Page 112 of Leave

“Thanks,” I said under my breath.

The response to that was a wink.

Moments later, the wedding coordinator announced we were getting started.

“First, we’re going to practice the processional,” she said. “I need the bridesmaids and groomsmen as well as the happy couple, please.”

I’d held out hope for a little while that this would be one of those weddings with the groom and best man just stepped upto the altar and waited for the rest of the processional. No such luck—aside from Matt, Sophia wanted the whole bridal party walking up in pairs.

At the beginning of the aisle, the wedding coordinator arranged us all and gave us instructions. I sort of vaguely heard it? Mostly, I was focused on the woman beside me who’d soon be walking—or staggering—with her hand tucked into my elbow.

The gist of it was that the lady wanted us to practice the processional a few times to make sure we had the spacing and timing correct. Simple enough; I’d practiced enough military ceremonies to know how easy it was to fuck it up without a few run-throughs.

Fine. I’d just focus the way I did during those practices. Count my steps. Repeat the instructions in my head. Be where I was supposed to be when I was supposed to be there. Easy enough.

Easy. Right. Because that was the word I’d used to describe anything that required me to be in the same room as Leann.

Walking arm in arm with her? Fuck me.

I distantly remembered being a little boy on a playground, scared of girl cooties just like the girls were scared of boy cooties. What I wouldn’t have given for that to be the issue now. I wasn’t disgusted by women. I wasn’t attracted to them the way straight guys were, but I loved the women in my life, and there was nothing repulsive about them.

Except for this one.

At the beginning of the aisle, behind the four pairs who’d walk in ahead of us, I swallowed bile and stared straight ahead as I offered Leann my elbow.

Her hand sliding into the crook of my arm made my spine prickle. I’d have been less uncomfortable if I looked down and saw, instead of her hand, one of the venomous Habu we were always told to watch out for on Okinawa.

The couple in front of us started walking. Four, five, six steps—our turn.

We started… and we made it about three and a half steps before Leann stumbled. She crashed into me and dropped to her knee, still holding on to my arm like the Habu gripping its prey.

Gritting my teeth, I let her use me for support as she got back to her feet. “You all right?” I asked flatly.

“I’m fine, I’m fine.” She laughed and patted my chest. “Thank you, Nolan.”

The impulse was almost irresistible to bat her hand away like a giant spider. “No problem.”

“All right, everyone.” The wedding coordinator gestured for the other pairs to come back. “Let’s try it from the top.”

Really? We couldn’t just start from—ugh, fine.

We started over. Again, Leann fucked up. The third time, she was actually all right, but the wedding coordinator decided we were all moving too fast and started over yet again. Considering we’d only taken two steps that time, I didn’t think it had been Leann’s intention to behave; she just hadn’t had a chance to make an ass of herself.

The next time, we made it almost to the end of the aisle, and I had the briefest glimmer of hope that the shenanigans were done.

Then Leann yelped, stumbled, and staggered into me. I had to catch her to keep us both from toppling into a pew, but she lost her balance again, and I lost mine.

I landed awkwardly on the pew and Leann—the woman of my nightmares whose touch was snakes and spiders—came down hard on top of me.

“Oh my God.” Leann laughed drunkenly, making a half-assed and clumsy effort to get up. “I shouldnothave had that last glass of wine.”

And I didn’t think it was an accident when her knee brushed high up on the inside of my thigh.

It took every bit of self-control I possessed not to let anger and disgust take over and heave her off me. I wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction of pissing me off or getting under my skin, so I just kept my expression neutral while my soon-to-be sister-in-aw helped another bridesmaid haul Leann off me.

“You going to be okay for this, Lee?” Sophia asked through gritted teeth.

“I’ll be fine,” Leann insisted, still laughing.

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