Close Your Eyes (60 page)

Both brothers stood behind their father
.
Matt
grinn
ed
at
Megan
from his place as the newly wedded couple kissed. She could tell he wanted to say something
,
and
she
hoped he wouldn’t,
because
the photographer snapping the photos
was
already paying too much attention to them. She could imagine the headlines back home
and
her mom devouring the local paper and swelling with pride. Her daughter would be marrying into the
Harper
family
,
after all.
She had come
a
round to
liking
Matt
just as much as she adored Ry
an
. Matt’s
constant presence
had taken
away her suspicion that he was nothing more
than
a wild boy looking for some fun with her only daughter.

Their engagement had been a very private affair
so far.
O
nly the closest family
was let in on
the secret.
Meg
insisted on the silence
because she was
still afraid of people judging her sudden change of heart as she exchanged one brother for the other. While
Matt
and
most of
his family assured her that they didn’t care one bit what people thought, she preferred to take it slow before the big announcement.

Rosemary and Rupert’s
wedding
went smoothly
. Then t
he cheerful group follow
ed
the newlyweds to the large banquet area
that had been
set up with help of
a
fabulous local chef and
the
castle manager.

‘So, what do you think? Was it a very scary experience,
Megs
?’
Matt
was
suddenly
at her side, his blue eyes watchful. ‘I actually enjoyed it a lot. I guess seeing
D
ad so happy made it all worth it.’

‘It was absolutely lovely
.
’
S
he smiled, nodding. ‘
Rosemary
looks breathtakingly beautiful today. Your dad is one lucky man.’

‘He is, and he knows it
,
’
Matt
agreed
. H
is long legs
fell
in
to
step with
Megan’s
stride. ‘
He
really deserves it
,
too.’ They walked slowly through the sand
. H
er pink sandals
sank
in
to
the white grains until she almost tripped,
but
Matt grabbed
her elbow and stead
ied
her
at
the last moment.

‘I think it’s a sign for us to sneak away and go swimming without all this hoopla
as soon as possible,
’ he whispered into her ear
. His
warm breath caress
ed
her sensitive skin. ‘I’ve been told there are little coves along the coasts
. We could go exploring if you want.’

‘Gladly
.
’
She
smiled up
at
him
. She was still
amazed that this handsome, elegant man belonged to her and her only. In his white shirt and pants, he looked troublingly seductive, his hair shining
reddish-gold
in the hot Italian sun. ‘
Once
we do our duty here, that is. You’re expected to dance and mingle,
Matt
. You
can’t leave R
y to do it all by himself.’

‘Oh, the social duties
.
W
here would we be without them
?
’
he
groaned, his eyes merry. ‘Did I tell you how much
G
randdad loves you?
S
ince we
’ve been
together
,
I
’
ve become much more of a stickler
with
family obligations,
Meg
. He is very grateful, as he will probably tell you himself.’

She glanced to the old man
seated under a thick, white umbrella
that
shad
ed
him from the rays of the setting sun.
He
had
completely
recovered from his stroke
, and
his face
was
serene as he talked to his son and new
daughter-in-
law.

An hour later
,
Rupert
and Rosemary were leaving the cheerful gathering to go for an overnight sailing trip along the coast.
The trip
was a gift from
Rupert
’s friend,
and
the sleek yacht waiting for the newlyweds
was stocked
with champagne and hors
d’
oeuvres. A uniformed captain welcomed the couple as they waved cheerfully at the group gathered on the beach.

‘
It’s
now or never
.
’
Matt filled Meg’s
empty glass with a bit more wine.
‘
If
we stay around any longer and drink
any
more, you’ll fall asleep on your feet, sweetheart.
Even though I don’t
particularly
mind the aftereffects of you having a bit too much to drink.’

‘
Shush
, will you
.
’
She
blushed, remembering their first time together. They
were now
miles from
there
,
and
their lovemaking
no longer
requir
ed
her to have
drinks for courage
. Still,
she couldn’t recall that particular evening without blushing,
and
Matt
’s smile
didn't ease her embarrassment
.

‘
Matt
, R
y, how about a photo together?’
T
he photographer’s voice interrupted
them as
the short, wiry man bustl
ed
around them with a cheerful smile.
‘
With
the lovely ladies, of course.
It would look great, just the casual aura without the rest of the group.’

He
had taken
tons of pictures so far
. Meg resentfully
remember
ed
the agonizing moments when he
’d
stood them in a carefully arranged gathering
while
the minutes ticking away before he was satisfied enough to actually snap the first photo.
Her cheeks hurt from the polite smile,
and
her whole body rebell
ed
against the artificial pose. In the end,
Matt
managed to make it all bearable, as usual. With his wry sense of humor
,
he had her giggling, though she suspected they
had
ruined more than one shot with their cheerful exchange.

‘Sure, but make it quick.’
Matt
nodded, pulling her closer and stepping next to Ry
an
and Alice. ‘I am dying for a swim
,
and unless you want to catch me in my trunks, you have to hurry.’

‘I should mention we might be wearing speedos
,
’ Ry
an
injected
. T
he two of them laugh
ed
as the photographer looked on with shock.

It must
be
the wine,
Meg
thought,
because she was
not used to Ry
an
being that risky.
Or maybe Alice
.
He
looked at her
and seemed
too happy to care for anything else.

‘
Ready
?’
The critical man behind the lens pointed the camera at the four of them.
‘
Try
looking to the left
,
and imagine something interesting there, please.’ He directed
,
and they obeyed
with mildly
curious
smiles
.

It would have been all right if
Matt
hadn’t
mumble
d
under his
breath
while keeping
his face perfectly serene.
‘And yet, I still see nothing.’