He offers an unapologetic smile. “Sorry, but you’ll get through Nash and Kevin without them being able to touch you.”

I roll my eyes, submitting to my five-foot-three fate.

Beth, Anna’s maid of honor, shoots me a warning glare as she steps back from the huddle. Folding her arms over her chest defiantly, she looks me up and down in disgust. “I am not playing with her.” She shakes her head. “She almost killed my best friend!”

Killed? Bit dramatic. I try not to laugh out loud, looking to the ground as I bite back my smile.

“It was an accident,” Harley says, trying to placate her. “Isn’t that right, Murph?” He nudges me with his elbow, and I glance up, trying so hard to remain poker-faced, but the absolute look of horror in Beth’s eyes makes it difficult. I mean, you’d think I actually did kill someone the way she’s looking at me.

“Yeah.” I nod, pressing my lips together to stifle my threatening laughter. “Total accident.”

Harley claps his hands together. “Win big, on three,” he shouts, holding a hand in the middle of the huddle. We each put our hands over his, and I watch Beth flash me a narrow-eyed glare as she reluctantly reaches in, her long, skinny fingers hovering over the top of mine.

“One! Two! Three! Win big!” we yell in unison before breaking apart and taking our positions on the improvised field.

Harley’s play consists of him faking a handoff to his friend, Seth. He then crosses to me, handing me the ball, and I tuck it under my arm, turning and checking my path before running with everything I have toward our end zone. I dodge Kevin, and then Nash, laughing when Nash slips on the grass and falls on his butt. I slip past Whitney, another of Anna’s blonde bridesmaids, but then, not looking where I’m going, I slide on a patch of mud, and I almost fall to the ground, stumbling unsteadily and fumbling the ball.

“Go, baby!” I hear Nash yell from the other end of the yard.

I turn to see Anna running for me, her blonde hair flapping in the breeze as she giggles and laughs, successfully dodging the mud before reaching for me, and I panic. I’m taken by complete surprise as she comes at me from my blindside, so of course my natural instinct is to throw an elbow out in defense. I was just trying to scare her off. I didn’t actually expect to connect with her. But I do connect with her. Hard. And poor, unsuspecting Anna crumbles to the ground in a heap, clutching her right eye and screaming bloody murder at the top of her lungs.

“Anna!” Nash runs toward us.

Like a deer caught in the headlights of a rusted old Ford, I freeze, looking around to see everyone hurrying over, their eyes wide and their faces stark. Nash drops to his knees, carefully helping his fiancée from the mud as she continues bellowing while her bridesmaids crowd around her, pushing me out of the way a little aggressively.