AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Glare at me. Like, hardcore, daggers in his eyes, glares. Like he hated me on principle.
Maybe he thought my mom was a gold digger, in it for the money… in which case, he wouldn’t be wrong. But I wasn’t like that. I didn’t take any enjoyment out of this wedding or the fact that my mom was marrying into wealth. I didn’t like it at all. In fact, if it was up to me, I wouldn’t even be here.
The coordinator nodded to herself. “Groom’s in position, everyone’s seated. It’s time to get this wedding going.” To the other woman, she said, “Go get the bride.” The other woman scurried away to do just that, and I gathered myself for what was to come.
I’d have to not only walk with Gareth down the aisle, but also touch him as we walked. I was not looking forward to any of it.
The woman peeked into the room, gave a thumb’s up, and music began to play. Not a full-out orchestra, thank God, just someone on the piano in the front of the room. As beautiful notes filled the air, she looked at me and nodded. Guess that was our signal.
At first, neither Gareth nor I took a step forward. We simply stared at each other, waiting for the other to make the first move.
That aggravated the coordinator, for she hissed, “Go!”
I could stand there and puff myself up and refuse to be the one to move first all day, but I didn’t doubt that my mom would hear of it and somehow blame every little thing that was wrong today on me, so I sucked it up and took a step forward. My hands wrapped tightly around the bouquet, and I held it at the height the coordinator had told me to during the rehearsal. In front of my upper stomach, just below my chest.
Gareth was still frowning, but he finally stepped forward, only after I’d made the first move.
After two more steps on each of our parts, we stood less than a foot away from each other. Gareth’s gaze narrowed down at me, and without a word, his right arm hooked out as he wordlessly offered it to me.
Wow. Had to say, I thought he might not want to walk down so close to me, but maybe he was playing nice for his uncle, too.
One thing was for sure: life was going to be fun after this.
Please note my use of sarcasm, because in reality, it was going to be hell.
I slipped my hand into the crook of his offered arm, holding onto him and the bouquet. We turned toward the main aisle, and I plastered a fake smile on my face. I didn’t know if Gareth had taken on a happier expression or not; didn’t matter. I’d fake it all night if I had to; at least then my mom couldn’t accuse me of trying to ruin her big day.
Because, as she’d told me multiple times already, it wasn’t just a big day for her. It was a big day for the both of us. After today, we would be a part of a rich family with good bloodlines and respect in the wider community. We would be instantly elevated.
Heads turned to watch Gareth and I walk. Both sides of the aisle were full of Montgomery friends and family. If they would’ve divided it so the groom’s side sat on the left and the bride’s side on the right, it would’ve been a sad sight.
I was tense as we walked down the long aisle, and it felt like Gareth was tense, too, as if he really hated the fact that I had to touch him. To which I’d say, hey, it wasn’t a dream come true for me, either.
Standing at the end of the aisle was my future stepfather and the minister who would marry him to my mom. Alistair Montgomery was a man in his mid-thirties, but unlike most, I’d bet anything he’d only grown finer as a male specimen as the years added up.
With short black hair and piercing blue eyes, not to mention a square jaw with high cheekbones, he was hot. I could say that, couldn’t I? He wasn’t my stepfather yet. He had no pudge around the waist; in fact, I dare say he was muscular beneath that pitch-black suit.
He stood with his hands folded over his stomach, a look of appreciation on his face as Gareth and I walked side by side up to him. I wouldn’t say he looked happy to be here, happy that he was getting married today… more like content.
Oh, I hoped my mom knew what she was doing, getting mixed up with a man like him. The closer we got to him, the more a nagging feeling rose up in my gut, though at first, I couldn’t say why or what that feeling was trying to tell me.
After what felt like forever, we reached Alistair and the minister, and I slipped my hand out of the crook of Gareth’s arm, turning to stand where I was meant to during the ceremony. Gareth did the same. When I turned around and straightened myself out, I saw both Gareth and Alistair were staring at me.
Huh. Weird. Did I have something on my dress? Was my hair coming undone? Mom had told the stylists to fix me up as best they could, to hide as much of my dyed hair as they could—and they’d done a decent enough job, I guess. I hardly felt like myself right now.
“Please rise to welcome the bride,” the minister spoke. He held onto a small bible, his hands full of age spots and wrinkles. He was an elderly gentleman, about as tall as me with the heels on.
At his command, the audience stood and turned toward the door, where my mom must’ve been waiting around the corner to enter. She had no father of her own to walk her down the aisle; she was doing something a little out of the ordinary and walking herself down. She was an adult woman, so she didn’t need anyone’s help, blah, blah, blah.
I tended to tune my mom out when she went on rants like that.
The pianist began to play a different tune, a more familiar one. You know the one.Here comes the bride, all dressed in white…I couldn’t remember anything else that went to it, but it was that tune.
I turned my eyes to my mom, watching her walk down the aisle with a big smile on her face. I had to admit, she looked beautiful. All dolled up, she looked like a million bucks. And she was so freaking happy, too.
I didn’t know what made me do it, but I flicked a quick glance to the Montgomery man my mom was set to marry. Alistair had finally put a smile on his face, but there was something off about it. It didn’t feel like a genuine smile. It looked faker than pre-2000s CGI.
Just past him, Gareth stood. He wasn’t watching my mom walk down the aisle, though. No, he was staring straight at me, a frown on his face, a sneer that told me exactly what he thought of me.
