Page 21 of Conquering the Skies

Ash waggled a finger at her. “Bad luck for you that you had to embark on a high-speed foot chase throughout the wedding venue.”

She scowled at him. “Yeah, it was definitely the unluckiest part of the whole ordeal.”

Adele clutched the stems of her flowers. “It’s fine. You’re right, I don’t think anyone else will be able to tell.”

“One other thing, though,” Ash said. Dropping to the floor, he leaned forward on one knee and yanked up the hem of her dress. She yelped in protest but was afraid any attempts to twist away from him would throw her off-balance and send her crashing down beside him. With his free hand, he tapped the small handgun attached to a holster encircling her thigh. “Was this really necessary?”

“Geneva!” Adele’s moment of reprieve had been short-lived. “You’rearmed?”

“I usually am.” She snatched the bottom half of her dress away from Ash and let it fall back into place. “What? It’s licensed.”

Shaking her head, Adele pressed her thumb and forefinger to her temples, though Susannah swatted her hand away with a reminder not to disturb her makeup. “I can’t believe you brought a gun to my wedding.”

“At least I didn’t have to use it!” A firm poke in the rib cage from Ash prevented her from adding the word “yet” to her statement. After smoothing the front of her gown one last time, she picked up her bouquet from where she’d set it down prior to her sprint throughout the hidden hallways of the hotel. “What can I say? If there’s anyone who wants to ruin my friends’ wedding, I’m going to do whatever I can to stop them.”

A tiny smile finally appeared on her lips. “I doubt our ways of expressing ourselves will ever fully align, but I appreciate the sentiment.” She turned to the others. “Is there anything else we need to take care of?”

“As soon as you’re ready,” the coordinator said, “we can gather the rest of the groomsmen and begin lining up.”

Susannah and Phoebe waited for a response. “Well?” said the latter.

Adele swallowed then looped her hand through the crook of her father’s arm. “Of course I’m ready. I don’t want to wait a moment longer.”

When the second half of the wedding party arrived, the coordinator scurried about, lining them up in the proper order. Geneva took her place beside Ash and tilted her head back to stare up at him. “I didn’t get a chance to tell you how nice you look,” she said softly.

He tugged at the cuff of his sleeve before offering her his arm. “This tuxedo is a lot flashier than the military dress uniforms I’m used to.”

“Yeah, this is a far cry from the simple knee-length skirt that went along with mine.”

“True, but you also look very nice,” he said, patting the tops of her fingers.

She stifled a laugh. “I look like a cupcake.”

“Geneva!” He faked a cough in an effort to disguise his own amusement. “You do not—”

“Fine, then some other sort of elaborate pastry.”

Ash lifted her hand and pressed it to his lips before returning it to his arm. “The most delectable pastry on the entire planet.”

She turned her head back to the front, certain she was blushing. “Just try not to step on the bottom of my dress and make me trip down the aisle, okay?”

“Yup. Especially since I know you’ll shoot me if I do.”

Before she could respond, the large set of double doors opened and the processional music started. Together, they straightened and waited for the coordinator’s cue to begin their long walk toward the altar in the next room. As they appeared before the crowd of hundreds of invited guests, Geneva remembered to smile and concentrated on not stumbling in front of them in her cumbersome gown. While the site of the ceremony was beautiful and expertly decorated, she silently breathed a sigh of relief at Ash guiding her in a different direction for their own nuptials.

Amidst the sea of faces, she spotted Renae and Freya first. Her parents were seated closer to the front, not far from Marcus’s parents. Dahlia offered her a subtle nod as she passed by, and she hoped it was one of approval.

They parted ways at the end of the aisle. When Geneva reached her assigned spot, she got her first clear view of Marcus. He, too, presented a flawless façade to his guests, dressed impeccably from head to toe. They had attended plenty of formal events together in the past, so it was far from her first time seeing him dressed for such an occasion, but she noted the subtle differences in his appearance, from the flowers pinned to his lapel that were a perfect match for Adele’s bouquet to the anticipation sparking in his deep-set eyes as he waited for his bride.

He caught her gaze and his eyebrows lifted a fraction of an inch. She maintained her neutral visage, exhaling. They would exchange plenty of heartfelt words later on, she assumed, but either way, she was grateful for the opportunity to witness such a special moment in her friend’s life.

The music paused, and everyone rose from their seats. Adele appeared in the arched doorway, the light framing her to create a perfect portrait. Escorted by her parents on either side, she made her way down the aisle to murmurs of excitement and adoration. Upon seeing Marcus, she took a deep breath, her countenance brightening even further. He matched her expression, apparently unable to prevent an elated grin from spreading across his face.

The officiant commenced his remarks. As he spoke of love and the utmost commitment, Geneva glanced over at Ash, who rewarded her with a knowing look. It would be their turn soon enough, and she anticipated their declaration of love before close friends and family, albeit on a much smaller scale.

During the exchanging of the vows, a lump formed in her throat. A jumble of emotions whirled through her mind, spurred by a flood of past memories and ambiguous thoughts of the future. Though she was thrilled for her friends, she felt a bittersweet pang as she wondered if parts of their lives and what they shared together were over for good. Ash’s solid presence across from her revealed nothing about his inner thoughts yet calmed her nonetheless. In spite of her uncertainty, she believed in her heart they were all exactly where they needed to be in that moment.

Chapter Nine

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