Sunflower Love

❁~--

Julianna is currently rushing between people as she coordinates any adjustments. Her wedding party is practicing the two required dances and I can tell Liam is a little tired of everything now that there is only two weeks left until the two are to be married. He's just letting her do whatever and isn't considerably involved at the moment as he talks with his groomsmen.

Laughter floods the hall and all I can seem to focus on is how the camera in my hands felt so unfamiliar. It's Liam's. Julianna told Liam to give me his camera because she trusted its capabilities. The camera is heavy and it fits awkwardly in my palm. The way the band digs into my neck became too overwhelming, so I wrapped it around my arm instead.

My eyes ran over the camera, finding it weird that I'm finally looking through the viewfinder of something that captured one of my favorite pictures of myself. I guess in a way...I trusted this camera too.

"You gonna take pictures, or are you family of Liam's?"

The voice cut through my thoughts and I blinked as I noticed the shadow of the person who moved to stand beside me. I raised my eyes to meet green eyes that matched rather perfectly to Julianna's. Probably one of her brothers. There was Jason, Tucker, and-

"Theodore Montgomery! You show up late to your sister's rehearsal and you don't even say hello to your own mother first?"

I spin to see Julianna's mother with her hands on her hips as she locked her son in a glare that didn't seem to faze him in the slightest. A soft chuckle came from beside me as he stepped away from my side, my eyes lifted back to capture him and I inwardly sighed at how handsome he was.

The water at the Montgomery's was something else, huh?

He tilted his head to look back at me and raised his hand in a silent goodbye, a wink accompanying it. Theodore. Right. Often called Cade by close friends and family for his middle name because he absolutely hated his first name. I've never met him, but I remember hearing about him once or twice from Julianna when she would talk to me during her errand runs at my shop.

"Cade!" Liam pulled him into a friendly hug and I watched as the family intermingled. My heart stung as I realized how close people were with their families. I felt a smile tug at the edge of my lips as a bitter taste entered my mouth.

How can one be both happy for your friends, but also a little sour? Must be another bad day.

"Hey Winnie, do you think you can shoot a couple of photos of the family today? I'm thinking...maybe we can do a family painting as a present for the holidays coming up. Doesn't that sound lovely?" Julianna's voice cuts through my inner monologue as she appears beside me, a wine cooler in one hand and a plate of multiple cake slices in the other. "But first..." She placed the plate of cake down on the table behind me and stuck a fork in one of the slices, "Try each of these and give me your opinion." She smiled at me as she sipped her drink.

"Ah..." I began as I pondered if it was right for me to join the wedding staff kind of delayed and on top of that make big decisions like this. But Julianna cut me off, "I'm asking everyone and tallying up which ones are more favorable because we are choosing two. One for the main cake and the other for brunch the next day. You're going to brunch, right? We can go look for a cute sundress for that together, if you'd like?" Her eyes shined brightly and I felt a wave of this overwhelming pit drive itself into my throat.

So I wouldn't have to worry about stuttering over my words, I took the fork and tried the cakes.

Sweet, but dry.

Fruity cake of sorts. Weird aftertaste.

Moist. Fluffy icing and overall nice texture. A tad too much icing on the edges.