Page 85 of Blindsided

Epilogue

TILLY

Igrin at Katie as we stand in the small dressing room to wait on Ellie. Sara and Natalie stand on my other side with matching anxious expressions on their faces. Ellie’s sister, Stephanie, is on the other side of Katie, rounding out the group. Each of us is wearing a matching gold dress, except for Steph, who is wearing black.

The photographer is standing in the corner of the room, ready to capture our reactions. While we were all there to help Ellie pick out her dress, this will be the first time we’ll see the whole ensemble put together. In a couple of hours, she’s going to walk down the aisle toward her happily ever after, and there’s a good chance I’m going to cry.

After agonizing over how big the wedding should be, where they should have it, and how many people should be invited, Adam put his foot down and decided to book the little church in Sonoma for the first Saturday in September. The maximum occupancy of the church is fifty, so it narrowed down the options for their wedding.

After that, the details came together pretty quickly. Sara’s friend, Hope, has put together the most beautiful flower arrangements I’ve ever seen. They’ve rented out La Mensa, a restaurant in Sonoma, for the reception, and they’ve kept the guest list to close friends and family.

It’s going to be perfect.

“Everyone ready for me to showboat around in my beautiful dress?” Ellie teases through the crack in the door.

Naturally, we cheer her on, and when she steps through the door, our cheers become shouts of awe. The top of her dress is sleeveless, with delicate beading that makes it look sheer against her skin. The deep V in the front and back gives it an elegantly sexy vibe. A wide satin band sits at her ribcage, leading to the satin A-line bottom of her dress. Add in her artfully wavy hair that’s pulled back into a half-up style and the beaded veil hanging down her back, and she looks stunning.

The five of us give her gentle hugs to keep from mussing her up and then sit in the provided chairs to wait for the ceremony to begin.

“Did you decide to do a first look?” Sara asks.

Ellie grins. “No. Adam shouted at me to stop before I could come around the corner. He decided he wanted to wait to see me until I walked down the aisle, even if it meant he’d cry in front of his brothers.”

“Typical Adam,” Natalie teases.

“I just wish I could’ve seen his face in person when I gave him my wedding present,” Ellie says.

“Don’t worry. I filmed it for you,” the photographer tells her. “I’m going to get some pictures of the church. You girls okay in here?”

“All good.” Stephanie nods at her.

“What did you get him?” Katie asks Ellie.

Her smile says she’s pleased as punch with her gift. “I did a boudoir photo shoot and had them bind it into a book. Since I was around the corner from him, all I could hear was him cursing. Then he said, ‘Dammit, Ellie. I am not going back to my brothers with a hard-on.’”

We die laughing, each of us wishing we could’ve seen his face as he flipped through those pictures.

“You’re going to send us that video, right?” Natalie asks.

“Of course.”

“Knock, knock. Father of the bride coming in.” Steven cracks open the door. Since Ellie’s parents are horrible people, Steven offered to walk her down the aisle. He’s taken his father-of-the-bride duties very seriously. It’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. The girls shout at him to wait, and we hurry to arrange Ellie so he can have his own first look.

Sara holds her phone up to capture the moment since the photographer isn’t here, and I’m so glad she thought of it.

The minute he sees her, tears well in his eyes. “You’re beautiful, darling girl.”

The whole room has to grab tissues as the two of them hug. This family is too much sometimes, I swear.

Time passes in a blur as we all get ready for the ceremony. Then Matthew is walking me down the aisle, and the pastor is suddenly having Adam and Ellie recite their vows. Throughout the whole thing, Matthew’s eyes haven’t left mine. His gaze is intense, and there’s something behind it that I can’t quite decipher. I’m chalking it up to the emotional moment of watching Adam marry the love of his life.

* * *

“Matthew Ellis, we are not having sex in this bathroom.”

Matthew continues to kiss me, his tongue simulating exactly what he wants to be doing. With each pass, my resolve begins to crack. The things he can do with his tongue should be criminal.

His hands slide down my sides to squeeze my ass. He grinds his hard cock against my stomach, and I whimper with need.

---