by Laura Ward
Pastor Jeff chuckled into his microphone. “A little impatient, Dean?”
Dean looked into Grace’s eyes, his expression dead serious. “You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for this moment. For my family.”
Sniffles could be heard throughout the crowd, but I just smiled. I understood. That kind of love is one that you wait for, but once you have it in front of you…. You don’t waste another second.
Pastor Jeff began the ceremony, and we witnessed my brother and Grace profess their love, commitment, and respect for each other in front of us. Right after the vows were exchanged, the Pastor called Finn back to Dean and Grace.
“Little dude, I have a question for you.” Dean knelt on the ground, closer to Finn’s eye level.
“What’s that?” Finn asked.
Dean took a paper from his jacket pocket. “Would it be okay if I adopted you? If you took my last name and the three of us were one family for the rest of our lives?”
Finn let out a sob and threw his little body into Dean’s arms. His shoulders shook as Dean held him, Grace rubbing his back, her tears falling as she looked down at her two favorite guys.
I’d have bet all the money in the world that there wasn’t a dry eye in the place. Even my Dad, the Big Kahuna himself, clutched Mom’s hand in his big paw, tears rolling down his face.
The whole ceremony felt like more than a wedding to me.
It felt like a love story come to life.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Jon
“YOU MAY NOW kiss the bride.” When Pastor James announced those long awaited six words, Dean dipped Grace low, kissing her deeply. And in typical Dean-style, he didn’t stop until the clapping slowed and the whole thing started to get a little uncomfortable. Finally, Grace smacked his chest, laughing into his kiss and he pulled away.
The audience stood, cheering, and applauding as the elegant bride and stupid-happy groom walked down the aisle officially as man and wife. They made their way to the back of the enormous tent, where cocktail hour had been set up. A huge bar with two bartenders stood ready to serve drinks, and tall round tables were scattered about, where guests could place their appetizer plates and glasses while they socialized before dinner.
Following the rest of the wedding party, I stood at the end of the aisle and held my hand out to Daisy. We linked arms, and I kissed her cheek before we followed the rest of the wedding party down the aisle.
“You look gorgeous, Sunshine.” My words were spoken into her ear, as the eyes of the guests followed us to the cocktail area.
She moved into my arms after we stopped walking. “And you, in a tux, is the hottest thing my eyes have ever seen.” She leaned up onto her tiptoes and kissed my lips.
We joined our friends and family, congratulating the newlyweds and getting drinks from the bar.
I sipped my beer and held onto my girl, eyeing the room. I had to hand it to Dean, they planned a pretty damn good party. By taking pictures before the ceremony, we were free to eat and talk. The wedding planner timed the night down to the second. As soon as the last guest left the ceremony area, curtains closed around it and waiters rushed to turn it over into a dining room. While we ate, this cocktail area would be converted into a dance floor.
“So, wanna fill us in on everything we missed, you freaking taco warmer?” Landon clinked his bottle against mine as he wrapped his other arm around Emma’s shoulders.
“No.” Emma placed her hand on his chest and looked up into her boyfriend’s eyes. “No penis nickname jokes today, guys. It’s a wedding for God’s sake.” She stomped her foot, and we all laughed.
“Okay, Shorty. We’ll keep it clean, just for you.” Landon kissed her neck, and she melted back against his side.
“You got it, Ms. Harris,” I added, just because I knew it got to her.
“Oh, no, Jon Roberts. The teacher-student jokes stop right this minute. Or you will never hear the end of my teasing for snatching up your best friend’s little sister!” Emma tilted her head to the side and waited with narrowed eyes for my decision.
“Fine,” I shrugged. “You win. Let’s leave it that we both like them a little young, yeah?”
Emma groaned and wrinkled her nose as Landon, Daisy, and I laughed.
“All right, weirdos, I’ve got to check on my cake and cupcakes.” Daisy smiled and pulled away.
“Need any help?” I asked her.
She shook her head. “Nope. I got everything finished yesterday, and Amy and Izzy are helping me set up, but I’m still scared to death. I can’t believe Dean and Grace wanted me to make something so important for their day. I haven’t even taken pastry classes yet.” Daisy chewed on the corner of her lip as she wrung her hands.
“Everything will be flawless.” With a kiss to her forehead and then one on the tip of her nose, her body relaxed just a little.
Daisy waved and headed inside her home.
“Dude, fill us in. C’mon, you shocked the shit out of us last night,” Landon said, leaning forward.
Running a hand over my cropped hair, I blew out a breath. “I don’t know exactly when it started. I mean, I’ve known her my whole life, but one day I really saw her. She was in high school, and I was away at IU, so I knew nothing could happen, but we got close. As friends. And she’s just… amazing. This past year, she helped me study for the LSAT’s, cooked for me, got to know me, and I tried to help her, too. You know, with being more confident and psyching her up that she knew she could handle college away from her family.”
Landon nodded, his face somber. “I noticed the difference in her recently. Daisy was always so painfully shy, and seemed to feel awkward in her own skin. Now she’s happy. You can see it all over her.”
“When did you realize you were falling in love, Jon?” Emma asked, sipping a glass of white wine.
I took another pull of my beer. “Probably Thanksgiving. But I fought it. So did she, but I was the worst. And then we got caught, and I was forced to go home and talk to my mom.”
Landon’s brows rose. “How’d that go?”
“Better than I thought. She wants to have a relationship. Not sure I would have even considered that if I hadn’t seen you with your dad at the bar.” I clinked my beer bottle against his.
Landon grinned. “Thanks, but you didn’t need me to figure that out. Emma’s been prepping me for that moment for a long time. I was ready. I’d thought it all through. And at the end of the day, being the bigger person and accepting an apology feels damn good, doesn’t it?”
Ricky and his date walked over to our group. “What feels good?” He asked, a flirty grin on his face.
“Forgiving people for their actions and mistakes.” I raised my eyebrows and stared at him as the smile fell from his face.
He cleared his throat. “I want to introduce you all to someone. This is Aveline. Aveline, these are my friends, Jon, Landon, and Emma.”
We all shook hands, but did it openly staring at this girl. In no universe that I knew of would this be the kind of girl I would expect Ricky to date. Not to mention the fact that she wasn’t Hispanic, and he only ever dated Latina girls, but Aveline was… well, she was delicate. If I had to point out a human that looked like a fairy, I’d choose her. Her light brown hair was tied back in some kind of fancy bun, and her skin almost looked translucent compared to Ricky’s natural brown tones. Her eyes were gray, a shade I had never seen before, and outlined in brown glasses. Her mouth was tiny as well, and her little hands, as they shook ours, were shaky. I feared if I laughed too hard or the wind picked up, she might blow away.
When her back was turned, I mouthed to Ricky. “This is her?” This was the chick he’d been sneaking off to see? The one that had him in such knots he ran out of a bachelor party? Not that she wasn’t attractive or warranted it. She just wasn’t what I pictured.
Where in the hell did he meet this girl?
He gave me a sharp nod, then obviously picked up on my line of thinking, and immediately shook his
head to signal that I needed to shut the fuck up.
“So nice to meet you, Aveline. Your name is lovely. Is it French?” Emma asked.
Aveline nodded, looking up at Ricky and smiling before answering. “Yes, both of my parents are from France.” She smoothed down the skirt of her plum-colored dress, her fingers moving restlessly over the fabric.
“Are you in school?” Emma asked.
Aveline shook her head. “I graduated last year. I’m a sign language interpreter.”
Ricky’s face was blank, devoid of any emotion as she spoke softly to us.
Emma grinned. “That must be interesting. Tell me about it while we get another drink.” She placed her hand on Aveline’s elbow and guided her to the bar.
“She’s… not what I expected,” Landon told Ricky with bulging eyes.
Ricky looked to the side, his jaw muscles popping. Despite his tuxedo, he looked badass. His black hair pulled back into a low, tight ponytail and tattoos visible on his neck and hands. The fact that he rode his motorcycle here was never in doubt. What I couldn’t picture, however, was Aveline on the back of it.
“What’s happening? Have you told her?” I asked Ricky. He stared back at me, not saying a word and I knew I had my answer.
This had disaster written all over it. This chick put Ricky’s father in that wheelchair, and now it looked like Ricky was falling for her. And she looked just as smitten. A girl he was hiding his entire life from was his date to his best friend’s wedding. What was going to happen when she found out that the only reason Ricky sought her out was to get revenge on her and her family for ruining his father’s life? Ricky’s life?
Like I said, disaster.
“What’s going on?” Landon asked hands out to the sides. “Tell who what?”
“Who what what, babe?” Emma and Aveline stood behind Landon, fruity martini drinks in their hands.
Ricky froze, looking panicked and ready to bolt.
“With Daisy,” I said, quickly. “She went to check on the cupcakes and isn’t back yet. I’ve been wanting to tell her something. I’m going to see if I can find her. Landon, can you get me another round. See if Dean needs one, too.”
Landon nodded slowly, and then took Emma’s hand as they walked back to the bar.
I rolled my head back and forth as I moved toward the house. That was uncomfortable as shit. Ricky was still messed up over everything with Aveline, and I hated seeing him that way. I wished I could find a way to help.
The garage was full of catering supplies and was the only space Daisy could find to store the desserts. The door was open, and I spotted her from a distance, lining cupcakes on tiered trays to display during dinner. Amy and Izzy stood on either side of her, handing her cupcakes and bringing over more trays.
I stopped before entering the garage, taking a minute to ogle Daisy without her knowledge. My dick hardened at the sight. Her body worked that dress just right. The gold fabric was satiny and hugged her curves, highlighting her tiny waist, just as it showcased her phenomenal ass. Because Grace was a saint, she chose strapless dresses, and with Daisy’s rack, sneak peeks at her cleavage were going to cause me physical pain all night.
I started forward but stopped in my tracks at the words I heard.
“Oh my God. Look at this. Her only friends are kids that ride the short bus?” Belinda and Marnie were dressed in black pants and black button down shirts. They sauntered over toward Daisy, who stood ramrod straight, her back to them.
Amy and Izzy turned around, each wearing fancy dresses with makeup and styled hair. Their faces were confused, thank God. I could only hope they weren’t familiar with that particular insult.
“Right? I always knew she was a loser, but this reaches a whole new level of pathetic,” Marnie added with a snort laugh.
Belinda took a step closer. “And where do we find them? In the garage of all places, hunched over the desserts, probably feeding their faces when no one is looking.”
While Amy and Izzy missed the first insult, they clearly knew they were being mocked now. Amy’s lips pinched together, and she pushed her glasses up higher on her nose. Izzy’s eyes narrowed, and she planted her hands on her hips.
The bitches giggled, and I started to move, but Daisy turned around to face them, so I stopped again. Her face was hard, her skin flushed, but she didn’t look embarrassed.
She looked pissed.
“Excuse me?” Daisy planted her hands on her hips. “Who do you think you are, talking to me and my friends like that? Here in my house?”
“We know exactly who we are. We’re better than you, that’s for sure.” Marnie stepped close enough to jab her finger at Daisy’s chest.
In a split second, Daisy grabbed that finger and yanked it off of her, sending Marnie back a step with a shove.
“You are the hired help here today.” She motioned to the server uniforms both girls wore. “And trust me, if my brother or his wife knew you both were here, they’d kick you right out. So, if I were you, I would back off, shut your mouths, and just do your job.”
Belinda shook her head, looking Daisy from head to toe. “What’s gotten into you? You think you can take us on?”
Daisy smiled at the girls, a smile that was so strong and so self-assured that I wanted to fist pump the sky above me.
“I don’t want to take you on. I don’t want to know you. I don’t want to speak to you ever again. I want to live my life and forget I ever had the horrible misfortune of being in your presence. Because unlike you, I’m a good person. I’m beautiful, inside and out. And that is something you two will never, ever be.” Daisy grinned again at them, and Marnie formed her hands into fists.
“What’s up, ladies?” I asked as I crossed the room in quick strides, standing between the two sides.
“Thank God, you’re here, Jon.” Belinda waved her hand in her face as if she might cry at any moment. “Daisy has been threatening our jobs tonight because she’s still so jealous of us.”
“I think she was about to throw cupcakes at me.” Marnie accused, mouth hanging open in mock shock, and I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from smiling.
“Is that so?” My gaze moved from the two girls to the woman I loved. “Would you like me to deal with her?”
“Oh yes, please!” Belinda nearly squealed with excitement.
Marnie clasped her hands in front of her. “Thank you, Jon!”
I prowled to Daisy, my back to Belinda and Marnie. When my body was pressed against hers, I ran my hand up her neck and around to the back of her head, bringing our faces close, my lips hovering over hers.
The garage was silent, but I swore I could feel the other two holding their breaths in confusion.
My mouth slammed onto Daisy’s, and her hands fisted my jacket as we attacked one another.
“What the hell?” Belinda yelled, and we pulled away, gasping for air.
Moving Daisy to my side, I slipped an arm around her waist. “You’re still here?”
“W-h-h-hat?” Marnie spluttered. “You’re with her? But she’s fat—”
“You can stop right there.” I pointed a finger at Marnie, but Daisy placed a hand on my forearm.
“I’ve got this, babe.”
I looked down at her, and she nodded, calm as I had ever seen. I let her have the floor.
“I used to believe that. What you both told me, that I was fat and ugly. It made high school a living hell for me. But now those words don’t hurt me.”
Daisy slipped her hand into mine and squeezed.
“When you both grow up and live in the real world, you’ll understand there is no one way to live or to look. I’ve worked with these two women this year—” She motioned to Amy and Izzy, and continued, “who are beautiful in every way. And what I’ve learned from falling in love with Jon,” she said as she looked up at me and smiled, a private, intimate look that hinted of secret touches and first times trusting a man with her body, “is that you have to love yourself first, and then when a man fi
ts with you like he was made to, you’ll be ready. And you’ll know that you’re the sexiest thing he’s ever seen, just like he is to you.”
She rested her head on my shoulder, but continued to address a slack-jawed Belinda and an extremely confused-looking Marnie.
“I hope you both are able to find that someday. My someday got here much sooner than I ever thought it could, and I couldn’t be happier. Now, if you don’t want to get fired, I’d hurry along and get back to work.”
We waited, facing Daisy’s bullies, for any last retorts or insults, but none came. The two continued to stare, a matching look of utter disbelief on their faces until a call from inside the kitchen jolted them into action. They hurried up the stairs, the door banging shut behind them.
I pulled her to me, both of our arms looped around the other’s waist. “You did it. You finally stood up to them.”
“I love myself enough to do that now. And that began with you, my gentle beast, when you started out loving my food and eventually loving all of me, and then showed me what it meant to fall for my best friend… and have everything I ever wanted in life.”
“Sunshine,” I whispered against her lips.
“You two need to get a room,” Amy muttered, walking out of the garage.
“I think they were finally honest with their hearts, okay, Roomie?” Izzy agreed, following her.
I laughed against Daisy’s lips, and we kissed until we heard the wedding planner call our names to line up.
The night had just begun. It was time to party, Goldsmith style.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Daisy
THE WEDDING ENDED in a flurry of sparklers and well wishes for the new couple. As soon as their limo drove away, I pulled Mom aside. “Jon and I are going to stay at a hotel tonight. The house is packed, and we need some time to talk and plan.”
Mom winked. “Okay, don’t stay up too late planning your trip to New York, dear.”
“Really?” I asked her. “You don’t mind?”
