Page 75 of Discord
I rolled my eyes.
At my behest, Brandon reluctantly ‘asked’ Milo for my hand in marriage to which he had replied with an astoundingno. Milo was convinced we were rushing into marriage despite being together for four years. He’d forever see me as a baby even at the age of twenty-one. Milo advised that we waited until I finished my Ph.D., which I recently started.
Meanwhile, Brandon had given me a deadline. He told me of his plans to marry me today at five p.m. come hell or high water. If I made him wait for a second past five p.m., he wouldn’t bother dragging me to the altar. Instead, he’d drag the altar to me.
Eventually, Milo agreed and insisted on paying for the wedding. Since we didn’t see eye to eye on this decision, I let Milo and Raven plan the wedding as a consolation, with only one instruction in mind—keep it simple. That was before I walked through the doors of this elegant five-star hotel and saw the guest list of two hundred.
When I brought up the extravagance, they stared at me like I was mad. They had no idea how to scale back to make it any simpler.
I let it go. In any case, all that mattered was the man waiting for me at the other end of the aisle.
I pinned Milo with an exasperated look. “And how do you plan to explain a runaway bride to the two hundred guests you invited?”
“Leave it to me,” he said without a hint of sarcasm.
Smiling, I shook my head with a silent,Knock it off, bro.
The wedding planner poked her head inside the room. “Okay, we are ready for you.”
Milo met my gaze in the mirror. “If you aren’t going to run, then you and I are about to go on a little walk instead.” He held out his arm for me.
Remembering the mass of people out there, I froze again.
“Breathe,” he reminded before patting his front pocket. “Got your inhaler in case you need it.”
“I’m fine,” I said in a small voice. “Just don’t let me fall,” I said shakily, my legs wobbling on unsteady high heels. I picked up the front of my dress, looping my hand through his arm.
The planner and her assistant directed us to the hallway. She handed me a large bouquet with pastel colors. Before I could properly examine it, a flash went off in my face, temporarily blinding me.
“I didn’t pay you to blind my sister,” Milo snapped, his glare steadfast on the photographer’s assistant.
The man mumbled an apology and scrammed.
“Shouldn’t you be paying attention to make sure things like that don’t happen?” he scolded the planner next, who had already been on edge.
“Sorry,” she said quickly and scurried. Milo had gone off on everyone today about the smallest of details. He wasn’t wound this tight during his own wedding.
“Are we all set?” he asked when we reached the large French doors to the ceremony hall.
Raven, my maid of honor, smiled brightly. “Just waiting on our cue.”
His eyes softened for his wife, and my heart warmed at the unspoken affection they exchanged.
Brandon and his best man, David, had already been herded inside. Raven stood outside of the closed door with her two little ones clinging to their mother’s hands. Layla and Damien, my niece and nephew, were also my flower girl and ring bearer.
My two-year-old niece smiled as the wedding planner directed us where to stand. Layla immediately held up an arm, the other tightly wound around the flower basket. “Auntie, up.”
“No, sweetheart.” Raven gently lowered Layla’s arms. “We can’t wrinkle Auntie’s pretty dress.”
“Later, princess!” I promised, who was always ready for an airplane ride.
Milo smiled at his ray of sunshine as she held out her arms toward him instead. He almost leaned forward to pick her up before Raven nixed the plan. That little girl had her father wrapped around her finger, and by Milo’s smitten look, she’d never starve for airplane rides.
Layla conceded to Raven’s coos and practiced spreading the petals from her basket.
“Auntie, you look like a princess,” Damien ran closer to whisper.
“Do I?” I asked, tilting my head.
