She arrived at the farm early in order to make sure everything was still in place from the night before. Leigh woke up early that morning with pieces of a scattered dream circulating in her mind that a fox had somehow got into the barn and ruined everything they had spent so long preparing. As she walked to the barn she was grateful for the sun that warmed her skin and she knew, despite the bitter chill of the day before, that Annalise and Harry's special day would be in luck with the weather. The weather was so different to that of what it had been earlier that month and simply feeling the warmth on her skin ensured her that the day would be perfect.
She spotted Brett standing in front of the barn dressed in his usual work clothes as he rolled out a large red carpet leading from the barn entrance to the gravel pathway. With only a couple of hours until the wedding Leigh was surprised to see Brett still working but was quickly reminded by his hard work that it was the job of the eldest brother to make sure the entire day was perfect for his little sister. He kicked the carpet out and allowed it to roll a little before walking closer and kicking it again, when he reached the end he glanced up at Leigh with a stunned expression on his handsome face.
He took in her appearance and was absolutely speechless. The two toned skater dress that stopped mid thigh emphasised her long tanned legs and added to her height. As he came to stand in front of her he glanced up and down at her outfit taking in each detail not wanting to forget it for even a second. The torso of her dress was black with a small slit down the front. His eyes were drawn to her waist where flowered patterns wrapped around the elastic pulling the dress in at all the right places and flowed down into a white skirt. Seeing her dressed up took his breath away and it was only when Leigh spoke that he was brought from his trance she had placed him in without even realising it.
"What?" He choked out realising that he hadn't heard a single word of what she said.
"I said why aren't you ready yet?" She repeated her question.
"I was headin' in now."
They walked together to the farm house and entered in through the door where sounds of quiet murmurs could be heard in each room. Jamie flashed Leigh a grin when she came into view and he approached her with his arms stretched out. "You look great!" He said and pulled her into his chest.
"So do you," she said taking a step back and appreciating the tailored suit that hugged his body. "It's good to finally see you up and about."
"Yeah. I rested for longer than the doctors said because I wanted to make sure I wouldn't ruin today for Annie. I didn't want everyone to be talkin' about me and the accident, you know?"
Leigh nodded. She understood exactly what he meant. It was Harry and Annalise's special day- a day they would remember for the rest of their lives- and Leigh feared that her presence might cause a stir amongst the wedding guests, especially after the negative light she was presented in on her mother's show only a few weeks prior. But she tried not to let it bother her and it gave her great comfort knowing the thought didn't even enter Harry's mind when he extended the invitation to her.
"Are you ridin' with us?" Jamie asked Leigh and glanced to his brother.
"Yes, she is," Brett answered for her before she could have a chance to speak.
"Aren't you going in the weddin' car with Annie?" She asked Brett seeing as he was the one walking her down the aisle.
"My Mom is goin' in the car and I'll take over at the church," he answered in short from where he stood beside her.
She talked effortlessly with Jamie for around fifteen minutes as if they had been speaking every day from the day they were born and it was only when the sound of glass shattering on the floor echoed throughout the house that Leigh realised Brett wasn't standing beside her.
"Fuck!" Brett's voice came quickly after the shattering sound and Leigh excused herself to see what the commotion was. She followed the sound of Brett's cursing up the stairs to a bedroom at the end of the hall. She tapped her knuckles on the door quickly before entering and came face to face with a infuriated expression. A pair of black trousers hung on his hips and a white shirt was tucked into them and a waistcoat was around his shoulders. On the floor in front of him was shattered glass that minutes ago resembled the container he had been drinking from.
"Everything okay?" She asked and noted the calm expression that spread across his angered face as soon as she walked in.
Brett nodded and glanced down at his fingers that had dripped spots of blood to the floor. "I just want everythin' to go smoothly today." He lifted his hand and observed the flood that was spreading across his skin.
"And it will," she assured him. "Let me get your hand cleaned up."
"I don't wanna get blood on you."
"I'll be fine," she said with a smile and led him to the bathroom. Leigh cleaned up his wound effortlessly and applied a steri-strip to his small cut to keep it from opening again. When she was finished Brett thanked her and checked the time.
"Half hour," he said in to the quiet room and reached for the tie that was laid over the back of the chair. "Would you mind?" He asked and held it in Leigh's direction and allowed her to slip it around his neck and tie it in a windsor knot at the front. She shuffled the knot higher and straightened his collar and all the while Brett could feel the chemistry and tension between them. Before she could step back it was his turn to grab her and pull her close just as she had done the day before.
He slipped his good hand to her cheek and caressed it lightly. "You're beautiful," he said and inched his lips closer to hers.
"Thank you. It's a new dress," she said as heat rose to her cheeks.
"The dress is stunnin' but I wasn't talkin' about that." He connected his lips to hers and everything in the world at that moment felt right. He leaned in slowly and kissed her with every ounce of passion he had and more. She could taste the whiskey on his tongue and savoured the taste of him never wanting that moment to end. Despite their differences in the moment of passion they shared they were one and the same and she found herself drifting into a fantasy that she could slowly see coming true.
"I'll see you downstairs," she said after drawing her lips from his and turning to leave the room. Before she left she turned back to him and said; "you look really handsome."
She left the room feeling happier than she had in a long time but as she made her way down the stairs the sound of crying could be heard from the bathroom. Leigh turned on her heel and crept her way back up listening for the soft cries. She tapped her knuckles on the bathroom door.
"Annie?" She whispered through the small crack. "Are you in there? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine..." She said through muffled cries.
"You don't sound fine. Can you let me in?" The lock clicked and Leigh took that as a sign to open the door. When she slipped inside Leigh instantly dropped to her knees beside the sad woman sitting on the floor leaning against the bathtub with tear stained cheeks and a pained expression in her eye.
"What's wrong?" She said noticing she was clutching something in her both hands.
"I thought I was bloated because my dress doesn't fit but I'm not!" She cried out. "Leigh I don't know what to do... I'm pregnant." She dropped the plastic test into Leigh's lap and covered her face with her hands crying into them once again. "There wasn't supposed to be any complications today. It was supposed to be about me and Harry and now I've ruined that because I can't even fit into my fucking weddin' dress,"she said as tears streamed down her cheeks.
"Oh honey..." Leigh wrapped her in her arms. "You haven't ruined anything but you will if you don't get to the church and marry the man you love."
"Yeah dressed in what?" She looked down at her pink night dress.
"You could go to the church wearing a potato sack and that man would still marry you, I can promise you that."
"But I don't even have a potato sack!" She panicked and it was clear that Annalise wasn't in a a good head space.
"Close your eyes and try taking a deep breath. Think of the things that make you the most happy," Leigh said making use of the same technique Brett had used when she was having a panic attack. Annalise smile. "Better?"
"Yeah," she replied. "But we have to get to the church in half an hour and I'm not even nearly ready."
"Leave it to me," she said and opened the bathroom door. "Congratulations by the way." She smiled and left the room in search of the bride's mother. When she reached the bedroom where Annie had been getting ready the quiet conversation inside stopped and the four woman inside turned in Leigh's direction.
"It's good to see you Leigh," Maggie said and wrapped her arms around her shoulders. She then turned to her elderly mother. "Mom this is Leigh, the girl I was tellin' you about who works in the shop."
"It's nice to meet you," she said but didn't stand from the chair where she sat. Leigh didn't expect for the elderly woman to stand as the wrinkles present on her face showed her age and all that she had lived through.
"Where's Mommy?" Becca tugged on the hem of Leigh's dress.
"She'll be in in a minute sweetie. Maggie can I talk to you for a second?" Leigh asked. Maggie nodded and led her out into the hallway. "Annie isn't doing so well , she uh...she really needs her Mom right now."
"Is she havin' second thoughts?"
"No nothing like that. It's best if she tells you...but she doesn't think she will fit into her dress. Try and calm her down, there's no use in her being stressed as that'll only make things worse and if not I'll see if I can alter the dress."
"You can do that?" She asked.
"I used to do it all the time with my costumes," she said with a shrug as if it were the easiest thing in the world. Maggie rushed off to the bathroom and Leigh returned to the bedroom. She padded over to the dress that hung on the mannequin and examined the material. The dress was a flawless white with small white flowered patterns sewn on the front. Leigh knew it wouldn't be too difficult to alter the dress slightly if needed but hoped that it would not be necessary. It wasn't obvious Annie was pregnant and Leigh saw no reason other than stress that the wedding dress wouldn't fit so soon after her last dress fitting.
The horn sounded from around the corner and Leigh glanced to her right seeing Jamie and Brett in the car ready to head to the church. She said her goodbyes to Maggie and Annie assuring them both that they looked beautiful and slid into the back seat of the car.
"Everythin' okay?" Jamie asked as he turned around from the front seat.
"Everything's great. She looks beautiful doesn't she?"
"She sure does," Brett said quietly agreeing with Leigh and then stepped on the gas and raced into town.
Jamie and Leigh were in deep conversation when the car pulled up outside the church. Brett was first out of the car and marched around to the opposite side to open the door. He extended his hand in Leigh's direction which she took gratefully and stepped out of the car.
"I have to wait for Annie but you can go in with Jamie." Brett said and leaned forward to place a chaste kiss onto her cheek. The kiss took her by surprise. "I'll see you in there."
"Shall we?" Jamie held out his arm in her direction. She slid her arm through his and they entered into the church where other wedding guests were already seated and awaiting the bride's arrival. They made their way down the aisle and to the front pews. When Jamie attempted to sit in the first row on the left and guide Leigh in with him she immediately refused.
"Shouldn't your family sit here?" She asked and moved away from him. "I'll sit near the back."
As Leigh pulled away Jamie gripped her hand. "You are family," he said with a genuine smile. "You can sit between me and Brett."
"I'd really prefer to sit at the back," she told him in protest.
"No," he protested. "Brett asked me if I'd make sure you sat up here so that's what I'm doin'."
Her cheeks reddened in the realisation that Jamie was more than likely aware of the relationship with Brett- which she still didn't quite know how to define.
"At least let me sit at the end?" She asked.
Jamie nodded and allowed Leigh to pass him and sink into the corner of the pew wishing she would just disappear. She wondered why Brett had asked for her to sit at the front with him and his family and came to the conclusion that he simply didn't wanted to make her feel uncomfortable having to sit next to a distant cousin who would surely ask question after question about her former job. But Jamie had other ideas about why Brett had insisted she sit up front he chose to keep those to himself, at least until he could confront his brother about it first.
Commotion broke out from the back of the church and the whispers slowly increased as if the bride had walked in and everyone was stunned by her beauty. Leigh first glanced at Harry who was waiting for his bride at the alter and by the displeased look on his face it was clear that the commotion was not his future wife.
"That's Robert Ezara," one of the small children seated a couple rows behind Leigh whispered which definitely caught her attention. The words Jamie was speaking to her became a distant echo as she peered around him and stared down the aisle towards a man she hadn't expected to see that day. Standing beside him was a gorgeous woman- someone Leigh felt as though she knew somehow- and the two of them took their seats at the back of the church with pearly white smiles and greetings to the other wedding guests around them. Leigh was sure Robert hadn't seen her and for that she was grateful she could have at least one small victory that day.
The music from the organ played and the guests stood. Becca was the first to walk down the aisle and she dropped pink rose petals to the floor and once at the front she slipped into the pew beside Harry's mother. The bride appeared at the end of the aisle with the biggest grin on her face that Leigh had ever seen. The panic in her eyes from earlier had long since vanished and all that remained was pure bliss. Standing on her right was Brett with his sister's arm linked in his own and to her left was her mother whose eyes were teary and emotion filled.
As they reached the alter Brett stepped off to the side and allowed the priest to take over. He shot a quick glance to Leigh but she found that his gaze was soon drawn down the aisle. She followed his line of sight feeling the need to know what he was distracted by and it all became clear when she found his sight set on the gorgeous woman sitting beside Robert. His fists were balled at his sides and his jaw was clenched and in that moment all Leigh wanted to do was run to him and drag him out of the church before he did something he would regret soon after he did. There was only one person it could be and Leigh had a strong feeling she knew exactly why the blonde haired woman was smirking with an evil look playing in her ocean blue eyes.