Round 42

W e readied ourselves at the back of the aisle in preparation for the wedding ceremony. William stood at my side and offered me his arm. I took it, and using every piece of concentration in my brain, managed to walk down the aisle without tripping, without looking up at those dark eyes, and without melting at the thought of the last couple days and the rest of forever.

We reached the front, where Shaun stood ready to receive his bride, his expression soft and nervous but full of love. He beamed at William as he took his position beside him.

The music stopped, and the classic piano piece Neema had chosen played the opening chords. The guests twisted in their seats, each hoping to catch the first glimpse of the bride. Seconds later, she stepped into view. A collective gasp echoed through the room as she walked down the aisle, her ivory gown shimmering in the sunlight, and it was clear that her happiness captured the hearts of everyone, leaving us all awed at her beauty and grace.

Watching my two best friends declare their love for each other was something I would never forget.

Following the ceremony, we sat down for dinner, and I couldn’t stop myself from searching the crowd for the man who supposedly looked like an older Shaun. I found him—staring at me. Or not directly at me, but in my direction at the person beside me. William.

William followed my gaze, and his eyes met his father’s. His breath hitched, and his body stiffened. When the older man gave him a pained expression, I stood and pulled William away and out of the line of fire.

While I avoided conflict, a heat in my chest sprung to defend the man I loved.

“I’m a big boy,” William said, his tone bitter as he gently released my hand, which was clutching onto his jacket sleeve. “I can handle myself.”

“No doubt you can. But you’re going to have to get used to me loving you, which means you’ll never have to handle yourself.”

William shot me a provocative look, pulling his bottom lip between his teeth. “Oh yeah?”

My hands shot up to my warm face. “That sounded a lot more suggestive than I had planned.”

He smiled at me, but there was a sadness lingering in the soft lines on his face.

“It’s not fair.” I ground my teeth in frustration. “You didn’t choose to be conceived. There were two consenting parties, and you weren’t one of them.”

“He used to say, when he looked at me, all he saw was his mistake; and his wife only saw his infidelity. As did everyone else, including his patients, their family, and their friends.” A shadow moved behind his eyes, weighing down his features. “When my mom died and my gran couldn’t take care of me anymore, she sent me to him. I nearly ruined his life, his reputation, and his marriage.”

I blinked back tears and placed my palm on his cheek. “It’s not your fault.”

His expression relaxed under my touch before hardening once again. Turning around, my body straightened with anger as Shaun approached with their father following closely behind.

Face flushed, Shaun raised a warning eyebrow at his father. “Tell William what you told me.”

The older man—exactly the same height as Shaun but shorter than William—cleared his throat before lowering his gaze to his feet. “William, I’ve been meaning to talk to you—to apologize.”

William barely breathed.

“I… I went out of my way to be here, not only to see Shaun get married, but because I assumed it would be the only place I could see you.” He gazed at William through the same dark eyes I’d grown to love.

“You didn’t deserve my anger… or the way I treated you. It wasn’t fair,” he continued. “But your arrival threw my life upside down. Belinda wanted to leave, and Shaun suddenly had a brother he wanted to get to know. And everyone—every person who met you—knew I’d cheated on my wife.” He inhaled a deep breath. “It was easier to send you away, to blame you. When you weren’t around, we could pretend I hadn’t messed up, and I wasn’t the one at fault. But I was at fault—entirely. I couldn’t even blame your mother.” He tugged at his collar and breathed quickly. “She had no idea I was married.”

The Adam’s apple in William’s throat jumped.

Shaun jabbed his father with his elbow, his expression hard. “And?”

William’s father blew out another breath. “And I’m so sorry for all the awful things I made you believe about yourself. You don’t ruin things. You don’t spread misery—I did all that on my own. And judging by how close you and Shaun are, despite my efforts to keep the two of you apart, I realize I’ve missed out on years of joy we could have shared.”

Shaun crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes darting between his brother and their father.

“I don’t expect you to forgive me today, or ever,” their father continued. “But I wanted to tell you I’ve been in therapy, and Belinda and I have worked through a lot of this. But you. I have so many regrets when it comes to the way I treated you. William, you are more of a man than I will ever be, and I am so sorry that I made you feel like you weren’t good enough.”

Having said his piece, he turned to leave but stopped as William spoke in the quietest voice.

“Thank you,” William whispered.

I wasn’t sure if his words were meant for his father or his brother, but William’s father took them for himself.

Turning back toward William, he took a step forward and placed a hand on his shoulder, giving it a gentle pat.

A smile spread across Shaun’s face, and he pulled his father and brother into his embrace.

After a moment, Shaun pulled away and swiped at his wet cheeks. “William, Rose: in you get. It’s almost time for your speeches.”

With a subtle nod at his father and brother, William weaved our fingers together and pulled me with him. As we walked away, I looked up at him, and he smiled down at me, his eyes shiny and red-rimmed. Pulling him to a stop, I stood on tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek.

“I love you,” I whispered. “You okay?”

He grinned. “True love’s kiss really works.”

I bit my bottom lip. “You do the opposite of causing me misery.”

“Oh, I am well aware.” His sexy dimple popped in his cheek.

I threw a gentle punch, but he caught me and pulled me into an embrace.

Safe in the warmth of his arms and secure in his love for me, I looked up at him. “Dudley from Fun&Games called to set up a meeting for next week.”

“Seriously?”

I nodded. “Because of all the lovely things you said about me when you met with them.”

William blushed. He was cute when he blushed. “All true. What else did he say?”

“Not much, but it felt suspiciously like it would be an interview. They asked when I’d be receiving my MBA and admitted that they had stalked me on LinkedIn and were kind of impressed with what they found.”

“Because you’re very impressive.”

“Stop it.”

“You are.” He pinched my chin between his thumb and forefinger. “You’re brave and smart and funny, and somehow, you find the time to help everyone. You’re there for anyone who needs you. You’re incredible.”

If he wasn’t holding me up, I’d melt away.

His lips pressed against my forehead. “You’d be a perfect fit there.”

“I don’t want to get ahead of myself. I’ll start the job hunt next week too. Once I can survive without being glued to your hip.”

He laughed and then pulled me against his chest. My heart felt as though it doubled in size.

Lifting my hands to his lips, he kissed the backs of my knuckles. “Now come on, we have speeches to prepare for.”

William took the mic at the podium and cleared his throat. “Hello. For those of you who don’t know, I’m William.” He paused, his gaze going to his father, who was seated near the front.

The older man smiled at him.

“William Ashdern.” He cleared his throat. “I, uh… I wrote a really long and heartfelt speech, but I recently found out Shaun and Neema read it when I wasn’t looking. So I won’t be delivering it.”

He winked at Shaun, who moaned and covered his face guiltily.

William continued. “What I will say is this: Shaun and Neema were made for each other, and I have no doubt they’ll have a long and happy marriage.” His hand tightened around mine as he pulled me closer and gazed down at me. “And there’s nothing I can say that she can’t say better. So let me introduce you to my favorite person in the entire universe, our very own, beautiful, hobbit cheerleader, Rose.”

He handed the mic to me, and my heart shook. I’d prepared for this, but I hadn’t prepared for William to introduce me like that. I was enjoying the lightness in his eyes and his big smile.

“Thank you, William.” I turned to the guests. “Hi, yes… I’m Rose, the maid of honor, and I’m pleased to be celebrating this day with all of you. When your best friend gets married, it kind of feels like your own wedding. When your best friend is marrying your other best friend, it means you don’t sleep from the moment they get engaged until right about now. So, if you find me asleep in the corner after this, don’t be alarmed. But please remember to use your inside voice.”

A few people in the audience chuckled.

“Jokes aside, look at them. Like, really look. How beautiful are they? Shaun and Neema are two of the most wonderful people I have ever met, and I wish them nothing but the best.”

Neema reached up and squeezed my hand.

The next few words weren’t planned, but they poured out of me anyway.

“Not too long ago, I resigned from a job that didn’t suit me. But it was also a job that brought Shaun into my life, and more importantly, it brought these two together. Knowing this, I’d go through that struggle over and over again if I knew it would end where we are today, with the two of them falling in love.” I looked down at my two best friends. “I love you both.”

“We love you,” they shouted in unison.

Shaun stood, kissed me on the cheek, and whispered in my ear, “Mind if I say a few words?”

I passed him the mic.

Shaun smiled out at his guests. “Thank you all for coming to celebrate with us. I’m the luckiest man in the world. I married the girl of my dreams, but I also have the best brother and friend to thank for pulling this all together.” He smiled at William and me. “So, how about a round of applause for these two, who spent hours upon hours on our balcony, coming up with ways to perfect our wedding day.”

Blood rushed to my cheeks as William doubled over with laughter. Neema couldn’t help herself, either, and burst into giggles.

He wasn’t wrong. It was perfect.