“Chance?”
“Hmm,” I say.
Sebastian elbows me hard in the ribs. “Will you pay attention? Anyone would think it’s you getting married!” He laughs.
“Sorry,” I say. “I was just thinking about something.”
“You’re banned from thinking about work at my wedding. We’ve been over this.”
“I know. I’m sorry. No more, I swear,” I promise.
I’m just relieved he didn’t realize where my gaze had fallen. I’d much rather him think I’m breaking his no work thoughts rule than believe I’m thinking about Sierra and how soft her skin is, how her hair feels like silk. I catch my attention wandering again and I force myself to stay in the present as we start moving again.
We reach the front of the area.
Matt and I are Sebastian’s groomsmen, so we stay by his side as he nervously paces the altar area. “Have you turned your work phone off?” Matt asks me for the fourth time.
“Yes. Relax,” I say. “Even I draw the line at taking calls in the middle of a wedding.”
He laughs nervously and looks at his watch. “She’s late,” Sebastian says.
“Brides are always late. It’s their thing,” Matt tries to soothe him. “And it’s only like two minutes.”
I look out into the gathered guests again. I spot Callie sitting with my parents. Carl, Sebastian and Kimberley’s son, sits on my mom’s knee looking adorable in his tiny little suit. He looks content for now, but I can’t help but wonder how long that’s going to last. He’s almost two now and two year olds don’t take too kindly to being made to sit still when they don’t want to.
I try to scan the room and pick out who is here and who isn’t, but I’m fighting a losing battle. My eyes go straight back to Sierra and they stay there for a moment, fixed on her face. She looks up and smiles, her cheeks flushing slightly. I return her smile and quickly look away, sure I’m red and the whole congregation will be wondering why.
As quickly as I look away from her, my eyes go back to her.
She catches me looking again and this time, I hold her gaze until she’s the one to look away first. She looks down into her lap, her cheeks on fire, biting her bottom lip.
God, I wish I was the one biting that lip.
I do look away then, knowing I can’t start going down that road again, not up here. I glance back at my parents. My mom is looking back over her shoulder, straight at Sierra. She turns back to the front and catches my eye, giving me a wide, knowing smile.
I return her smile, trying to look casual. I need to find something else to focus on because if Mom has noticed where my attention is focused, then other people are going to start noticing too.
“Ladies and gentlemen, please rise for the bride,” a voice calls from the other end of the aisle.
At least now, I have something else to concentrate on. Sebastian is getting married and I can focus all of my attention on the ceremony. The first chords of the Bridal Chorus rings out across the crowd as chairs scrape and feet clatter. The low hum of conversation dies down.
I glance at the piano behind the crowd. It’s white and it fits the aesthetic of the wedding beautifully.
Kimberley appears at the end of the aisle, her two best friends either side of her. They fall back and pick up her train.
Kimberley has gone for a traditional white dress. The bodice is tight fitting, covered in diamantes and the skirt is looser. Her bump looks so cute in her dress. She looks absolutely beautiful. I mean not as beautiful as Sierra, but then who is?
She carries a bouquet of pink and white roses. Even through her veil, I can see her smiling, her eyes shining with happy tears as every eye in the room fixes on her. I hear Sebastian breathe a loud sigh of relief beside me and I look down at the ground for a second, so no one sees me almost laughing. As if Kimberley wasn’t going to show. She’s been in love with Sebastian since she was a kid.
She’s almost at the arch when Carl spots her.
“Mommy pretty.” He smiles, bouncing on my mom’s knee.
His words get an aww from the crowd and a little giggle from Kimberley. She reaches the archway and her friends move to stand to one side, behind Kimberley, opposite from where Matt and I stand behind Sebastian. She hands the bouquet to one of the girls.
Sebastian is grinning like he’s won the lottery and I think in some ways, he has. He bends down and kisses Kimberley’s bump and then he straightens up and pushes her veil back. She beams at him and I can see the love radiating off her.
The officiant steps forward.
“Family and friends, we come together today to witness and celebrate the union of Sebastian Hunter and Kimberley Montgomery.” He pauses for a moment and then goes on, “True marriage is more than simply joining two people together through the bonds of matrimony. It is also the union of two hearts and the blending of two families. It lives on the love you give each other and never grows old, but also thrives on the joy of each new day. Marriage is, and should be, an expression of love. May you always be able to talk things over, to confide in each other, to laugh with each other, to enjoy life together and to also share those moments of quiet and peace when the day is done. May you be blessed with happiness and
