Page 110 of Fear of Love
“I hope you know you’re the glue that holds us all together,” I said. Without her, none of us would have been friends. “We love you.” The others mirrored my words as Josie tried her hardest not to cry.
“Time to go get married,” Josie said, fanning her face, the smile there the brightest I’ve ever seen.
With one last cheer, we helped Josie out the door. With my hand hurt, I was on bouquet duty, walking beside Josie as Tasha and Mila helped hold the train of her dress.
We descended the stairs and came to the cove that led outside. The wooden doors in front of us were cracked enough that we could hear the chatter of guests and the orchestra getting ready.
I braced myself for the wave of dread I expected to feel at being here. It was the first wedding I’d attended since my own.
I still felt a weight of sadness and probably always would. Being left at the altar was a moment that changed everything. But after coming to terms with it and giving myself permission to heal, I finally felt a sense of relief. It would take time to fully move on, but I was slowly making progress.
“Jo.” Coming up behind us, the guys, minus Wyatt of course, appeared in their wedding tuxes. Trevor was the first to speak. “You look beautiful.” If I didn’t know better, I’d almost think Trevor was a little choked up as he pulled her into a hug.
Tasha tutted and smacked his arm, warning him not to ruin her dress.
“Wyatt’s going to die when he sees you,” Bryton commented as he hugged her. “So happy for you,” I heard him whisper.
Next came Landon. He gave me a wink before he hugged Josie. “I’m glad you’re going to be my sister-in-law, even though you annoy the shit out of me sometimes.”
“Guess I’ll take you as my brother-in-law. Could do worse.”
I wanted to snort at their interaction. It was so Landon and Josie coded. They gave each other such shit, but you could tell they actually liked one another. “You better be good to Lydia, or I’ll haunt you in your sleep.”
My eyes flared at her whisper. I only heard it because I was standing the closest. She pulled back with an innocent expression, as if she didn’t just threaten Landon. He looked over her head at me with raised eyebrows, to which I just shrugged.
“Can’t believe my first girlfriend is leaving me,” Mateo said as he approached Josie, practically shoving Landon out of the way.“You sure you want to marry Wyatt? Just tell me now, and I’ll get you out of here. I have a car waiting.” He pretended to whisper but we all could hear him.
“I love you, Mateo.” Josie yanked him into a tight hug.
“Technically, I did see you first,” Mateo mumbled. “Guess I’ll settle for being your side piece.”
“Sounds good to me.” The two shared a smile.
Moments later, the orchestra played a few strings, our cue that it was time. Josie glanced at all of us, eyes a little wide, mouth pinched as nerves seemed to take over. As Tasha whispered something to her, the rest of us moved toward the door, standing in our pairs like we were told. We didn’t have a rehearsal dinner, but Josie did send out a detailed text of how everything would go and that wehadto stick to the plan.
Because Landon was Wyatt’s best man, he was paired with Tasha, while I was with Trevor. Bryton and Mila would go first down the aisle, followed by Trevor and me, and then Landon and Tasha.
As for Mateo, he stood in front of us, adjusting the fanny pack around his waist.
Two days ago, while us girls were putting disposable cameras on all the tables in the tent, Josie announced she was going to walk down the aisle alone. A hard decision since her father wasn’t here to be the one to walk with her, and he should have been.
I only met her dad, Anthony, a handful of times before he passed. He would come to the office to see her and take her to lunch. Just by looking at him, you could see how proud he was of his daughter. She was the light of his life.
I knew today would be a hard day for her. His passing was brutal, and for a long while, she was just a shell of a person. Wyatt helped bring her back. She would have done anything for her father to be here to see her marrying him.
While he wasn’t in attendance physically, she knew that he was going to be right by her side the entire way. Even walking alone, that spot next to her was reserved for him.
We stood and waited as Josie took a deep, shaky breath. With a nod that she was ready, we all faced forward. At the cue, Mateo pushed open the door and stepped out. With my arm laced through Trevor’s, the two of us filed after Bryton and Mila.
The pathway leading to the garden made it feel like we were in a fairy tale. Giant stones paved the way, beautiful trees along the side and bushes with bright flowers. The weather was absolutely perfect for today. Not a cloud in sight, the air warmer than it’s been. Not even a small breeze was here to ruin it.
In a line, the bridal party walked down the pathway before the guests came into view. All the while, there were multiple photographers snapping pictures as we passed.
Catching sight of Mateo, the orchestra started playing, indicating the bride was on her way. Up ahead, I saw Wyatt standing under the flower arch with the minister. He was shifting on his feet, eyes laser focused in our direction.
Trevor and I were a few steps behind Bryton and Mila, so when Mateo hit the aisle leading toward the altar, we could see him reach into his fanny pack. I stifled a laugh as he pulled out handfuls of flower petals and began throwing them in the air.
In true Mateo fashion, he made it a performance, twirling in a circle while throwing petals and stopping beside some of Wyatt’s teammates to sprinkle the petals on top of them. The guests laughed at his antics as he did it the whole way down. As he reached the end of the aisle, he turned to face everyone.
