Page 40 of The Sounds of Her
“That little shit.”
“Let’s not pretend you didn’t expect it. Come on, they’re waving us over.”
“How long did you go for?”
“I would never.”
“Lying bastard,” he laughs.
With a shove, I force him to walk ahead of me. He’s going to be stoic, I know him better than anyone, but I bet on halfway down the aisle. Now I’m not so sure, he’s already choked up.
We take our places at the front and shake hands with the officiant. Beth fusses over Adam’s flower, then kisses her son’s and my cheek before taking her seat.
Suddenly I feel nervous, which is weird given I’m not the one getting married. I clench and unclench my fists and stare out at the ocean in front of us. The photographer is moving around snapping pictures of everyone. When he moves away, I glance over my shoulder.
They’ve erected a tent with a screen further back, where I presume all the women are waiting out of sight so no one can see Jenna.
“Fucking hell,” Adam mutters, taking a few deep breaths.
I slap his back. “You got this. Picture everyone naked.”
“Not helping,” he shakes his head.
“Make sure you say the right name.”
“I am gonna punch you so hard.”
We both laugh and it breaks the tension, which is what I was going for.
The music starts and Adam’s back straightens. We both turn so we’re side on to the aisle. Megan and Jordan emerge first, he’s beaming. As they pass by the guests, both of them glance at their respective partners. All the guests are couples.
Fuck, I shake off the foreign emotion trying to take over the happiness of the day. Jordan kisses Meg’s cheek before stepping back, taking his place alongside me and Adam, and she goes to the other side of the aisle. Elsa and Nick are next and lastly, Keira and her dad.
Adam fusses with the flower, then his shirt. He can’t keep still. Then a grin splits his face as Jake emerges. He’s wearing a miniature version of our outfits.
The kid has swag for days, he’s not short on confidence and grins and waves as he starts down the aisle. There are murmurs and quiet laughter as he bounces along.
I am the only person who notices Brooke stepping out. Her dress differs from the others, making her stand out. Not that she needs the dress for that. She’s fucking stunning. Her hair is pulled up like the rest of the bridesmaids, with loose curls around her temples. There are flowers weaved into the style and she’s wearing blood red lipstick.
Fuck knows about Adam, but the breath is knocked out of my chest as she walks towards us with a serene smile. She keeps one eye on Jake as she follows behind him. As she nears, she turns her gaze to Adam.
“Wow,” he whispers.
I agree, but don’t speak it aloud.
Her head turns, and she does a sweep of me, lingering on the open buttons where my chest is visible. I half smirk when she looks back up and shakes her head with a small laugh. Adam leans forward and kisses her cheek.
“She’s gonna knock your socks off,” she tells him, then goes and takes her place.
Adam blows out a few more deep breaths. The music changes to ‘With Your Heartbeat,’ the song he wrote for her when they first got together. We all turn, and the guests swivel in their seats. I put a hand on Jake’s shoulder to keep him where he needs to be and give him a quick grin before looking back up as Jenna, Lou and Sandy step out from behind the screen.
Adam’s chest hitches and a small moan leaves his throat. I get it. She looks beautiful. Knocking his socks off is an understatement, he’s almost knocked off his feet. An odd stinging sensation in my nose has me widening my eyes. Fucking hell.
“Jesus,” Jordan whispers. “She looks like a princess.”
The closer she moves to us, the more I hear Adam’s breath labour. When I glance at him, his eyes are shining, but he’s smiling so hard at her.
Sandy is proudly walking beside her, wearing a similar dress to the others but a little demurer, with no side splits and a higher neckline.