But Quin was no fantasy. He broke away from the standing line of groomsmen at the front, and looking heart-wrenchingly handsome in his formal black dinner suit and snow-white dress shirt, he strode confidently down the make-shift aisle to claim her, his megawatt smile shining, telling her he was brilliantly alive.
“Happy?” he asked, his grey eyes smoking warmly with pleasure in her.
“Yes.” She returned his smile, openly expressing her pleasure in him. “Very happy.”
“Good! Today I’m trying to make up for all the romance I didn’t give you, Nicole.”
Romance…was that love?
“You truly are a star player, Quin. In this, as well as everything else,” she said, feeling overwhelmed by all he done to make their wedding special for her—beautiful and very memorable.
“You count most of all,” he murmured huskily, taking her arm and linking it around his.
Those words kept fizzing in Nicole’s mind like a cocktail of joy as Quin walked her down the aisle to the marriage celebrant. Her mother and Zoe had already gone ahead to take their chairs in the front row. Her bridesmaids brought up the end of the little procession and lined up beside her as she and Quin halted beside his groomsmen.
The ceremony was short, but very emotional for Nicole. Both Tony Fisher, Quin’s best man, and Jade delivered moving readings about love and marriage. Someone with a beautiful voice sang “All The Way.” When Quin spoke his vows, his voice vibrated with deep feeling, bringing tears to her eyes. She only just managed to blink them away as they signed the marriage certificate, composing herself to meet the well-wishers who crowded around them afterwards.
The fabulous surprises weren’t over.
They kept coming.
After leaving the Opera House, they boarded a luxurious catamaran and cruised the harbour. Wedding photographs were taken with the background of the great coat hanger bridge and a glorious sunset. French champagne flowed, gourmet canapés were served, and the guests partied happily, many wanting their photographs taken with the bride and groom.
Quin’s elderly but still very distinguished-looking grandfather, Juan Gallardo, welcomed Nicole into the family, congratulated his grandson on acquiring such a beautiful wife, and remarked that he could understand why Quin had decided to make Sydney his home. Even Buenos Aires could not outshine such a splendid city. And, of course, since the woman of his heart was Australian…yes, he understood…but Joaquin must bring Nicole to Argentina for a visit sometime in the near future.
Quin’s mother had a lovely time, busily showing off Zoe to all her Gallardo relatives. “My grand-daughter…” she kept saying proudly.
Nicole was pleased to see her own mother mingling happily with her old associates from dancing competitions, no doubt catching up on all the professional gossip and swapping stories about especially talented dance pupils coming up. It was good to know she was really getting back to normal, interested in business and people again. Even better, that she seemed to have picked up an admirer who was dancing attendance on her.
There was nothing Nicole could do about the empty nest syndrome. She and Zoe would be moving in with Quin after the honeymoon and her mother would be alone in the Burwood house. At least running the dance school should keep her occupied most of the time and they’d meet there several days a week. They weren’t dropping out of her life.
The catamaran docked at Mosman, almost directly across the water from the Opera House and they were transported to another mystery location—the landmark Taronga Centre at the Taronga Zoo, once again overlooking Sydney Harbour.
The reception room was decked out in traditional white linen with red roses on all the tables. They feasted on Sydney rock oysters, Tasmanian salmon and chocolate coated strawberries with King Island cream, and were entertained by a live band backing a great singer. A three-tier wedding cake—a decorator’s wonderful work of art—waited to be cut. Before that happened, however, came the speeches.
Tony Fisher stood up and soon had the guests laughing with his charm and wit, finally declaring that only his good friend, Quin, could have danced the elusive and lovely Nicole off her feet and into wedlock. He called for a toast to the bride and groom, which was heartily raised and drunk.
Quin rose from his chair.
Nicole held her breath, her heart hammering her chest. He’d made their wedding day unbelievably special—the ultimate peak of romance. Would he top it now with what she most wanted to hear?
“Earlier this evening my grandfather, Juan Gallardo—” he gestured to the table where the old man sat “—rightly recognised Nicole as the woman of my heart.” He turned and smiled at her, and her own heart stopped its wild pounding and flooded with pleasure. She even started breathing again as he resumed his speech to the guests.
“When I first met Nicole seven years ago, what instantly flashed through my mind was…this is my woman. Fortunately the desire for us to be together was mutual and she did become my woman. She filled that role, giving me her love for two years, but I made the huge mistake of not really appreciating how big a gift that was. I didn’t share my heart with her and I made her feel as though she was no more than a possession which I picked up and put down at my convenience. So I lost her…”
The sadness and regret in his voice was poignant and the dead silence in the room respected his feelings. Nicole was stunned that he was revealing so much and found herself flushing at his use of the bitter accusations she had thrown at him.
“I not only lost my woman, but I also lost the child she bore me—our beautiful daughter, Zoe—who has known from her mother all the love I didn’t value enough.”
Her stomach contracted at the acknowledgment that she had loved him. Did he know she still did?
“Five years passed before our paths crossed again, more than long enough for me to know how empty all my achievements were without her at my side. I would have done anything to win her back and this was where Fate smiled kindly on me. Nicole needed help and I could give it. Which earned me time with her. Time enough to demonstrate I would not repeat the mistakes of the past.”
He was humbling himself in front of all these people, humbling himself to atone for the hurt he’d inflicted. Nicole would not have asked it of him. Yet she was totally captivated by the deeply personal confession.
“I learnt the importance of sharing. I learnt that open communication is the cornerstone for trust and understanding. I learnt that the gift of love is infinitely precious and must always be nurtured and cherished, never neglected.”
He paused, then fervently added, “I hope I can carry these lessons into the future that Nicole has granted me in becoming my wife today. I certainly aim to because I don’t want her to ever doubt how very much I do love her and will always love her.”