Page 65 of The Light to My Darkness (The Light to My Darkness 1)

"Places, people!" Justin yelled. "Please go stand where you belong, love birds." He snapped his fingers at us.

"You're mine, Penny," James whispered as our lips parted.

I nodded because that was all I seemed capable of doing.

He walked me back over to Matt, kissed my cheek, and joined Marie behind me.

Matt was quiet as we stood there. It was like he could tell that James was mad at him. The atmosphere was tense. It didn't fit the mood of the wedding.

"Matron of honor and best man are up!" Justin said. "Remember, walk slow. And smile," he said to Matt. "It's a wedding." He grabbed my arm, draped it over Matt's, and gently pushed us forward.

Matt glanced behind him and then turned back to me. "Is James mad at me?"

I laughed awkwardly. "No. Why would you think that?"

"Last night he kept punching me in the arm really hard whenever he made a joke. There's a bruise on my bicep. And now he's staring at me like he wants to aim those punches at my face."

"What? That's ridiculous."

He put his hand on top of mine. "Penny. You're the worst liar in the history of liars. Just tell me."

"Honestly?" We stepped out onto the roof and slowly began walking down the aisle.

"Yes, honestly."

I shrugged my shoulders. I was hoping he'd drop it when we started walking down the aisle. "Jen was talking last night about how I'm the girl that people fall for before they find the one. Or, they fall in love with the idea of me or something. Mason, Tyler, Rob..." I let my voice trail off. "It's silly really. Forget I said anything."

"James thinks that I'm in love with you?"

We were nearing the end of the aisle. "I told you it was silly."

He didn't say anything.

"Right?"

He squeezed my hand before dropping his arm. "Right."

I awkwardly stood there for a moment before walking over to Bee's side of the arch. I glanced at him standing on the opposite side. He smiled and I immediately looked away. His answer hadn't really seemed sincere. But I had a feeling he was messing with me. He probably thought it would be fun to tease me forever now. I had certainly given him ammo. Why had I told him I thought he had a crush on me?

James was walking down the aisle now, Marie's hand on his arm. I didn't question the two of them together. Why did everyone have to put weird ideas in my head about Matt? Now I was starting to feel uncomfortable around him.

Ow. I put my hand on my stomach. We'll be dancing soon enough, sweet boy.

James lowered his eyebrows slightly as they drew closer.

I gave him an encouraging smile. There was no need for him to worry. I watched as he parted from Marie. My eyes automatically gravitated to his butt. God, I loved his ass in a tuxedo. The sight practically made me drool.

He winked at me when he turned to stand alongside Matt. As if he knew that I had been inappropriately staring. I blushed and looked away.

Axel confidently walked down the aisle after Hailey and Tyler, who were lucky enough to be paired together. Maybe he wasn't nervous because his parents were in eyesight. Everyone smiled at him and he smiled back. He even stopped and waved at people with the pillow he was holding. Luckily the rings were tied down to it. Scarlett and Sophie both skipped down the aisle behind him, throwing petals mostly at the guests instead of on the ground. But everyone seemed to enjoy it. She really was adorable. Of course, I was biased, but it wasn't just her cute little face that made her so wonderful. She had the carefree attitude I never had as a child.

The music changed and everyone stood as Bee appeared. Her parents were divorced and her father and mother had both opted to walk her down the aisle. Bee's eyes were already filled with tears. This wedding had been a long time coming. Damn it, she was going to make me cry too. She looked absolutely gorgeous. She had gone for a ball gown dress that accentuated her small waist. Her long, loose curls blew in the wind. And the backdrop of the city sunset made her blonde hair almost glow like a halo. I glanced at Mason. It looked like he might even cry. They truly were perfect together.

I let my eyes wander back to James. He was staring at me so intently. I swallowed hard. Suddenly, it felt like it was us. Like we were back at our wedding. His eyes didn't stray from mine for even a second. In a lot of ways we had been robbed of our fairytale wedding. At least, the wedding night and honeymoon. But I wasn't bitter at all. I was just grateful that he was here with me.

I dropped his gaze as Bee handed me her bouquet. When I looked back up at him, his expression had changed. It wasn't one of love anymore. He was looking at me in that way. The way that made my knees weak. The way he looked at me right before he fucked me hard.

It was difficult to pay attention to Bee and Mason's vows. It was hard to pay attention to anything when he looked at me like that. Before I even realized it, the ceremony was over, and James was grabbing my hand, pulling me away from the rest of the bridal party.

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