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“It’s fine,” I said. “We can talk later. There’s no rush.”
Anna was trying to avoid me, but I also didn’t want to make a scene. The day wasn’t about us, it was about Emily. If Anna didn’t want to talk to me, I would have to accept that. “But if you need any help, you know where to find me.”
“Thanks, Levi,” Emily said with a giant smile that felt genuine. “You’re the best.”
A car was coming down the driveway and Emily looked that way.
“Uh oh, that’s James. We need to get inside before he sees me! Levi, keep him out here until we can get to the back, please.”
“Of course,” I said.
Her sisters ushered her inside, and Anna glanced back at me and mouthed, “Sorry” before hurrying inside the church.
Chapter 23
Anna
I breathed a sigh of relief as the church door closed behind us. My heart had sped up to a dangerous pace as soon as my eyes fell on Levi. Him in that suit… Jesus Christ, I wasn’t sure how I could be in the same room with him looking like that.
“What was that about?” Grace asked as soon as we were alone. “Why are you trying to avoid loverboy?”
“They had a fight,” Emily said as we hurried to the private room set up for us in the church.
“Another fight? About what?” Grace asked.
“I’d rather not talk about it,” I muttered.
I hadn’t told Grace I was going to Tanzania after the wedding. I would have to tell everyone eventually, but I didn’t want to deal with it at that time. I wanted to focus on Emily and her wedding.
We reached our private room and found our mother already waiting.
“Finally,” she sighed. “I thought you might have gotten cold feet and run off or something.”
I checked the time. “We’re only five minutes late.”
“Well, you never know,” Mom said with a shrug. “There’s still time, you know.” Mom liked James, or so I thought. We stared at her for a long time, and she finally burst out laughing. “I’m kidding.”
“Are you, though?” I asked.
“Well, you know, when you’ve been married as long as I have, sometimes you grow a little cynical. I’m sure you’ll understand in a few years, honey.”
I didn’t want to understand. I hated the whole boomer humor of marriage being miserable, but part of me felt like perhaps it was inevitable after so long. Which is why I focused on my education and career first. Those things would never leave me for a secretary one day.
“Mom!” Emily said. “No negative marriage talk on my wedding day, please.”
“Sorry, sweetie. It was just a joke.”
I shared a look with my sisters, and thankfully there was a knock on the door to stop my mom or Emily saying something they might regret.
“Look who’s here!” my sister-in-law, Candace, said as she stepped into the room. My other sister-in-law, Lila, was behind her with a hoard of kids. They’d been watching Grace’s children during the preparation earlier, and Madeline ran and hugged her mom. She was the flower girl and Candace had her dressed in her fluffy white gown and tiara.
“Oh my God, she’s so stinkin’ cute!” I exclaimed.
“Just wait until you see Nicholas in his suit.” Candace said, speaking of my nephew who was the ring bearer. “When I asked him what he thought about it, you know what he told me? He said, ‘I look funny,’ but as soon as he saw TJ step out in his suit, he started laughing and felt better about the suit.”
My face was hurting from all the smiling. As soon as my family got together, with the children and everything, I truly felt like I was home.
Madeline swirled in her dress, letting it fly out around her as she did circles. She did so many, she got dizzy and fell on her butt. I laughed and helped her stand up, but she fell right back down. “Whoa!” she said with a laugh, falling on her back and kicking her legs up as she wiggled around on the floor.
