Page 114 of Pleasure Island
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Liam
I talked Mila into coming to the wedding.
It helped that Michelle heard I wanted her there, and she popped in to give her two cents. “You never argue with the bride,” Michelle insisted, going over to Mila and hugging her. “Besides, how can the best man not have hisplus onethere?”
Once Michelle had gone back to her bungalow to finish getting ready, I turned to Mila. “You can’t argue with her. She’s the bride.”
“You shouldn’t have gone and pestered her…it’s her wedding day!” Mila scowled at me.
The bruise on her cheek had anger clenching inside me, but I shoved it down. Moving to her, I reached up and feathered my thumb over the shadowy mark. “Look at it this way…if we’re both there, bruised and scraped, I’ll feel a little less self-conscious.”
She rolled her eyes. “Nice try. But…fine. I’ll come.”
She dressed in a long sweep of green-gold. The sleeves were long but slit down the middle, camouflaging the bruises on her arms and hiding the scrapes on her legs from the struggle the night before.
I led her to her seat before returning to wait in my spot next to Jake.
“You two look like hell,” he said.
“You look nervous,” I pointed out.
“I’m getting married.”
“Yeah, well, Mila was attacked, and I fought off an armed man last night,” I replied.
Jake reached up and shoved the heel of his hand against his right eye socket. “Yeah, don’t remind me.” His mouth drawn in a tight line, he said, “You’re going to have to do a better job at bringing Michelle and me up to speed on whatever it was that happened.”
“Later.”
Jake nodded. “Later.”
The change in music had all the guests turning to watch.
A protective screen had been erected in front of the path, keeping anybody from seeing the bride as she approached.
Now Michelle stepped out from behind it, and people gasped.
“She’s so damn beautiful,” Jake said, his voice choked.
I cast a glance at Mila, my heart swelling at the sight of her.
Then I shifted my attention back to Michelle as she started down the aisle.
The rest of the wedding passed in a blur. Michelle’s maid of honor turned over the ring she’d been holding, and I passed the other one to Jake.
As Jake kissed Michelle at the end of the ceremony, everybody whooped and clapped.
They started down the aisle, and I cast one look at Mila and mouthed, “Be right back.”
Then I offered my arm to my cousin, Raye.
She’d stood up with Michelle, the two of us the only attendants at the small wedding.
At the end of the aisle, I let her arm go and turned to find Mila.
She was still by her seat, but her lips curved in a smile at our eyes met.
