Free Three Weddings and a Baby by Fiona Harper Page A

she’d never quite made it to the buffet table this evening, but she reckoned she needed a little extra fortitude if she was going to have to sit through the details of Alex and Becky’s perfect first love.
    It didn’t last…a
nasty little voice crooned inside her head.
    She couldn’t take solace in that either, though, because Alex had once let it slip that it had been Becky who’d done the leaving. Jennie knew the only way forward for her and Alex was to listen to what he had to say next, but she wished she could cover her ears. She didn’t want to know how heartbroken he’d been when Becky had left him, or how many years it had taken to get over her.
    What if it was more than four? That was how long they’d been apart.
    She looked at Alex, watching her intently from the sofa, and felt an internal hiccup that never quite made it to the surface. The look in his eyes said there was much more to tell, and she was starting to think that what he’d said earlier would be proved true—that she wouldn’t want to hear any of it.

CHAPTER FIVE
    A LEX stared at the ceiling and tried to think how to condense the complex relationship he’d had with Becky into just a handful of sentences. He hadn’t allowed himself to think about it for such a long time that it seemed like someone else’s story, as if he was trying to summarise a film he’d seen at the cinema. If only this story could have been like that—flat and unreal, at a comfortable distance. Instead, his past was more like a juggernaut from an action movie car chase, but that juggernaut had come crashing out of the screen and into reality.
    But there was no point getting emotional about it. He’d done his grieving, mourned the loss of his marriage already. What Jennie needed was information, and he was going to give it to her.
    ‘We married young—too young, my parents said—while I was doing my post-graduate lawdegree. We both had to work hard to survive. It was a struggle, but Becky seemed to thrive on that. I can honestly say we were truly happy.’
    Jennie suddenly stood up. ‘I think I need some fresh air,’ she said. ‘Do you need fresh air? Let’s open these windows.’ Before he could answer, she was across the room and opening the glazed doors that led onto a small balcony. Instead of just opening them a crack, she flung one open and walked outside. He watched her for a moment, palms flat on the stone balustrade, arms stiff, inhaling deeply enough for him to see her back muscles move beneath the satin of her dress, and then he walked outside to join her.
    It was freezing, but there was something about the chill in the air that re-energised him, got his blood pumping.
    ‘Carry on,’ she said, not looking at him, but staring out into the moonlit countryside.
    He turned and rested on the balustrade and stared back into the warm room they’d just vacated. Then he kicked the door shut with his foot, guessing they wouldn’t be out here long and they’d probably prefer the room to stay warm and welcoming.
    ‘After I passed the Bar Vocational Course and did my pupillage, Edward offered me atenancy at his chambers. It was a fantastic opportunity and Becky and I thought everything we had worked for had finally paid off.’ He turned to look at Jennie, but she was still looking out over the moon-bathed downs. ‘Success turned out to be a double-edged sword. In the first couple of years I did well on a few cases, started to make my name. Becky loved the lifestyle, the fact we could afford nice cars and that she could shop in exclusive boutiques instead of discount stores. We were able to move to a better area, and we started being invited to social functions connected with work, and in turn were expected to entertain my colleagues and clients.’
    Jennie frowned and looked sideways at him. ‘That sounds like a modern-day fairy tale, not a horror story.’
    He nodded. At the time he’d thought so, too, but he’d been too pleased with himself, too