Page 16 of Fighting Mr. Knight

We’ve spent the day in the chapel, practising our walk, faffing about with flowers—moving them then moving them back again—and generally trying to stop Kate from having a bridal breakdown.

All day, she has alternated between panic attacks and apologising to me for putting me in such a painful situation.

After my decoupled status went public, she’d asked if I still wanted to be her bridesmaid.

Blindsided is not a strong enough word to describe my reaction when Max informed me that his preference was‘I don’t’rather than ‘I do.’ To be honest, I don’t want to attend a wedding for a good decade, but Kate has been with me longer than Max.

No way was I going to cancel.

The four of us are crammed into my car on the way to the castle, two miles from the chapel. A bridesmaid’s life is not easy. I’m exhausted.

“Can you drive quieter, please? That noise is so loud,” Nisha says, moaning. “Make it stop.” She’s slumped, eyes closed, mouth open, head pressed against the headrest. I’m the smug friend that is glad I went to bed early last night.

“It’s the engine. Unless I fly through the air like Mary Poppins, you’ll just have to tolerate it. Ten minutes and we’ll be back.”

“You better not be bloody hungover for my wedding tomorrow,” Kate scolds from behind me.

I roll down the window. “Let’s get some fresh air in. That’ll help you, Nish. It’s nice to be out of London for a change. This countryside is amazing.”

Nisha grunts. “Take a picture of it. I’ll look at it later.”

“You shouldn’t have inhaled all the tequila,” I chide.

Her lips quiver, but her eyes remain closed. “Don’t say that word.”

Becky tuts from the backseat. “Good one, Nisha, I was planning to get Jack drunk and seduce him, but you cleaned us out.”

“You didn’t get lucky with him last night?” Kate asks.

Becky sighs. “No, but I’m slowly chipping away. The weekend is still young. If only we could swap groomsmen, Bonnie.”

I shift uncomfortably in my seat. If only we could.

Nisha is now open-eyed and smirking at me. “Bonnie had a private trip to Jack’s bedroom yesterday.”

Damn you, Nisha.

The minute she saw me yesterday, she knew I was holding something back from her.

“You’ve been very quiet about it,” she adds. “Too quiet, if you ask me.”

“No. Bonnie, you can’t.” Becky leans forward in the backseat to peer in at me. “I’m having him at this wedding.”

“You’re safe,” I tell her. “Believe me, I would never go there. He’s all yours.”

“Oh, please,” she scoffs. “You have eyes.”

I laugh loudly. Too loudly. “He knows Max and is one of our largest paying clients. I’m about to do a project that could advance my career.”And he turfed my dad out on his ass like a piece of shit.

She nods feverishly. “I agree. Terrible idea. Career-destroying.”

“I wouldn’t worry. Bonnie has taken a vow of celibacy,” Nisha says dryly.

Ouch. “It’s not like I don’t have my reasons.”

“You don’t have your reasons. Not anymore. Especially now we know Max is dating.”

The car falls silent.

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