.

There seemed to be quite a lot of cute little shops, though, and I hoped I’d get time to have a nosey before I headed back to London on Sunday.

It wasn’t hard to find the venue—Swallow Hill Manor—which was just on the edge of town, and I felt myself physically relax as I saw the two ball lanterns perched on top of the gateposts. Just a little bit further and then I could collapse in a heap with a strong drink.

André had done an amazing job with putting the tyre doughnut on but I’d still spent the last few miles terrified that something else was going to go wrong. I’d found myself glancing in the rearview mirror every ten seconds to check he was still behind me despite the obscenely bright headlights of his car that kept me bathed in light.

There was much less snow on the driveway, and I assumed it had been cleared and gritted to make sure people could arrive safely. It was easy to find somewhere to park and I watched through the passenger window as André pulled his posh SUV into the space next to me. I still couldn’t believe he’d stopped to help.

I couldn’t believe he was here at all, which was ridiculous because Kane had mentioned a couple of times that he was coming.

I just hadn’t wanted to believe it until I’d seen it.

Because I’d had a crush on André since the moment Kane had first introduced us, and it turned out that time and distance had done nothing to diminish those feelings. If anything, they’d hit me a million times harder because while André’s Instagram pictures were gorgeous, they were nothing compared to the man in person.

He’d always been stunning—it was kind of a boy band prerequisite to be attractive—but turning thirty obviously agreed with him and to me he looked so much sexier now than he had at twenty-three. Or maybe it was the glasses. I was a sucker for a man in glasses.

His light brown hair had a slightly ruffled, unintentional feel, like he hadn’t meant for it to get as long as it now was, and the constellation of freckles on his nose seemed more prominent without the layers of make-up or photo filters. There were the first few laughter lines settling in around his eyes too, softly crinkling his olive skin, and I liked seeing them there. I liked knowing that André had been smiling.

He seemed… lighter too. Not physically, but it felt like there wasn’t the kind of weight on his shoulders that had been there in the last few years of Underground Dreaming’s life. Kane had it too. It wasn’t exuberance or anything I could really explain. It was just a sense of presence.

I desperately hoped that we’d get to spend some time catching up over the next few days because I wanted to know everything he’d been doing in his own words. Social media was one thing, but the picture it presented was distorted. And I needed to know that André was happy.

“Oh thank God! You made it!” My thoughts were shattered as the car door flew open and Kane appeared, relief evident on his adorable face as he practically climbed into my lap trying to hug me. His brown hair was all askew where he’d clearly been running his hands through it. “I was getting so worried! I tried to call but I figured you didn’t have any signal, and your location showed you sitting still. Did you break down?”

“Get off me and I’ll tell you,” I said, putting my hand on his chest to push him firmly away. “I don’t need you smothering me.”

“Sorry,” he said sheepishly as he stood up and waited for me to get out of the car before he hugged me again. I didn’t think I’d ever seen him so worried and I felt bad for not letting him know what had been going on. “What happened?”

“I blew out a tyre.” I gestured at the back tyre and glared at it for good measure. “About twenty minutes away? And my car is new enough that it doesn’t have a proper spare, just this bloody doughnut. Not that I knew how to change it anyway. Luckily, my knight in shining armour appeared and rescued me.” I looked over at André, who’d appeared around the back of my car and was lurking like he didn’t want to intrude.

In true British fashion, the snowfall had now slowed to the odd flake drifting in the air, like it was running late and desperate to still be involved.

Kane released me and instead threw himself at André. “Thank you! I knew there was a reason I liked you best.”

André chuckled and squeezed him tightly. “Because I can change a tyre? That feels like a low bar.”

“Sorry, I’m just so fucking stressed and I…” Kane took a deep breath as he stepped back. “I’m so glad you’re here. It feels like it’s been forever! And thanks for rescuing Luke—all this snow is causing absolute havoc with my plans and I just…”

“You know most people organise their weddings in December because they want snow,” I said, resisting the temptation to point out that a tropical island wouldn’t have had this problem. Kane didn’t need to hear that from me, and I was only thinking it because I was tired and hungry and it was making me cranky.

“I know, but this is England and we can’t cope with more than an inch.” Kane grinned and beside him André chuckled, the warm sound making something inside me melt into a pile of goo. “And when was the last time we had snow like this?”

“I don’t know—a couple of years ago? Usually when it snows I don’t have to try and drive all the way to fucking Oxfordshire with a wedding cake!”

“It’s very much appreciated, though,” said Austin, appearing behind us with his customary smooth smile. Austin was one of those men who knew just how good-looking he was and was very happy to use his charm whenever necessary to get whatever he wanted, which was usually Kane’s attention.

But fuck, that smile.

It’d once been described as the sort of smile that put men on their knees, and I’d seen it at work enough to know its power. Mostly through a screen, but I’d seen him use it a couple of times in person and it was intoxicating. If he’d ever tried it on me, I’d have died, but he’d always been so focused on Kane when he was in the room that nobody else had existed to Austin.

How the fuck it had taken them as long as it had to figure out they had feelings for each other was a mystery people would still be studying in a thousand years’ time.

Austin reached out and pulled me into a quick hug. “It’s good to see you again. And I’m sorry my husband-to-be has been such a pain in the ass for the last forty-eight hours.”

I chuckled. “Try the past four months.”

“Hey! I’ve not been that bad!”

“Yeah you have,” Austin said. “And now you’re making our guests freeze their nips off out here while you fuss over them. Make yourself useful, Pendleberry, and offer to carry some suitcases or shit.”

“Pendleberry?” André asked with a wry smile. “That’s a new one.”

“Technically, it’s my legal surname,” Kane said. “Wait, did you not know that? You know my name isn’t actually Jude Kane, right?”

“Yeah, I know. I’d just forgotten your surname was Pendleberry.” He walked back to his car and opened the boot, and I followed him to check the cake was still in one piece, my heart racing because I was so sure something else was going to have gone wrong.

“I think they should’ve let him keep it,” Austin said. “It’s cute.”

“Not very pop star, though, is it? Not like André here,” Kane muttered. He was right behind me and I heard the exact moment he spotted the cake because he gasped. “Oh my God! Luke! It’s gorgeous.”

“You haven’t even seen it properly yet,” I said, unable to keep the relief out of my voice as I peered into the box, which had a transparent front panel so I could check on it at all times. The cake looked just as perfect as it had when I’d left London nearly seven hours ago. “Do you have somewhere cool for me to store it? I’ve got some extra bits that need to go with it so I can finish decorating it in the morning.”

“Yes, they’ve found you a spot in the pastry kitchen for it. I wasn’t sure if you needed a chiller or not, but they said they’ve got space in one if you need it. They’ll show you as soon as we go in,” Kane said. “Where’s your suitcase? I’ll bring that in for you.”

“I’ve got it,” André said. He had both our suit bags carefully slung over one arm, our suitcases stood neatly next to him. “I grabbed it out of your car while you were checking the cake.”

“You give me his and I’ll follow you in,” Austin said, his hand already hovering over the handles.

I retrieved the rest of the cake stuff and handed it to Kane before slowly sliding the cake box into my arms, carrying it like it was made of glass and praying that I didn’t slip. I barely glanced at my surroundings until I was inside and could gently rest the cake box on top of the polished wooden reception desk where several suited members of staff were waiting to help.

There was a beautiful garland hung across the front of the desk with dried oranges and cinnamon sticks nestled in the pine and fairy lights gently woven throughout it. Opposite the desk was an ornate fireplace with a roaring fire and another garland draped across the mantelpiece, and on either side I could see an open door, one that seemed to lead to a restaurant and the other to some sort of snug or cosy-looking bar area.

A tall Christmas tree draped in lights and ornate decorations stood to the left of the desk, and beyond it I could see another doorway that led further into the hotel. The whole atmosphere oozed charm and luxury, but there was a welcoming warmth that came along with it and I could see why Kane and Austin had chosen it.

I was surprised they’d managed to get a date this close to Christmas, especially since the hotel didn’t seem that big and probably booked up for both weddings and the holidays years in advance. But I wasn’t going to pry and ask them exactly what they’d done or how much money they’d thrown at the hotel to make this happen.

I was just going to enjoy my weekend and watch my best friend get married in style.

It didn’t take me long to get checked in. When they offered to have my bags taken up to my room before they showed me where the cake was going, I was happy to accept because it was one less thing to worry about.

“Oh, before I forget,” Kane said. “We’re doing a quick rehearsal at five and then you can meet our wedding planner, Natalia, and she’ll show you everything for tomorrow. Then dinner tonight at half seven in the restaurant.”

“Sounds great,” I said with a little smile. “Where shall I meet you?”

“Here’s fine. Or in the snug.” He pointed through the door I’d seen. “Okay, I’m going to go and… do… I don’t know.”

“You’re going to go and sit down and have a glass of wine,” Austin said, taking his fiancé by the hand. He grinned at me as he steered Kane away. “See you in a bit.”

I watched them go and smiled to myself. One day, I wanted a relationship like theirs: loving, trusting, and absolutely sickening for everyone else to be around.

As I turned back towards reception, I glanced around to see if André was still here and my heart sank when I realised he’d already gone upstairs.

I hadn’t even managed to ask what room he was in.