Hard to say

The ceremony was beautiful. The vows were sincere, and the atmosphere in the room was rife with genuine emotion. It didn't take long for Emma to find herself tearing up, the happy, sentimental kind that blurred her vision. She wiped a tear away with a tissue from her bag. Beside her, Liam was quiet, but his leg remained pressed firmly against hers, a solid, grounding weight that kept her anchored.

When the ceremony concluded, the guests filed out toward the garden lawn for afternoon tea. The transition from the enclosed room to the open, sunny space felt like a relief.

Emma scanned the crowd until she spotted the bride. She navigated her way through the groups of people until she reached Carrie, pulling her into a tight, warm hug. "Congratulations, Carrie. It was absolutely beautiful."

Carrie squeezed her back, then pulled away just enough to lean in close, lowering her voice to a discreet murmur. She shot a quick, wary glance toward where Liam was standing a few feet away, watching them with a guarded expression.

"Are you holding up okay?" Carrie whispered, her brows furrowed. "I saw you two walk in together. Do you need a way out? I can easily tell someone to swap seats with you if he's being a problem."

Emma looked back at Liam. He was holding a glass of champagne, looking completely at ease, his suit jacket straining slightly across his shoulders. The thought of needing to be "rescued" from him felt absurd. But she was grateful to Carrie looking out for her.

She turned back to the bride and offered a smooth, practiced smile. "Don't worry at all," she said, keeping her voice light. "He’s been a total gentleman this entire weekend. I’m actually really enjoying his company."

Carrie looked surprised for a fleeting second, but she smiled slyly. "Okay, good. I just wanted to make sure you were alright. He as handsome as you remember?"

"Haha Carrie, you are very funny. It's not like that, i'm spoken for so I'm not looking." she replied sticking her tongue out "But he wears that suit well" she finished as they both chuckled.

Emma stepped back, her pulse quickening as she realized the lie was easy. She turned around to rejoin Liam, who was already looking her way. He handed her a glass of bucks fizz, she took it gratefully.