It was like a dream - the fresh cut blue spruce festooned with pine cones and deep burgundy bows adorning the pews, the snow falling softly outside, the air just cold enough to see your breath but not freezing the bride and her attendants in their strapless gowns. The entire day could have come straight from a fairy tale.

And most importantly, he stood there at the end of the long aisle fidgeting in his tuxedo jacket as one, two and then three girls marched by him, dutifully turning to face the back of the church. 

Finally, it was Leah's turn. Taking a deep breath she stepped into the church, nervous but doing her best to hide it with an air of confidence, a show for those sitting in the back few pews. Glancing down at her gorgeous bouquet of poinsettias and ferns she walked with a purpose. 

And then she looked up and saw him.

He had stopped fidgeting the second she had begun the long walk towards him. His shoulders were squared and he looked at ease as he shot her that brilliant smile. 

She had always told JC he could make anyone's knees go weak with that smile. The corner of his eyes would crinkle while they danced with merriment. It was her favorite part about him.

Leah could read him like a book based on those brilliant blues alone - and right now she couldn't help but think of how she spent an entire semester during college trying to get him to stop looking at her like that. It turned her into jelly every time and she always succumbed to whatever he was trying to get from her. Why had she wasted so much time fighting the inevitable?

She knew he was thinking of similar memories as he winked at her while she approached. She couldn't help but smile back. 

As she approached him, JC stepped down the only remaining step between them and she'd pictured this moment countless times before - he'd reach out, take her hand and escort her up those few steps to face their future together. 

Instead she had to keep her focus as she nodded and walked right past him, making the turn to face the back of the church with the other bridesmaids. And as she settled into place plastering a smile on her face, she watched as another woman approached them and caused his face to radiate the joy she normally saw reflected towards her. She watched as another woman took those steps towards a shared future.

As she turned her face away from the crowd she allowed herself to feel the heartbreak. Not only because the man she loved was marrying another woman he loved, but also because of how much she knew they were hurting the woman standing in front of him with her eyes shining with love and absolute trust each and every time they shared a wink or a nod as they had while she walked down the aisle.

 Only then did Leah ask herself just how in the hell she got herself caught in this situation in the first place.