No Matter What (127 page)

“You ok?” Vince asked, sitting down next to Kenny, pulling a now very sleepy Lily onto his lap.
 
Ethan was sitting next to Martha playing with his iPod, although she was trying, without much luck, to get him to put it away.

Kenny shrugged.
 
“Just a little surprised she never told me about this, Vince.”

“Well, it seems as though nobody had any idea, Kenny.
 
But I can understand why they kept it so secret.
 
Can’t you?”

Kenny sighed, throwing his head back for a second, closing his eyes.
 
“Yes. Yes, I can totally understand, Vince, it’s just … I thought we were close.
 
I thought we were friends.”

“She told nobody, Kenny.
 
Don’t beat yourself up over it.
 
It was nothing personal.”

“I know.
 
It just ...”

“Just what?”

Kenny looked over at JJ who was standing at the altar talking to Charley and cuddling his daughter.
 
If
he
hadn’t come on the scene would things have been different?
 

It was almost as if Vince had read his mind.
 
“Get over her, Kenny.
 
Or you’re never gonna be able to move on.”

“That’s the problem, Vince.
 
I don’t think I can.”

Kenny watched as JJ kissed Ellie, who gave her daddy the biggest, cutest smile, kissing him back before he handed her over to Charley.

“Try, Kenny.
 
I’m being serious.
 
You have to try.”

But Kenny wasn’t even sure he wanted to do that anymore.

“Budge up,” Charley said, squeezing past Kenny and sitting down next to Vince, settling Ellie down on her lap with her cuddly rabbit.
 
“
India
’s almost ready, and she looks stunning.
 
They’ve done a fantastic job with her hair and make-up, and her dress ...”

Vince threw her a look, indicating to Kenny, who was still watching JJ as he paced backwards and forwards, his hands in his pockets, his head down.

“Is he alright?” she mouthed at Vince, who just shrugged.
 
“Kenny?” Charley asked, and he turned to look at her.
 
“Are you ok?”

Kenny tried to smile.
 
No use in bringing everybody else down with him.
 
“I will be, Charley.
 
Don’t worry about me.
 
I’ll be fine.”

He just wasn’t so sure that he meant it.

***

JJ was a bag of nerves and he had no idea why.
 
What did he have to be nervous about?
 
Becoming the third husband of one of the world’s most beautiful movie stars?
 
No.
 
He wasn’t nervous about that at all.
 
He loved
India
; he loved her beyond anything else.
 
She and Ellie were his world and he knew, without any shadow of a doubt, that this was what he wanted.
 
No, what he was worried about was that
India
wasn’t completely certain, and until he saw her walking towards him he wasn’t going to be calm.
 
She was already running late but that wasn’t a complete surprise. He’d seen Bobby running around up and down the stairs like some headless chicken, and the last time he’d seen him venturing upstairs to where India was getting ready he’d had a bottle of champagne with him, so that was a good sign, surely.

JJ still couldn’t believe how far things had come since he’d first set eyes on India Walsh.
 
‘Covert One’ had turned him into an international star, and thanks to India’s constant presence on the show, it had become a smash hit ratings winner - not just in America and the U.K. but also all over Europe, Australia and Asia - for three seasons now.
 
He loved working with her, he loved living with her more, and today was the day JJ married the woman of his dreams.

“Hey, you’re going to wear that floor out,” Ray Foster smiled, watching his younger brother pace up and down.
 

Ray Foster was forty-four years old and an accomplished character actor who’d had a fair bit of success in
Hollywood
, but he was known mainly for his portrayals of the perfect English gentleman in intelligent and slightly high-brow movies.
 
 
Or that’s what JJ called them anyway.
 

Ray hadn’t moved over to
America
when his family had relocated there with JJ.
 
He’d been sixteen years old at the time with plans of his own so he’d stayed in
London
, put himself through drama school and forged a career in acting that had revolved around the theatre before he’d finally broken into films.
 
Hence why he’d never lost his cut-glass English accent whilst his brother was pure Californian.

This film he was due to co-star in alongside Kenny Ross and
India
was a bit of a departure for Ray, though.
 
He hadn’t done that much in the way of comedy, it wasn’t what he was really known for, but it was something he was looking forward to.
 
Not just because he’d be working alongside his new sister-in-law, but also because it meant he got to spend some time with his brother and his baby niece, and up until now he’d been far too busy to do that.
 

But today also involved a role he’d never undertaken before, that of trying to keep his baby brother calm on his wedding day, and it was proving to be a tough job.

 
“Do you want a drink?” Ray asked JJ as he continued with his now almost hypnotic pacing of the floor.
 
“Something to calm the nerves a bit?”

JJ finally stood still and looked at his brother.
 
“No.
 
I don’t want a drink.
 
I’m not nervous, ok?
 
Not really.”

“You keep telling yourself that, kiddo.
 
Look, so she’s a little bit late, that’s what women do on days like this.
 
She’ll just be sorting out last minute hair and make-up, that’s all.
 
What are you worrying about?”

JJ sighed, digging has hands deeper into his pockets.
 
“I just want to see her, Ray.”

Deep down inside JJ knew he was worrying unnecessarily.
 
He’d heard everyone who’d been up to see
India
say how beautiful she looked and how happy she seemed.
 
He was just missing her that was all.
 
He was missing her.

“Ray, have you got the rings?” JJ asked, suddenly finding something else to panic about.
 
At least the pacing had stopped.

“They’re exactly where they were when you asked me that same question five minutes ago.
 
You sure you don’t want that drink?”

“No, I don’t.
 
Jesus, I didn’t think I’d be like this, I was so sure I’d be calm but this is ridiculous.”

Ray tuned out of his brother’s pointless worrying and looked over towards the stairs, way over at the back of the room.
 
He’d noticed movement coming from that direction and he kept watching, knowing that any second now he’d see her.
 
And when she finally appeared, holding onto the arm of her famous father as she made her way slowly downstairs, Ray couldn’t help but stare.
 
She was breathtaking.
 
But then, he already knew that, didn’t he?

“What’s the matter?” JJ asked, noticing his brother’s reaction.

“You are one lucky, lucky bastard,” Ray said, still staring at
India
, her eyes meeting his for the briefest of seconds.

JJ slowly turned round as a hush descended over the room, except for the sound of the music they’d picked together but for the life of him he couldn’t remember now because all he could concentrate on was her.
 
The most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.
 
She’d always been beautiful in his eyes, but today, right now, as she looked up and her eyes met his, there were no words to describe her, no way to explain what he was feeling.
 
JJ just knew that he loved her.

***

India
’s stomach was doing what felt like a million flips, making it feel as if a barrage of butterflies had been let loose inside her and she clung onto Reece’s arm, slowly looking up as they reached the bottom of the stairs.
 
She caught Ray’s eyes first and he smiled at her, an act which didn’t really do a great job of settling any of those butterflies.
 
And they came back tenfold as she watched JJ slowly turn around, his eyes immediately locking onto hers and she felt the tears well up again as she looked at him, so handsome, so incredibly handsome in a dark suit and tie, his skin smooth and tanned, his deep, dark eyes never leaving hers.
 
She wasn’t thinking about anything else going on around her – although she was vaguely aware of someone crying that sounded suspiciously like Bobby – she was just concentrating on JJ, wanting to get to him, just to touch him, to hold his hand.
 
Nothing else was even registering in her mind at that minute.

“I love you,” Reece whispered as they reached the altar, gently kissing her cheek and
India
smiled at him, handing her bouquet to Martha, all her nerves suddenly melting away as she turned to look at JJ.

“You look stunning,” he smiled, tears starting to fall down his face, and India instinctively reached out and gently wiped them away, smiling back at this beautiful man who was about to become hers.
 
Totally hers.

“Are you ready for this then?” he whispered, slipping his hand into hers and she wrapped her fingers around his, holding onto him so tight, any remaining nerves she’d had before now disappearing fast as she looked at him.

“I’m ready.”

He smiled again, giving her hand a tiny squeeze.
 
“Ok then, beautiful.
 
Let’s do this.”

CHAPTER 62

“How long do you think this one’ll last then?” Kenny asked, sitting down opposite Charley and taking a swig of beer.

The evening party was now in full swing and many people had ventured out into the marquees set up outside in the grounds where music filled the air and fairy lights dotted around in the trees gave splashes of colour in the dark night sky.
 
Kenny just wasn’t in the mood for partying.

Charley looked at him, Lily now snuggled up on her lap, eyes closed, the day’s events having finally caught up with her.
 
“How many of those have you had?”

“You saying I’m drunk?”

“I’m saying, I don’t think you’re handling this as well as you could be.”

He took another drink.
 
“I’m happy for her.”

“Then you might want to try telling
her
that.
 
You know, Kenny, you’ll push her away if you don’t show her you still want to be her friend.
 
Because you do still want
to be her friend, don’t you?”

What he really wanted was to wake up with her every morning and make love to her every night but he couldn’t do that.
 
No matter how much he wanted to.

“Of course I still want to be her friend.”

“Then start showing it because she thinks she’s losing you.
 
Did you know that?
 
Were you aware of that, Kenny?
 
She thinks she’s losing you and she doesn’t want that to happen.
 
But she’s scared that it will.”

Kenny sat back, pushing a hand through his hair.

“Look, I know this is hard for you,” Charley went on, cuddling Lily closer to her.
 
“But you really need to talk to
India
.
 
Tell her you’re still there for her because she’s frightened to turn to you right now.
 
These past couple of years, you’ve almost distanced yourself from her and that’s been difficult for her to deal with.”

“She’s got JJ now.”

“Oh, grow up, Kenny, will you.
 
You’re sounding like some spoilt kid.
 
Yes, she’s got JJ but you’ve been in her life for eighteen years.
 
Eighteen years, Kenny, and that’s huge.
 
So talk to her.
 
Or, alternatively, just throw all those years away, it’s entirely up to you.”

He sat forward, finishing the rest of his beer, looking around the room.
 
“She’s not here though, is she?”

“She’s only gone to get changed.”