Page 122 of Touch Me Not

Her mother blushed at the compliment.

When his gaze landed on Lily, she felt bad about the flash of pain she saw in them. He loved her, or he thought he did. No, he did. She’d admit that to herself. She loved him too; she just wasn’t in love with him. She might have been before Nikoli, but he changed her world. Hebecameher world. And she wouldn’t feel bad about that.

“You look beautiful, Lils.” She watched him shove his pain down and come into the room. He took her hand and squeezed it. “You ready?”

“Promise not to let me fall?”

“Promise.”

Adam insisted he walk her down the aisle since her own father was no longer with them. Martin Holmes would be proud of the boy he’d thought of as his own son because he stepped up despite how much it hurt.

And Lily loved him for it.

“Lily, Lily!”

Mia and Mitchell came running into the room, their little faces flushed, and Mitchell had a spot of dirt on his nose. The twins were excited to be part of the wedding. Mia was the flower girl and Mitchell the ring bearer. They took their roles seriously too. Her mother told her they’d been practicing all week.

Her mama wasn’t particularly happy she was being married by a Catholic priest, as they weren’t Catholic, but it wasimportant to Nikoli, and she’d given in. Their children would be exposed to both the Catholic religion and the Presbyterian church as well. It was their compromise. She doubted his mother would be happy about that, though, but marriage was about compromise.

“All right, everyone, time to get the show on the road!” Janet fired off like a general. “Let’s get moving. Nik is already a Nervous Nancy, so let’s not make him wait anymore.”

“Nervous Nancy?” Lily whispered.

“He panicked a little when you guys were late. He didn’t know where you were, and that seems to scare him.”

Lily knew she should have texted him they were in traffic, but Janet took her phone while they were still at the hotel, saying no contact until they saw each other when she walked down the aisle. She hated that he was worried, today of all days.

“He’s fine now, Lils. Let’s just concentrate on getting you down the aisle, yeah?”

She nodded and took a deep breath, holding on to Adam as he escorted her out of the room they’d been assigned and into the main hall leading to the interior of the church. She only had two bridesmaids, but that was okay. Angel and Janet were all she needed. Lily didn’t want a large wedding. There were exactly fifty guests including their family, and that was what she wanted. They’d not given in to the mothers’ demands that it needed to be bigger.

This was big enough, maybe even too big.

Fifty people were a lot of people.

The wedding march began, and the chapel doors opened.

So many people staring at her.

The ring bearers went out.

Strangers, people she didn’t know but Nikoli’s family did.

Her hands started to shake.

“Easy, Lily. It’s okay. I got you.”

Adam hugged her to him, and still she wasn’t ready. It was too much.

Too soon.

She couldn’t do this.

Janet and Mike went out.

Her breath came out in short gasps.

Adam moved so he was standing in front of her, blocking out the view of the church and the waiting people.

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