In a world of money, fame, and all the champagne that came with it, Camsy Colbert, the famous wedding planner, was alone. But it was fine; she was totally cool with being single. Men could never hold a steady relationship anyway.
She's invited to he...
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There was a deathly silence in the atmosphere.
Actually, there wasn't. People were murmuring here and there. Some talked about the bride and how she was late, and others talked about the church set up. But, if you listened pretty hard and leaned forward a bit, you could-probably-hear the deathly silence I was talking about.
Shawn and his men in suit were already at the altar. Shawn stood next to the priest, who wore a white robe, and his men to a far-off side. His suit looked freshly pressed, with a little rose flower pinned to it. He'd gelled his hair back, so his face drew more attention.
While that seemed like a good idea because it made him look more handsome, it also was a bad idea because now, everyone could see his face. The tips of his ears were red, and he turned down his lips into a tight frown. He also has his fists clenching and unclenching at his sides.
All the way from where I sat, I could feel the tension around me. I just hoped he didn't think Mida had run away or something because she wasn't like that. Sure she was over-the-top crazy, but she wasn't stupid. She loved Shawn very much.
I would have walked up to him and given him that reminder if Parker wasn't already talking to him via his eyes.
Also, I was in a pretty awkward situation because on either side of me, Mida's parents, my uncle, and aunt sat. Their postures were straight, frozen, almost too perfect, like something out of the Queen's palace. Even Mr. and Mrs. Wellington, seated a few seats away from us, weren't looking so formal. They had smiles on their faces, at least.
My slouchy posture made me look stupid sitting between my uncle and aunt. But I couldn't care less.
Right then, nothing was going well. The bridal train hadn't arrived yet, so I wondered where they were. Shawn was internally freaking out, not to mention the uncle and aunt problem I was in. Yet, my attention was far from them.
I focused every fiber in me on catching Parker's gaze, even if it was just for a second. I was actually worried because we hadn't spoken to each other since yesterday and then he sent me a letter.
Was he going to break up with me?
But our relationship had only begun.
"Camsy dear." The sound of my aunt's voice made me jump. My knee hit my bell in the process, causing a ringing sound to set off.
I turned to her with alert, not missing the look of disapproval Uncle Donovan was giving me. Looking at them, I couldn't help but wonder where Mida got her craziness from.
"Yes, Aunt?"
"What's taking Midreda so long?" aunt Alice asked me. Even though she wasn't frowning or showing any emotion at all, I could tell she was pissed. She'd called Mida by her full name. That could never be a good sign.
"I don't know," I told her. I was the wedding planner, not the bride's nanny.
They hadn't even come for the wedding party before now or even sent a message. Surely, this worry they had was probably because of what Mida's disappearance would do to their reputation.
"You're her cousin," uncle Donovan slipped in. Unlike his wife, he had a frown on, his forehead wrinkled. "You're supposed to know about her whereabouts."
Yeah, and you're the parents.
I bit down on my tongue. "I'm sure she'll be here soon."
"She had better." Aunt scoffed, shifting to cross one leg over the other and lean into her chair. "This union is important to us."
Of course, it is.
I looked away from them to Parker, hoping to catch his gaze. I needed him to take me away from this madness, at least for now. I wasn't worried about Mida eloping. Knowing her, she was probably redoing her makeup or something. But I really wanted to talk to Parker. It was getting awkward between us by the second.
He was biting his lip, staring at the floor. Beside him, Marcus cleared his throat. He looked to Marcus, who said something to him, nodding in my direction. I watched as he slowly turned to me. Our gazes locked.
Finally.
I felt my heart skip a beat, and a smile tug on my lips. Automatically, I sat straighter. He smiled back. At first, it was a small smile, but in a matter of nanoseconds, it turned into a full-blown grin. I sighed in my head, feeling very accomplished.
My gaze ran over him. Black suit. White dressing shirt. No tie. Disheveled yet perfect hair. Green eyes. My heart fluttered. He ran his gaze over my body before bringing it back to mine.
"You look stunning," he mouthed. I felt my cheeks heat up.
I wasn't wearing anything special. Just a plain white gown. No designs or anything on it. According to Mida, "we don't have to design things for them to be art. It just occurs!"
Sometimes, I felt like she should have been the wedding planner. Or maybe not. No one wants a plain wedding.
"Your hair," I mouthed back at Parker. His eyes gleamed. "I love it."
His smile widened, and his shoulders seemed to un-tense. Good, at least I was able to ease his tension. Mida had better get here. Fast.
I raised the folded letter. "What's this?" I mouthed the question.
"Don't open it yet. I'll tell you when you can." He mouthed back.
I smiled and nodded, content.
A bell rang. Then another. And another. Until the whole church was rising, a few ringing the bells Mida had practically forced me to provide for almost half the church population. At first, I was confused. Why were we standing up? But after a second, I remembered the reason why I was here in the first place.
Shawn exhaled in relief and permitted a smile to rest on his lips.
On either side of me, Aunt Alice and Uncle Donovan stood, adjusting their business suits all the way. They'd refused the bells, of course.
With a smile still plastered on my face, I joined them, ringing my bell to welcome the bride. And maybe to annoy them a little bit.
Wedding music began to play. The bridal train walked in. The little girls and boys first, all dressed in white and wearing broad smiles holding bells-flowers in their hands. Simone and the rest of the bridesmaids were next, strutting in their flowing dresses-except Simone. She had a single red rose in her hand, and her hair looked better than it did this morning.
The bride, Mida, came in last, face hidden behind a veil. She clutched onto the multicolored rose bouquet in her hands and walked step by step. Before her, her bridal train had split into two, creating a path in between for her to go through.
She walked up to the altar, next to Shawn. The music stopped, and so did the ringing. People applauded, and we settled down. Shawn leaned down to whisper something in her ear, which made her giggle and give him a reply.
Their exchange made me smile.
When I looked at Parker again, he was already staring at me. A longing danced in his green eyes. I gave him a smile; he smiled back. Marcus threw me a wink from where he stood. He needed to stop doing that before his eyes came off.
"We are gathered here today," the priest began in a raised voice, "to witness the joining in Holy matrimony of Miss Midreda Donovan and Mr. Shawn Wellington."
