Accident Prone

~ Seattle, Sabrina's and Ashton's apartment ~

Five days before Hunter's and Mia's wedding…

Angela returned from work, and she overheard the conversation from the living room.

"Honey, are you sure you can do it?", Ashton asked Sabrina.

"Yes, my dear.", Sabrina said confidently. "I gave birth to Will ten days ago, and other than slight bleeding, I am as good as new. Don't make it difficult for me, please. I really want to do this. I have only two brothers."

"What is going on?", Angela asked when she joined them in the living room.

"Madeline called to confirm that I am in good enough shape to be the bridesmaid for the wedding. If not, she might need to make last-minute adjustments.", Sabrina explained. "The rehearsal dinner is in two days and she is on top of things. You are the bridesmaid as well, right?"

"Yes, yes… I confirmed that two months ago.", Angela said while bobbing her head.

Sabrina returned her focus on Ashton. "See? Angie will be part of the ceremony also. I don't want to be left out."

Ashton frowned at that unreasonable argument. "Angela didn't give birth to a baby ten days ago!"

Sabrina gave Ashton her best puppy-eyed look. "But honey, sweetie… It will be ten minutes of standing, at most, and other than that, I can sit. I can do that. Really."

Ashton exhaled in defeat. "OK. But if you feel the slightest discomfort, I don't care about your mother's plans or pairings."

Sabrina hugged Ashton. "Thanks, hubby. You are the best."

"Don't forget that. There is no other man who is made for you, my dear."

Angela smiled at their lovey-dovey banter. She hoped that one day she will find a man who will look at her the way Ashton looks at Sabrina.

Sabrina gave Ashton a teasing look. "Are you concerned about the pairings for the ceremony?"

Ashton frowned. "We are going to be a pair to walk down the aisle, right?"

Sabrina burst into a laugh. "Of course, we are. If my mom matches me with any other groomsman I will give her a piece of my mind. But we will find out the details in two days…"

Hearing this, Angela had mixed emotions.

She was looking forward to Mia's and Hunter's wedding. It will be the first time for Angela to attend such a high-class city wedding. When Mia asked her to be the bridesmaid, Angela was over the moon from happiness. Her bridesmaid dress is classier (and probably more expensive) than anything she wore in her life. It's silky, and smooth, and hugs Angela's body in all the right places, and she looks like a million bucks. It is the first time for Angela to have a custom made dress that fits her perfectly. The closest thing to a custom dress Angela had before, was when she would buy a garment in the retail store and her mom would do small alterations. To make the wedding classier, all the bridesmaids will have professional styling done before the ceremony, with hair and makeup, like real celebrities! Just thinking about it, Angela feels like floating.

However, her mood gets dampened every time she remembered who the groomsmen are because, of course, Hunter invited his buddies and that means… Derek.

Angela chanted numerous times that she will not allow Derek's presence to spoil this event for her.

Considering how he left that apartment ten days ago, Angela was confident that he will not try to approach her, so as long as she keeps her distance from him, things will be fine, and she will have the time of her life.

Who knows…? With the dress and styling, she will definitely be like Cinderella, at the fancy party with more than 500 people, and maybe she finds her prince charming who can give her the happily ever after she always dreamed of. Maybe.

…

Two days later… In an exclusive restaurant in Seattle that caters to customers with deep pockets...

For the wedding rehearsal dinner, Madeline booked a private room for their party of 25 people that had extra space they can use to practice walking down the aisle.

Angela arrived with Ashton and Sabrina and admired the luxurious interior. Everything looked fancy.

Sabrina let go of Ashton and hooked her arm with Angela's. "Let's go to my mom and check the pairings for the big walk."

Angela inhaled a shaky breath when her sight fell on Madeline who was standing on the side with Mia, Andrea, and two wedding planners.

Angela wanted to see if Derek was there, but at the same time, she didn't want to see him. Her stomach was full of tense knots that made her jittery, and Angela hoped that no one can see her internal struggle.

Madeline greeted Sabrina and Angela and expressed her displeasure that Sabrina left Will at home with Rosie (the nanny).

Sabrina lifted her hand, to stop Madeline from ranting. "If you want to see Will, there is a live feed from the camera in his room. I left him with his tummy full and sleeping. There is extra milk in the fridge if he gets hungry before we return, and Rosie is with him. We hired her so that we can get an occasional breather and she is doing an amazing job. I'm here to hear the plan related to the walk down the aisle…"

Madeline huffed but didn't complain anymore. She gave Sabrina the notepad where she kept her notes about the event and returned to her chat with the wedding planners.

Mia and Andrea moved to look at the notepad.

For the walk down the aisle, there were notes:

[0: Hunter at the altar with Mike (best man) and Liz (maid of honor);

1: Max and Olivia;

2: Ash and Rina;

3: Q and Bri;

4: Jake and Grace;

5: Derek and Angela;

6: Roberto and Andrea;

7: Mia and Fabricio.]

Sabrina was happy to see that she is paired with Ashton and that her mother didn't try to pull off silly things like matching them based on height, hair color, or some other feature.

"I'm going to share the good news with Ash…", Sabrina chirped and walked toward her husband.

Angela felt a lump in her throat. How is it possible that she ended up paired up with Derek?

It's just a small walk. No more than fifteen seconds… she saw it in movies. They will link arms and walk and then separate when they reach the altar and there is no need for them to talk. Can she do it? She didn't even see him and her stomach is full of knots. What will happen if she needs to walk next to him? She will pass out. But how can she get out of this? Everyone seems to be paired up with their dates. Well, not Max and Olivia, but that is normal because Liz and Mike will be waiting at the altar so…

"Who is Roberto?", Angela asked.

"It's my younger half-brother.", Mia responded.

Angela never heard Mia mentioning him. "Are you close?"

"Not really, but he will attend the wedding, and with all Hunter's siblings being part of the ceremony, if I excluded him, it would be rude. Luckily, Andrea agreed at short notice to be the bridesmaid, so we have an equal number of guys and gals to walk in pairs. There he is…", Mia gestured toward the group where Hunter was.

Angela saw Hunter talking to Jake, and Derek, and another young man, she assumed it's Roberto. No matter how much she tried to focus her sight on Roberto, she ended up staring at Derek.

Angela's heart trembled at the sight of Derek and she realized that she can't get close to him without falling apart. She was on the verge of hyperventilating.

"Angela? Are you alright?", Mia asked in a concerned voice.

Angela took a deep breath. "Yes, yes…", she lied. "Your brother looks young."

"Half-brother…", Mia corrected Angela. "Yes, he is twenty-one years old."

"Andrea, do you mind if we switch partners?", Angela asked.

Andrea shrugged. She didn't know Roberto or Derek, so she didn't mind.

"Why do you want to switch?", Mia asked suspiciously. She saw Andrea and Derek hitting it off in the hospital about two weeks ago. Did something happen? Or is Angela interested in Roberto? 

Angela was not sure what to say. Why does she want to switch? Because she was stupid and she allowed Derek to feel her out and she fell for him? There is no way she will say that.

"Which one is Derek?", Andrea asked.

Mia pointed back at the group. "The one in the black jacket, he is talking to Hunter now."

"I don't mind switching.", Andrea said. She really didn't care if it's Roberto or Derek for that little walk. She is doing it as a favor to Mia, but it seems that it's important to Angela. "I would prefer a man my age compared to a kid. Well, he is not a kid, but everyone can see he is much younger than I am and that makes me old.", Andrea added.

Mia made a face. "Your pairings were made based on height, not on age, but… I will talk to Madeline and see what we can do."

The truth is that Derek and Roberto are both taller than Angela and Andrea. However, Derek is taller than Roberto, and Angela is taller than Andrea, and that was the deciding factor to pair them up like that. As a bonus, Mia remembered that Derek and Angela chatted and flirted in the hospital, so she assumed that it will not be a problem.

Angela smiled meekly and when Mia left with the notepad in her hand, Angela turned to Andrea. "Thank you."

"Not a problem, sweetie.", Andrea said and leaned closer to Angela so that they are not overheard. "You should school your features because I can see from a mile away… that man is impacting you."

Angela exhaled nervously. If she knew how to fake it, she would do that. At this point, if she can survive this dinner without falling apart, she will consider it a success.

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