Page 51 of Highlands Summer Wedding

I was already pulling up images on my phone. The tartan’s rich purples and blues against the dark background made my heart skip. “Oh wow, look at this! It’s perfect for you two.”

“I’m glad you approve,” said Caitlin with a grin.

Angus shifted in his seat. “My Mum wondered about a church ceremony,” he said.

There was an awkward silence as we waited for Caitlin to respond.

“Were you thinking of holding just the reception here?” she asked him.

“I wasn’t thinking that, but that’s whattheywere thinking.” Angus looked a little defeated.

I started thinking about the logistics. “Then we’d need transportation. We’d need to meet with a minister or priest…” I realized I didn’t even know what religion Angus’s family was.

“When did this come up?” asked Caitlin.

Angus raked a hand through his hair. “This morning. Mum pointed out this would be the first wedding in the family to not take place in the church where we were all baptized. It’s… just something she thought of.”

Sydney walked into the bar. “Hey, everyone!”

She passed out hugs and sat down. “So how’s the planning going?”

Caitlin looked at Angus, and Angus sighed. “It’s brilliant. We nearly have everything sorted. The only problem is… Mum wants a church wedding.”

Sydney didn’t bat an eyelash. “Mumhada church wedding. I’ve seen the photographs. It was lovely.”

Angus laughed. “You know what I mean.”

She didn’t hesitate. “Aye, I do. But this is your wedding. And Caitlin’s. And it sounds like you’ve dreamed of an outdoor wedding at the MacAlister Inn with the reception here afterwards. So I think that’s what you should do.”

Angus took a deep breath. “It’s definitely what I want to do. But you know how Mum is.”

Sydney laughed. “I know very well how Mum is. Why do you think I waited until I was twenty years old and already at uni before I came out to her?”

She leaned forward, her voice dropping. “You know what I’m up against if Elspeth and I ever want to get married. Even if new laws don’t block us, there’ll still be people refusing us service, venues turning us away, relatives sending back their RSVPs with little notes about sin.” She reached across the table and squeezed Angus’s wrist. “You blazed the trail, big brother. Every argument with Mum and Dad about curfews, every detention slip they had to sign—it all wore them down for me. So please, fight for your outdoor wedding with this Yank of yours.”

She flashed an exaggerated wink at Caitlin. “Because otherwise, Elspeth’s making plans for a midnight elopement to avoid the whole bloody mess.”

Thetensiondissolvedas we shared a laugh,and Angusreachedacrossthe table to pull Sydney into a clumsy, heartfelt embrace.

CHAPTER 21

Caitlin and I left our parents to rest up after their travels, and drove to a nearby café.

“So have you talked to Angus?” I asked as I poured us each a cup of Earl Grey.

Caitlin added milk to her tea and sighed. “I mean, yes…” She stirred her spoon absently. “As you saw. But no, not about the… uh, fame.”

“So he thinks you think his family is paying for the wedding, but it’s probably him,” I said, adding sugar to my own tea.

“Well, that only makes sense. It’s mostly his friends and family. And at the pub, it’ll be our friends and family.”

“Yet he’s going to provide the food and drinks for that one, too?”

“Probably.”

I frowned into my cup. “Will that be okay with Mom and Dad? You saw how Dad can be about money.”

Caitlin raised an eyebrow. “It’s not like they’ve only got one daughter who’ll have a wedding.”