Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 100713 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 504(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100713 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 504(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
Next came Blair, her eyes shining with tears, her smile a little smaller and more sentimental. She walked slower too, looking like the former pageant queen she was, her chin high, her gliding steps careful but confident.
Then the crowd murmured a collective awww, and I grinned when I saw Mariah coming up the aisle in her bright peach dress, her dark hair lustrous in the sunlight, her blue eyes wide and bright. Her smile was so huge it revealed nearly every one of her teeth, and when she made eye contact with her dad, he had to wipe away a tear. I pulled a tissue from my purse and did the same.
Then all the guests rose to their feet, and I peered down the aisle to see Cheyenne on the arm of her big brother as they made their way up the aisle. Cheyenne’s youthful face was radiant with happiness—you could see the girl with a crush on her brother’s best friend, a girl who’d never loved anyone else, a girl whose dreams had finally come true. Griffin’s face was more stoic, his jaw set, his shoulders back. But about halfway up the aisle, he looked down at Cheyenne and cracked a smile. She glanced up at him and smiled back, and the love between them was as sweet and clear as the music filling the air.
Cole smiled too as his future wife approached on the arm of his lifelong best friend. I tried to imagine what that would be like—to see your past and your future intertwined. To know for certain you were right where you belonged and surrounded by everyone who loved you. To share your life with people who could look back with you and laugh or cry, then look forward with hope.
I wiped my eyes again as Griffin kissed his sister on the cheek, shook Cole’s hand, and took his place between Enzo and Beckett. My eyes traveled over the four friends in their navy suits, their shoulders broad and strong, their foreheads glistening in the heat, their arms at their sides.
At that moment, Beckett looked at me. His lips parted, and he blinked. It was almost like he was seeing me for the first time. My heart began to race.
But then he looked away again, the solemn expression back on his face.
I looked away too, my eyes blurring with tears.
This was ridiculous. Was I going to torture myself staring at him all night? Imagining he saw me differently? Was I so naïve that I thought he was going to suddenly look at me and realize he couldn’t live without me? How many times was I going to go looking for an answer he couldn’t give? A feeling he didn’t feel? A future he didn’t want?
Choking back tears, I made up my mind. As soon as I could, I’d slip out of the crowd, order a car to take me back to Beckett’s house, pack up and leave Bellamy Creek behind. I’d be sorry not to say goodbye to the girls, but I’d text them—they’d understand.
Cole took Cheyenne’s hands, and the ceremony began.
Twenty-One
Beckett
Standing behind Cole and Moretti, I watched Bianca and Blair come up the aisle. The sun was hot on my face, and I was sweaty beneath my suit. The faint breeze was a relief.
But I forgot about my discomfort momentarily as I watched Mariah make her way between the rows of chairs, looking happier than I’d ever seen her. She was like family to me, and seeing her lit up from the inside tugged at my heart. Cole was so lucky to have such a bright, beautiful daughter. And the way she was looking at him, like he was her hero, made my chest tighten. What would that be like?
Would I be as good a dad as Cole? Would I be a different kind of father than my own? Was I a fool to throw away my chance to find out?
As I grappled with those questions, Griffin started walking his sister up the aisle, and I thought about my own sisters, how lucky I was to have them, how much they’d sacrificed for me growing up. We hadn’t had an easy time. Yet somehow they’d managed to forge a strong belief in love and commitment, to trust someone enough to build a life with them, to have children together.
I watched Griffin kiss Cheyenne on the cheek, and wondered if he was looking at her and saw—like I did—the little girl in pigtails and overalls who used to follow us around, or the awkward adolescent who used to stare longingly through the fence at baseball practice, or the pretty teenager who came to every game and cheered us on like she had four brothers instead of one.
She felt like family too.
As Griffin shook hands with Cole, I knew that it was more than just a formality. That this wedding wasn’t just an exchange of vows between bride and groom. There was a promise being made between Griffin and Cole too. With that handshake, Griffin was telling his friend I trust you with someone I love, and Cole was making a promise—I’ll honor and cherish her forever.