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Instantly, Michael stepped forward and gladly offered them the rings. Peter took one and slipped it onto Mary’s finger. While he held Mary’s hand in his, he repeated after the minister. Then it was Mary’s turn.
“Mary and Peter,” the minister said, “you have pledged your promises to each other and have declared your everlasting love by exchanging the rings. Your vows may have been spoken in minutes, but your promises to each other will last until your last breath. As they have pledged themselves to meet sorrow and happiness as one family before God and this community of friends, I now pronounce them husband and wife. You may kiss your bride.”
Peter pulled back Mary’s veil and, grinning cheekily, kissed her on the lips. Everyone cheered then, and Sakura laughed, tears in her eyes.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Johnston,” the minister said.
“Hurray!” Michael shouted and ran to hug Sakura around the waist. “Now it’s our turn,” he said cheekily.
Conrad stood up and yelled, “Hey, who said it’s your turn, you little brat?”
Everyone laughed at them. Sakura ruffled Michael’s thick hair.
“Come on,” Michael said. “Photo time.”
It wasn’t long before Sakura found herself in the photos with the newly wed Mr. and Mrs. Johnston, being squeezed in between the brothers, mostly between Tristan and Conrad. Sebastian and Darcy seemed to stand as far away from her as possible. She understood their body language completely and told herself to get over it.
Sakura had her camera with her as well and proceeded to take photo after photo. Suddenly, Tristan and Logan came up to her, cornering her on both sides as if they had caught their prey.
“Time for our photos, little sis,” Logan said cheekily.
“No, it’s time for our photos, my dear Sakura,” Tristan said cheekily, grabbing Sakura by the arm and leading her away.
“Oi!” Logan snapped. “Sakura and I are taking our photos.” He grabbed her other arm and proceeded to lead her in the opposite direction.
“You guys.” Sakura couldn’t help raising her voice just a little. “How about we all take photos together instead?”
Tristan didn’t look very happy with that idea.
Logan sighed. “Very well,” he said and took her camera from her. He called to Patrick, one of the three photographers they had hired for the occasion, to come over to them.
Tristan took the chance and pulled Sakura to him, causing Sakura to collide against his massive chest. “Say cheese,” he said.
“How lame,” Logan said, pulling Sakura back to him. The three stood with Sakura in the middle and the brothers on either side of her. Patrick raised the camera to his eyes and then click, click, click, click.
“That was great, guys,” Patrick said. “More?”
“Yeah, more,” Tristan said. Then when the photographer started clicking again, he sneakily kissed Sakura on the cheek.
Sakura gasped. Logan saw. The brother growled and said, “You’re not the only one who’s kissing her.” That said, he kissed her as well on her other cheek.
Oh, God, Sakura thought. She had to get out of here before this got any worse. But worse it did get as Patrick laughed and encouraged them both to kiss her at the same time. The brothers took on the challenge with enthusiasm. As the camera kept clicking, both Tristan and Logan kissed her cheeks with delight. They would have continued if it wasn’t for the loud command that got bombed their way by Sebastian. Darcy wasn’t far behind him.
“That’s enough!”
Tristan and Logan pulled back and frowned at their younger brothers.
“What? Jealous ’cause you couldn’t kiss our sweet sister?” Tristan chuckled. He came over and slapped Sebastian on the shoulder. “Get over it, Seb boy. She’s not into you.”
Logan chuckled then. “She’s not into you either, my boy,” he said to Darcy, who only frowned at him. Tristan and Logan walked away, chuckling merrily.
Sakura felt her heart thundering within her chest as the two brothers watched her intently. She took a deep breath and then walked past them toward Patrick. “May I have my camera back, please?”
“Of course,” the photographer said.
“Thanks,” she said and started walking away.
“Oh wait, photos,” Patrick shouted. “You guys are siblings, aren’t you? Now then, let’s have some very good photos.”
“No, that’s fine,” Sakura said, shaking her head furiously.
Sebastian grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her to him, causing her to tumble in her high heels. “Take the photos,” he said to the photographer. He placed his arms about her waist, pulling her even closer to him as the camera continued to click.
Sakura felt her heart beating faster within her chest, and her body began to go a bit crazy with him being so close to her. When she thought this wasn’t going to get any worse, Darcy suddenly walked to them, caught her wrist, and pulled her to him, leaving Sebastian standing there alone.
He placed her so she was slightly in front of him. Then he wrapped one hand around her waist. He was so close that she could smell him.
“Take our photos,” Darcy said.
The photographer chuckled. “You
two look good together.”
Sakura blushed. Darcy smiled. Sebastian scowled.
The photographer continued to take picture after picture. Then Sebastian couldn’t stand it anymore. He pulled Sakura from Darcy. The two brothers stood staring at each other, their eyes intense as if they were about to have a showdown.
What were they doing? Were they turning against each other because of her? At that realization, her stomach flipped uncomfortably.
The photographer laughed. “All three together, then,” he said. “You three look great.” Then he went click, click, click.
“Stand in the middle, miss,” he said to Sakura.
When Sakura didn’t move, he came over and guided her. When he returned to his position, Sakura was standing in the middle with the two brothers on either side of her. Then he continued to take more photos.
“My, my.” Mary, the newly wedded bride, appeared behind the photographer. “You three do look good together.” Then she laughed. “Now then, sorry to interrupt, but I must steal my precious Sakura away for a wee moment.” That said, she grabbed Sakura by the arm and took her away.
The brothers watched her go, their faces stone cold.
Sakura was only too glad to be taken away because, my God, how she could feel the tension between the two brothers.
“What was all that about?” Mary asked a few moments later once they were in her bedroom.
“What?” Sakura asked, confused, watching Mary searching for something in her huge closet.
“You and the two brothers,” Mary said. “Man, I could’ve sworn I felt a lot of tension there for a moment.”
“Oh,” Sakura voiced, totally understanding what her friend meant. Was this conflict really because of her?
“Now where is it?” Mary said. “Ah!”
A moment later, she came back and gave Sakura a pretty little box, neatly wrapped up with happy birthday wrapping paper.
“Shit!” Sakura swore under her breath.
Mary pulled Sakura into her arms and said softly, “I’m sorry. I won’t be here when you turn twenty-four, so happy early birthday.”
Sakura felt tears brewing in her eyes. “You didn’t have to do that, Mary.”
Mary chuckled. “Twenty-four is a big number. Almost a quarter of a century, if you think about it.”
That was true, but Sakura never thought about that.
Mary took a step back. “I know your real birthday was probably sometime earlier than this, but since you were found at the orphanage two days from now, twenty-four years ago, then technically speaking, it’s your birthday.”
Sakura chuckled. “Thanks, Mary. You remember.” Then she thought none of the brothers would have remembered. Why would they? She wasn’t important to them.
“You’re not allowed to open it until the day, all right?” Mary warned.
“Of course,” Sakura chuckled.
“Now then, let us return to our photos,” Mary said, heading out the door.
Sakura clutched the small box in her hands, a smile on her face as she, too, walked to the door.
