The One

The smell of bacon has me climbing out of bed. I follow my nose and find myself in the living area staring at a table filled with food. A rustle alerts me to Alex's presence on the sofa and I squeak out a startled "Good morning."

"I wondered if you were going to join the land of the living any time soon," Alex says with a smirk across his face. "Dig in. I've already eaten."

Ooh, there is too much choice. My eyes wander over a mound of delectable pastries and a platter of fresh fruit, and I take a moment to lift various cloches where I find the makings of a full English. I pour myself a cup of tea from a pot standing on the side and sip on the steaming brew as I contemplate what I feel like eating. I help myself to a stack of pancakes that I spy, add a couple of crispy rashers of bacon and then pour over some gloriously sticky maple syrup. I settle down on the corner to eat and find myself groaning in appreciation as I take a mouthful. Seriously, this is food heaven. "Oh my god, I am going to be the size of a house if I keep eating like this," I mumble.

Alex looks over at me and runs his eyes over my body. I am suddenly feeling very aware that I am wearing only a pair of tiny cotton shorts and a vest top. "You could do with a few more curves, Liv. It would suit you."

I am startled by Alex's assessment. "Funny, I thought most guys liked skinny girls," I joke half-heartedly, knowing that my lack of curves is the result of stress and not fashion.

"Nah, you want something you can hold on to," Alex says, grinning back at me, and I find myself smiling in response.

Before I can reply, there is a loud knock on the door of the suite. Alex gets up to answer it with a puzzled look on his face; evidently, he was not expecting anyone. I am startled when I hear a loud girlish squeal emanating from the direction of the door. Then, without warning, a tiny blonde woman comes barrelling towards me with a huge smile on her face, followed by a beautiful woman who looks about my age and bears a startling resemblance to Alex.

"There she is," the woman says excitedly. "You never told me how beautiful she is, Alex," she admonishes as she comes to stand in front of me.

I glance across at Alex, knowing that I must look like a deer caught in the headlights, but he just gives me a grin and a helpless shrug. It is clear to me that this must be Alex's mother and all I can think of is what a dynamo she is.

"Um. Hi, Mrs Davenport. I am Olivia. Liv, actually," I say, holding my hand out to her. She bypasses the hand and immediately pulls me into an all-encompassing hug. She has a kind of Julie Andrews vibe going on and I immediately find myself relaxing. I have to warn myself not to get complacent. The last thing I need is to get too comfortable and let something slip.

"It's Sheila, darling. No need for formality when you are about to join the family." The way she says the word 'family' combined with the twinkle in her eye makes me wonder if she has some mafia connections somewhere.

"Um, okay, Sheila," I respond as she pulls back and holds me at arm's length.

"And this here is my daughter, Nadia," Sheila says. Nadia steps forward and gives me a hug, murmuring a breathless 'hello', though it is definitely a little more reserved than her mother's.

"Mum, what's with the ambush?" Alex suddenly asks, and I can hear the tone of a slightly petulant child that only a mother can bring out.

"Oh, hush, Alex. You didn't think you could keep her hidden any longer? I gave you a day, and now it's my turn to find out all about this beautiful girl who has captured your heart." I find myself blushing, and all at once, I feel the guilt of lying to such a lovely woman.

"Mum, come on…" I sense Alex is trying to rescue me, but he is no match for his mother.

"Right, Olivia," Sheila says, "We need to get you dressed and then we are taking you shopping."

I let out a squeak, not sure that I am ready to be left alone with these two women, as lovely as they seem. Plus it is not like I have any money to go shopping with. Sensing my distress Alex intervenes, "Mum, I am not sure Liv is really up for a day of girly shopping."

"Nonsense," Sheila responds. "The girl needs a wedding dress, pronto. You said yourself that she had not found anything she liked in London." I can feel my cheeks growing warm and I know that I need to sit down with Alex at some point and make sure our stories are straight. Alex gives me another helpless shrug and I know that I am trapped.

"Um, shopping sounds good, Sheila," I say. "Can you give me ten to jump in the shower and get into some proper clothes?"

"Sure thing, darling. We'll grab a coffee and catch up with Alex here," Sheila says with a smile, but I sense that poor Alex will be getting a grilling of his own. I catch Nadia's eye. She gives me a conspiratorial grin and I know we are both thinking the same thing.

I head into the master bedroom to take the world's fastest shower before digging through my bag to find something suitable to wear. My wardrobe is meagre, to say the least, but I can just blame the weather in England for the lack of summer clothes. In the end, I come up with a stretchy blue cotton dress, with capped sleeves, that falls just above my knee. It will have to do. I slide my feet into a pair of white sandals, add some gloss and run a brush through my hair. Done. I glance at my watch and realise I have a couple of minutes to spare, so I sit on my bed and take a couple of deep breaths, knowing that today is going to be filled with questions.

When I finally feel mentally prepared, I make my way back into the living area to find Alex lounging on the sofa chatting softly with his mother and sister. They all look up as I enter and I see Alex running his eyes over my body, a smile on his face. It is far from predatory, but it still forces a blush up my neck. Okay, so at least I pass muster.

"Right, time to go shopping," Sheila announces, getting to her feet, and I can see where Alex gets his commanding nature. As I pick up my handbag, Alex comes over to me, wrapping me in a hug. Before I have a chance to do anything he lowers his lips to my ear and murmurs, "Relax. It will be okay. They will ask loads of questions, but the story is we met two months ago at a book auction and fell madly in love. We didn't want to wait, so here we are. Okay?"

I nod my head discreetly and he plants a soft kiss on my cheek. "Have a nice day, Liv. Don't let these two bully you into anything you don't want, okay?" he says louder, for his mother's benefit. I grin up at Alex, grateful for the pep talk. Out of nowhere, Alex produces a small black credit card. "Here you go, sweetheart. Charge everything to this. There is no limit, so go wild. The pin is your birthday." Alex gives me a broad smile. Holy shit. A card with no limit…wow. I can't even fathom that. But before I have a chance to say anything else, I am ushered out the door by two women with a purpose.

I lose track of the wedding dress boutiques we visit, but as I try on dress after dress, I just can't find anything that works. I know this is not my dream wedding but I still want to be comfortable, and in this heat, I am sure I am going to melt in the meringues that I try on. Sheila and Nadia are patient with me, but I sense that I had better choose something soon or we are all going to get a bit fed up.

We are back in the city on the main shopping street and Nadia suggests a break for lunch making me grateful for the distraction. As I chew on my panini, Nadia and Sheila reflect on the dresses that I tried on, trying to persuade me on their favourites. The real issue for me, though, was the cost of the dresses. Tens of thousands of dollars. I just could not feel comfortable spending that amount on a dress that I will wear once. That is like a deposit on a house, or university tuition, or even a really fancy car. To spend it on a dress just seems crazy.

We are just heading back out onto the street when a dress in one of the windows catches my eye. I drag my companions over as I look at the display critically. "I want to try that one on," I declare, pointing at a strapless ivory and cream lace cocktail dress. The design is simple but beautiful. I hurry inside and ask the assistant if they have that dress in my size.

I know the instant I step out of the changing cubicle that this is the one. Both ladies have a gleam in their eyes and admiration on their faces. And even better, the dress is only a couple hundred dollars, which is much more acceptable to me. "Do you think Alex will like it?" I ask shyly and Sheila smiles at me with a nod. "Then this is the one, guys," I declare, before stepping back into the changing room to put on my clothes.

When I emerge a few minutes later, I see Nadia clutching a pair of shoes that go with the dress, and at her suggestion, I try them on. I soon have the women giggling at my attempts to walk in the sky-high heels. The assistant is my saviour when she brings out a second pair in the same design but with a lower heel. Satisfied with my purchases, I ask the girl to ring them up, having only a minor heart attack when I realise the shoes cost almost the same as the dress. I hand over the little plastic rectangle that Alex gave me and I breathe a sigh of relief when the sale goes through. Old habits die hard, I guess.

"Right, now we need to do something with your hair, darling," Sheila declares, and I find myself bringing up a hand to my unruly mop. I am about to argue with her, but Sheila thwarts me by telling me she has already booked me an appointment. Not wanting to let her down, I allow myself to be walked down to an airy salon where Sheila takes charge.

As I sit in the chair, I think back over the morning and realise that it has actually been fun. I have not had that kind of mother-daughter bonding for such a long time, and immediately I feel swamped by guilt that I am lying to these two lovely people. I look over to the nail bar, where Sheila and Nadia are both getting mani-pedis, chatting away, and I feel a stab of envy shoot through me at their closeness. Whatever Alex's secret is, I can't see how he thinks that his family wouldn't support him; they seem so close-knit.

The hairdresser mumbles behind me, saying that it looks like I have cut my hair myself, and I find myself blushing because that is exactly what I have been doing. When you don't have the money, monthly trips to get your hair cut aren't an option. I watch in alarm as the hairdresser chops into the back of my hair with ferocity, but he assures me it needs to be done to sort out the uneven layers. The front, however, he leaves long around my chin, all the while blending it into the back so that I now have an elegant angled bob that frames my face. A quick blow-dry later and I feel like a new woman.

I join Nadia and Sheila for my own mani-pedi and soon they are regaling me with childhood stories about Alex. At one point I am laughing so hard the tears leak from my eyes, and I find myself wondering when the last time I actually had fun was.

It is late afternoon when we finally head back to the hotel, laden down with bags, though the majority are not mine. Alex texts me to meet in the beer garden, so we drop the bags in the room and then head out to find him lazing in the sun with a cold beer. The ladies order a jug of sangria while I stick to lime and soda and some sharing snacks.

I find myself blushing when Alex compliments my new haircut, running his fingers through the short tendrils at the back and then tucking a stray lock behind my ear. I can see Sheila is watching us carefully so push through my nerves and plant a light kiss on Alex's cheek as I whisper a 'thank you' in his ear.

"So, did you find the one?" Alex asks and I hear the jest in his tone.

"Yup," I answer. "Shoes too." I am sure Alex is probably not that interested in my shopping expedition, so instead, I ask him about his day.

"This and that," he answers evasively, but not wanting to intrude, I leave it at that.

Our drinks and snacks arrive and we dig in, but not before Sheila digs out a notepad from her purse and starts quizzing us on the wedding arrangements. Given that I have no idea what's going on, I leave it to Alex to answer. It turns out that we are to be married at the family's vineyard in three days and the reception will be held in the restaurant that they own there as well. It seems like everything is in hand and I happily go along with the menu suggestions that Sheila puts forward. The only hiccup comes when Sheila grills me about who is coming from my side and I have to admit that no one will be attending. We gloss over my father, but when I tell her about my mother I see tears form in Sheila's eyes and, before I know it, I am being given one of her hugs. I pat her on the back and let her know that it's okay, and she firmly tells me that I am to think of the Davenports as 'family' now.

When Sheila and Nadia are satisfied that everything 'wedding' is in hand, the notebook goes back into the bag and they start chatting about family relations instead. I have a hard time keeping track of who is who, so I just sit back and listen to the gossip, enjoying the sense of serenity surrounding me.

I am startled when Alex suddenly looks at his watch and suddenly announces that it is time for us to go. "What do you mean?" I ask. I am shattered from our shopping expedition and not really in the mood to go out.

"I have a surprise for you, Liv. Come on, we need to get going. We have to get there before sunset," Alex says with a twinkle in his eye.

"Okay, right…" I trail off. "Do I need to change?" I ask, hoping that Alex is not going to suddenly want to go clubbing or something.

"Nope, just as you are is fine. Come on, we need to get a wriggle on." Alex gets up and holds his hand out to me, giving me a wink. Clearly, Sheila and Nadia are in on the surprise because they tell us to get out of here and get going. We say our goodbyes and I thank them once again for a fabulous day.

Minutes later we are in the car headed up the highway with Alex refusing to tell me where we are going. For the most part, the journey is silent, the radio providing the backdrop to our easy companionship. I break the silence when I suddenly get an attack of the giggles at the name on one of the road signs. Alex looks at me quizzically. "Innaloo. Seriously, there is a place here called In..a..loo? I am imagining a giant toilet here, you know!" Alex bursts out laughing and for a few minutes neither of us can talk, we are laughing so hard.

"I never thought of it like that," chuckles Alex. A short while later we head off the highway and then pull into an entrance sign-posted 'Pinnaroo Valley Memorial Park'. Okay, so this is a bit bizarre, but I am sure Alex has his reasons for bringing me to a cemetery. I am pretty sure that Sheila had mentioned that all of Alex's grandparents were still alive, but maybe he has another reason. Alex drives for a few minutes and then pulls into a parking space alongside a vast expanse of lawn.

We climb out of the car and I follow Alex as he strolls along the tree line and then crosses onto the grass. I can see that back on the other side of the road are cemetery plots. Mostly I am looking at a colossal graveyard, I surmise to myself, but it is unlike those that I am used to back home in the UK with the large headstones. Instead, the markers are mostly inlaid into the grass, and the flowers and the wreaths seem to be made of plastic. Alex leads us to a bench and motions for us to sit down. I am about to start questioning Alex when he puts his finger to his lips, motioning to be quiet, before pointing into a tree line.

I squint hard and just then catch some motion. I am holding my breath when I notice a mob of about ten kangaroos hopping out onto the grass. They seem completely oblivious to our presence and now I realise why Alex has been so quiet. We watch as they graze on the grass in front of us, gradually drifting closer and closer. I can see joeys in their mothers' pouches, and Alex quietly points out the males in the group. The scene in front of me is so unexpected and I can't help but squeeze Alex's hand to stop myself from squealing out loud. He looks at me with a satisfied smile and I realise that my reaction has made him happy.

We sit like that for a good hour, watching the various family groups come and go, as the sun sets. When it is almost completely dark Alex motions for us to head back to the car. "Wow, Alex. That was just…amazing. I have never seen anything like that before," I exclaim once we are back inside the vehicle.

"A nice surprise then?" he asks.

"The best, thank you. Definitely one to cross off the bucket list," I respond, a smile stretching across my face. I stare out the window as we head back onto the highway, completely lost in my thoughts. So much so that I miss Alex asking if I want to go for something to eat.

"Would you mind if we head back to the hotel?" I ask. "Your mum kind of wore me out with all that shopping today and I am still stuffed from the snacks we had earlier. I think I really just need to head to bed."

"Sure thing," Alex responds good-naturedly. "Look, was everything okay today? My mum didn't give you too much of a hard time, did she? I know she can be a bit intense…" Alex continues, looking a little uncomfortable.

"Not at all," I reassure him. "Your mum and sister were both lovely. We had a great time. Plus I managed to actually get a dress that didn't cost the GDP of a third-world country." At that, Alex bursts out laughing, and I find myself filling him in on some of the crazier dresses that Sheila insisted I try on.

By the time I have showered and curled under the sheets in my bed, I am fit to drop. Today has been awesome and I find myself wondering how I got so lucky. Okay, this might be an arranged marriage, a business transaction, but spending a year with Alex will certainly be no hardship. I close my eyes, remembering the kangaroos, and fall asleep with a smile on my face.