The gates were buzzing and she heard Gerry’s voice through the intercom. Opening the gates, she waited patiently at the front door to welcome her friend. The worst thing was she couldn’t tell anyone her fears because they sounded so silly and were not really grounded in any specific reasoning. Ray had never put a foot wrong, and she realised that was what was bothering her. That, and his habit of seeming to be somewhere else at times, especially after he had been away on one of his business meetings. It was like he was in his own world, a place where she could never go, and where she felt she couldn’t reach him.

She shook the thoughts from her mind. She was being silly and she knew it. This was just the pre-wedding nerves that all brides experienced, no more than that. Her sons were excited by the idea of the wedding, and were talking about getting their names changed so they would all be Donovans. She knew that thrilled Ray, but there was a part of her that didn’t think they should lose the name Scott. They were, when all was said and done, Lenny Scott’s flesh and blood.

Gerry looked amazing as always and, as she walked in the house, Sharon said brightly, ‘How did the blind date go last night?’

Gerry was laughing and said loudly, ‘Oh, pour me wine, please. He looked like he had fallen out of the ugly tree and hit every fucking branch on the way down!’

Sharon was laughing with her; this was exactly what she needed – some light relief and some easy fun. She had to stop these dark thoughts before they took over her life.

Chapter One Hundred and Fifty-Three

Ray looked good and he knew it as he stood with his stepsons, waiting for his wife-to-be to arrive. They were outside the local church where they took Communion and worshipped regularly; it was a beautiful old building decorated with huge bunches of white roses and white orchids. There were not that many guests – only close family and friends. The reception later on would have more people but, for the actual ceremony, Sharon had wanted it small and intimate. She had got her wish.

When Sharon arrived in a black Bentley, Ray was so proud of her. She looked fantastic. Her dress was like a cocktail dress, cut just above the knee, and it fitted her perfectly. Her thick, blond hair was swept up and she wore a short veil. She looked like something from Vogue and he felt the pull of her as she smiled at him tentatively.

‘You look absolutely stunning, darling.’ His northern accent was always more pronounced when he felt emotional.

He entered the church to go and wait by the altar and, greeting all their friends and family, he felt like the happiest man on the planet.