by Hazel Kelly
“We have to celebrate!”
“I know, let’s go to Club Abbott and drink Dirty Shirleys until we can’t understand our own slurs anymore.”
She threw her hands in the air. “I love that plan. How about tonight?!”
“Great idea.” I raised my glass and clinked it against hers.
“Wow,” she said after we chugged half of our twelve-dollar cocktails. “So you guys are really going to pull this thing off.”
“Hell yeah, we are,” I said. “Mardon Associates is open for business and preparing for world domination.”
“Too bad you don’t do advertising for individuals,” she said. “I’d love to have my face on the billboard in Times Square.”
“Never say never. We might have a public relations division someday.”
“Dream big, girl.”
“Something tells me you’ll get there faster on your own, though.”
She shrugged. “I might if I get a callback from the audition I went to today.”
“Remind me again what it was for?”
“A new Mark Duplass project. He’s an indie film genius,” she said, answering my unspoken question.
“Film? That would be cool.”
“More like The Dream,” she said, pulling up the front of her sparkly dress. “But I’m trying not to get my hopes up.”
“I can get them up for you, if you want?”
Her eyes crinkled at the edges. “I’d rather you carry my phone around for the next week instead. I’m so anxious for a callback the thing feels like a ton of bricks in my purse.”
“You know I would.”
“Yeah. But at the same time, I don’t want to miss the moment I get my lucky break, ya know?”
“Of course,” I said, thinking back to the way Landon swung me around the office and showered me with kisses when I brought him the contract I landed. “I totally understand.”
“Hey, isn’t that your brother?” Izzy asked, pointing across the crowded room.
My eyes found him right away and sprang into tiny crescents. “I’m so glad he made it!”
“Why wouldn’t he?”
“Kelsey just found out she’s pregnant last week, so he’s been reluctant to leave her side.”
“Nothing new there.”
“I know, right? She probably had to force him to come out.” Warmth spread through my chest as I watched Matt pull Landon into a hug, their large hands patting each other firmly on the back. “I’m so glad, though. Especially for Landon.”
“Are you coming or what?” Izzy was standing at the edge of the booth, her empty glass on the table between us. “We should go congratulate the man.”
“Of course,” I said, scooting from my seat.
“Plus, I need another drink,” she said. “We have much to celebrate.”
“So much,” I said, following her towards the two men I loved most. “So, so much.”
F I F T Y
- Landon -
The morning after my birthday, I woke up next to a goddess. She had shiny golden hair, and the way her lips were crushed against the pillow made them look perfectly heart shaped.
I found myself blinking and rubbing my eyes in disbelief. And then the memories of the last year—the best year of my life—came flooding back, one after the other.
Margot Roberts loved me back.
It was a dream come true. There was no other way to describe it, and the best surprise of all was that when that dream came true, others followed suit. Or at least, it happened that way for me.
Not only was I finally able to spend my days spoiling the woman who delighted me most, but my love for her had inspired a series of risks that had paid off, one after the other.
It was as if loving her was the beginning of everything as opposed to the end of something. Like I finally understood the phrase “happily ever after.”
Because she was that for me. I could feel it in the deepest corners of my soul, where I didn’t know light could reach.
She opened and closed her mouth like she was thirsty, which was hard to believe, seeing as how she’d helped my friends and I drink all the booze in Manhattan last night. Our friends, rather.
At this stage, most of them probably preferred her company to mine. Of course, who wouldn’t? She was kind, strong, and charming, and she had this magic ability to make everyone she crossed paths with feel like the most important person in the room.
I should know. I was on the receiving end of her grace more than anybody.
“Are you watching me sleep again?” she asked, the soft notes of her voice escaping before she opened her eyes.
“Is it bothering you?”
She offered lazy smile. “No.”
“Are you thirsty?”
Her eyes popped open, and a look of panic flashed across them. “Desperately.”
I laughed and rolled over to grab the bottle of water from my bedside table.
She took it and leaned up on her elbow, chugging half of it as her bedhead fell from around her face like a mess of ribbons. “What time is it?” she panted.
“Eleven thirty.”
“I hope you weren’t going to let me sleep the day away.”
I shrugged. “It’s not like you wouldn’t deserve it after throwing me the best birthday party of my life.”
“I’m so glad you had fun. I was worried that between my business deal and Matt’s big news your birthday didn’t get the attention it deserved.”
“Are you kidding?” I asked. “The fact that you two had so much to celebrate only made my birthday better.”
“Yeah?”
“Of course.”
“Speaking of Matt, did he get home okay?” she asked.
“He crashed on the couch. Snuck out first thing this morning.”
She scrunched her face. “I hope he doesn’t get in trouble.”
“Not to worry. Kelsey gave me strict instructions to keep him out all night. Apparently, he hasn’t given her a moment’s peace since they got the news.”
“Really?”
“She said he hid all her ’90s jams and has been forcing her to listen to classical music every night.”
Margot laughed. “What a monster! I’ve heard of helicopter parenting, but never helicopter husbanding.”
“He’ll settle down. He doesn’t have the energy to maintain this freakout for much longer.”
“Let’s hope not,” she said, resting her head on her pillow and clutching the water bottle like a teddy bear. “For Kelsey’s sake.”
“He asked me to be the baby’s godfather last night.”
“Really?”
“He was shitfaced, so I won’t hold him to it,” I said. “But it meant a lot.”
“I’m sure he was being sincere.”
“Probably,” I said. “He doesn’t really have another setting.”
“Are you hungry?”
“Is that your way of asking if I’ll make you breakfast in bed?” I asked. “Because it would be my pleasure.”
“Gosh, well, if you insist.”
I smiled.
“I don’t want you to go to any trouble, though. I’d rather have you back in bed with me sooner.”
“What did you have in mind?” I asked, sliding out from under the covers.
“Maybe just something to take the edge off. Like a Cup Noodle, if you have one?”
“If I have one,” I repeated, laughing to myself. Just the other day, she’d replenished my stash and suggested we buy stock in the stuff. “Do you have a flavor preference?”
“Surprise me.”
“That I can do,” I said, turning so she wouldn’t see my smile.
I was waiting for the kettle to boil when she walked through the kitchen on her way to the bathroom.
Even after a year, catching her naked in my apartment still felt like a lottery win every time. “Are you sure you want breakfast in bed?” I asked when I heard her brushing her teeth. “Because if you’re up…”
“I’m
sure,” she said like she had a mouthful of foam. “You didn’t see me!” She tiptoed back to the bedroom a minute later with all the subtlety of a cartoon cat.
I didn’t mind that she was up, of course. I just needed to secure a moment of privacy to collect my thoughts.
I poured the hot water into her Cup Noodle and left it to cook while I went to dig the ring out from where I’d hidden it in the hall closet.
“Do you need help?” she called.
“No!” I said, flinching at my tone before attempting a more normal one. “I’m on my way.” I pulled a packet of chopsticks from the cutlery drawer and snapped them in half, slipping all four pieces through the center of the diamond ring. Then I lowered the bundle into the cup so it rested on the lip above the waterline, bent the foil lid back over the top, and took a deep breath.
Here goes everything, I thought to myself as I carried the tray to her side of the bed, forcing a casual smile so she wouldn’t suspect anything.
She straightened up and leaned back against the pillows she’d already arranged behind her. “Thanks, babe. I owe you one.”
“It’s nothing,” I said, setting the tray down and sitting on the edge of the bed.
She grabbed the fork off the tray and looked at me as she peeled the lid off. “I’ve been craving one of these like you wouldn’t believe.”
I bit the inside of my cheek, holding my breath as she brought the fork towards the rising steam.
She dropped it when she saw the ring, her mouth falling open before she raised her eyes to mine.
I turned towards her and sank down to one knee. “Margot Jessica Roberts, I have been hopelessly devoted to you since the first time I laid eyes on your lopsided pigtails.”
She put a hand over her chest.
“You are the best thing about my past, and I want nothing more than to spend my future waking up beside you, spoiling you rotten, and taking you to bed.”
Tears pooled in her eyes.
“Marry me already, and make my wildest dreams come true by becoming my wife.”
“Yes,” she said. “Of course, I will.”
I stood, reached for the parcel in the steaming cup, and lifted it out carefully.
She extended her hand.
I slid the ring off the chopsticks and blew on it for a second so it wouldn’t burn her.
She laughed, and as I slid it on, a single tear escaped her shiny eyes.
“I love you,” I said, sitting down beside her. “I love you for everything you are and everything you inspire me to become.”
“I love you, too,” she said, holding her ringed hand against my cheek.
I put my hand over hers and held it there, inhaling deeply as I kept my eyes on her baby blues, my heart bursting in my chest from the immortal love I felt for her. Then I leaned forward and kissed her, rejoicing in the knowledge that her lips would be mine forever.
She smiled against my lips, and I pulled back to catch my breath.
“You better eat that before it gets cold,” I said. “It’s supposed to be the best Cup Noodle you’ve ever had.”
“It is,” she said. “No doubt about it.”
“Besides, you’re going to need your energy for the day I have planned.”
“The day you have planned?” she said, her face furrowing as she watched me walk around to my side. “I was kind of hoping we’d stay in bed all day.”
“What a funny coincidence,” I said, slipping back under the covers. “So was I.”
E P I L O G U E
- Margot -
Landon Bishop wasn’t just the best man at my brother’s wedding.
He was the best man, period.
I knew it deep in my bones from the first day I met him.
Well, maybe not the first day. I was only six, after all. And he was just a boy.
But even then, his presence made me feel both firmly grounded and like I was walking on air. It was the best of everything. He was the best of everything. And I was determined to give him the best of me every day for the rest of my life.
I took a deep breath and lifted my eyes to the big wooden doors that stood between me and the man I loved before tightening my grip on the bouquet of wildflowers in my hands.
“You ready, baby girl?” my dad asked, cocking his arm towards me when the organ started to play.
I looked at him and nodded once, squeezing him to me as the doors cracked open in front of us. “Thank you.”
I wanted to be more specific. I wanted to thank him for raising me to believe in myself and trust my gut. I wanted to thank him for being so supportive not only of Landon and me these past few months, but for taking care of the man I loved long before he became mine. And I especially wanted to thank him for holding it together today, which was more than I could say for my mother, whose tears this morning had already wrecked my makeup twice.
But there wasn’t enough time before the doors began opening and the music spilled into the hall.
I could feel the ground vibrating from people’s shifting feet as my dad walked me through the door. I could feel the roomful of eyes settling on me. But all I could see was Landon, staring back at me, his face beaming with anticipation as he clasped his large hands in front of him.
My heart pounded in my chest as I fought the urge to run to him, focusing instead on the awkward, tension-filled baby steps I’d practiced. Whose idea was this? I thought, as I considered ignoring what we’d rehearsed and breaking into a full skip.
I was comforted by the fact that he looked as excited as I felt, though, his jaw clenching between smiles as I approached.
And in that moment, I understood why so many women go total bridezilla with their wedding planning. After all, who wouldn’t want every aspect of their big day to be a reflection of their perfect love? Who wouldn’t want every last detail on the invitations and the menu and the seating chart to in some way facilitate what’s supposed to be the happiest day of their life?
But as my dad handed me over to a man he’d coached in little league, a man he’d taught to drive, a man he’d loved like a son long before I asked him to, I realized none of the wedding planning had anything to do with this high.
All that mattered was that I’d picked the right guy. All that mattered was that, when the music stopped, I couldn’t imagine wanting to be beside anyone else. Not on the altar, not on the wedding night, and certainly not any day for the rest of my life.
See, everyone grows up wishing for things. We’re taught to wish on everything from shooting stars to dandelions to rogue eyelashes and birthday candles. But some things are too big to wish for. The stakes are too high, the idea of the wish going unfulfilled too painful.
Landon Bishop was one of those wishes for me, one of those wishes I struggled to utter even to myself in my most honest, quiet moments. But I knew now as I took my spot at the front of the church and waited for him to lift my veil that I would never stop wishing for him.
Even though he’d finally let me love him as fiercely as I always wanted, I knew I’d spend the rest of my life dreaming of him all night and pinching myself all day.
Because he was my greatest wish come true, my happily ever after, my somewhere over the rainbow.
Looking back, I know I acknowledged the priest at least once or twice, but if I hadn’t met the guy ahead of time, I swear I couldn’t pick him out of a lineup. Everything was blurry that day except for Landon, and finally being able to celebrate my feelings for him took so much weight off my shoulders it was like I had wings.
In fact, I was so lost in his clear blue eyes he had to nudge me so I would say the magic words. “I do,” I said, thinking if I hadn’t had such a big lump in my throat I might have added, “I will. I want to. Yes, please.”
Perhaps Landon could read the enthusiasm in my face because his eyes smiled then like he wanted to laugh at me. Instead, he held it together, saying “I do” with such conviction I had to swallow the lump to blink back tears.
He kissed me a moment la
ter, his hand sliding around my lower back as he pulled me close and gave into his passion more than we’d planned, but I kissed him back.
Of course I kissed him back.
He squeezed my hand so tight as we made our way down the aisle, a crowbar couldn’t have loosened his grip. But his timing was perfect, and it meant everything to know he was as thrilled as I was. Then again, even if he hadn’t squeezed so hard, I would’ve known he was happy when he spun me around outside, my feet flying up behind me as I wrapped my arms around his neck.
“I love you so much,” he said once he’d set me back on my feet.
I kissed him again, holding his handsome face between my hands. “I love you, too.”
“Let me be the first to congratulate you guys,” Matt said, putting a hand on each of our shoulders.
“Thanks,” Landon said as I pulled Matt into a hug.
He rubbed my back and kissed my cheek.
When I stepped back, he gave Landon a hug, too, complete with firm back pats. Then he lifted two fingers towards his eyes before pointing at Landon’s face, as if to say, “I’m watching you, buddy. Don’t fuck this up.”
Landon smiled and slipped a hand around my waist. “I’ll take good care of her, Matt. I promise.”
I looked back and forth between them, my heart warmed by the wordless exchange that followed…until it lasted a bit long and my brother started to resemble a gorilla.
“Are you done, Matt?” I asked. “Because I’d really like my husband to spend today gazing into my eyes, not yours.”
He nodded but held his stare for a moment longer. “Yeah, I’m done.”
“The bar’s that way,” Landon reminded him. “In case you don’t remember from your own wedding.”
Matt rolled his eyes. “Can I grab you guys something before pictures?”
Landon shook his head. “We’ve got some champagne coming. Just look after you and Kelsey. We’ll see you in the garden.” As soon as Matt took off, Landon turned to me and pulled my hips against his. “What was that you called me just now?”
“My husband.”
His brow furrowed with consideration. “I quite enjoyed that, wife.”
