Upside Down

Thirty Four

This is it. The day everyone has been waiting for.

The wedding.

Hillary's dress is perfect. It suits her so well. She is a beautiful bride.

The girls and I have been running around all morning trying to make today perfect for Hillary. The boys have been doing the same for my dad.

Nothing is going to go wrong. I'm sure of it.

I help Kara, Summer, and Tilly line up outside the church and wait with them for their cue to begin walking down the aisle. Mason, Peter, and Logan take their places besides their siblings, ready to walk in.

Hillary gave me the option to be one of her bridesmaids. I turned down the offer. It just didn't feel right to me at the time. I feel confident in my decision to sit this one out. I will be just fine watching from the sidelines as their family becomes one.

Through the windows, I can see my father taking his place up on the stage.

The music begins, signaling me to urge Tilly down the aisle. The little girl takes flower petals from her basket and throws them in a haphazard manner.

I can't help but laugh as she struggles to throw the flowers the way I showed her how. But she's adorable. The crowd is going to love her.

I sneak around the sides sit in the front row beside Tyler. I grab onto his arm as I slide in beside him. He rests his head on top of mine.

One by one, pairs of Hillary and my dad's children walk down the aisle. The crowd stares at them in awe of their beauty.

Logan breaks away from the line for a moment to steal a kiss with Leigh. Their lips linger as he pulls away and rejoins the rest of the groomsmen on the stage. 'I love you' he mouths to her, blowing a sweet kiss in her direction.

The doors shut. It is now that Hillary and her father will be getting in position behind those doors and waiting to make their entrance.

Everyone's heads turn as the doors open once again. This time, the bride is going to walk through them. We all stand as the music intensifies and comes to an end. This is the part where she makes her grand entrance.

But, she doesn't. The music stalls for a moment and then the same song restarts. The pianist, just as confused as the rest of us.

Slowly, the crowd begins to murmur. I can see the individual beads of sweat on my father's forehead as he stares at the doors. He makes eye contact with me. 'What's happening?' He asks silently.

"I've got to go figure out what's wrong." I say in a whisper to Tyler as I sneak out into the aisle and run towards the open doors.

I've got to get to the bottom of this. There is no way in hell she is going to do this to my dad. He doesn't deserve this.

Authors note: did Hillary get cold feet or is something else going on?