‘Just so long as they don’t wake up to a nightmare.’ Lorcan mumbled the comment low under his breath and Calum didn’t even react, seemingly prepared to let it go again, but my patience was worn thinner. Or perhaps I didn’t have enough experience of the man. As much as I thought there were more layers to him, I wasn’t sure I actually had the patience to peel enough of them away.

‘What exactly is your problem?’

Lorcan stretched his long legs out and forked up another helping of cake, despite the fact we’d already made our choice. ‘I don’t have a problem.’

‘Clearly you do, judging by all the snarky sounds and comments when it comes to talking about wedding plans. While I do appreciate your help in sourcing and liaising with suppliers this weekend, you don’t need to stay here for this. I’m sure Calum and I can work it between us, and you’d obviously rather be somewhere else.’

He chewed his cake, raising his cool blue gaze to meet my controlled one. ‘No place else to be.’

‘That is a shame. Then perhaps you’d be kind enough to keep any unhelpful comments and noises to yourself while we do our jobs and arrange a perfect wedding for your best friend and his fiancée.’

‘Nothing’s perfect.’

God, this man was impossible.

‘While that may be true, it’s my job to make this wedding as close as possible to it and I’m sure it would be appreciated by Patrick and Peyton if you could get fully on board with that. It would certainly be appreciated by me, considering they have given you a responsibility which should be an honour and which you’re treating as a burden. You may not believe in any of this but what you and I think about love, weddings and marriage is irrelevant. It’s what they want. And if they mean anything to you at all, which they clearly do, it should be what you want for them too.’

Lorcan just stared at me, the silence thickening around us with every second that passed.

‘Oh, boy, she told you!’ Calum broke the uncomfortable hush with a cackle of delight. He tucked his arm around mine. ‘I like this one.’

Lorcan shifted his gaze back to the tray and poured another cup of coffee for himself. ‘Of course you do,’ he grumped, causing Calum to laugh even more.

‘Now, where were we?’

* * *

‘There’s a wonderful view out over the sea from that side of the grounds,’ Calum said, pointing to the west. ‘But I’ve strict instructions not to take you too far with your poorly leg.’

I glanced back at where we’d left Lorcan dozing as we crept off to have another look around a couple of areas I wanted to revisit.

‘Ooh, is there’ I asked, peering in the direction Calum had pointed.