Caden: Ride with Me

9. 9

Caden found himself grinning like an idiot as he watched Olivia stand up in front of the table where the bride and groom sat holding hands.

His girl lifted a microphone and spoke into it, bringing the soft murmurings all around them to silence as everyone waited to hear what she had to say.

“Welcome and thank you all for coming out to help Lainey and Jared celebrate. For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Olivia, Lainey’s younger and sometimes most annoying sister, though in my opinion, that title should go to Elizabeth.”

A soft laugh rippled through the crowd.

“I know traditionally the toast is given after the meal, but I wanted to break that, and give the catering staff just a few more minutes to get ready.

“Anyway, enough about me. Let’s get to what we’re all really here for. Lainey and Jared. These two have been together since what seems like the dawn of time. And I’m not kidding. They have been inseparable from their first day of kindergarten and I’m not sure about anyone else, but I’ve wondered what took them so long to get to this point.” She turned and looked at the bride and groom, a loving look in her eyes. “But all kidding aside, I wish you two a lifetime of happiness and joy. We all know there will be rough times and tears, but those will pass as long as you remember you two have everything you need in each other.” She lowered the mike and handed it off to the best man then turned and nodded to her sister before heading his way.

“I thought you might sit with your sister, being the maid of honor and all,” Caden said when she took the seat beside his at the table.

“No, we discussed it but decided not to, especially since most of the wedding party was bringing dates. It would have left their dates sitting alone through the meal, and what’s the point in that?”

“I guess I didn’t think about it like that.”

“I’m glad we did.” She reached over and covered his hand in hers, gave it a quick squeeze then turned back to where the best man was still talking.

Nearly an hour later, the meal over, the DJ that had been playing quietly until now, picked up the mike and announced the first dance. The first notes of a song came over the PA system and recognition made Caden grin. He watched as the bride and groom circled the table and began to dance together as the familiar notes of One Man Band by Old Dominion played.

“Not what I would have guessed for a couple that’s been together for so long, but it works.”

Olivia made a face. “I said as much to Lainey, but she insisted. This is the song Jared proposed to. I get it and when you know that it makes sense. But I had a couple of other songs picked out.”

“Like?” Caden found himself asking as he watched the couple on the dance floor sway back and forth while gazing into each other’s eyes.

“Mostly older songs, but things they’ve listened to for years. Don’t Take the Girl, We Danced, Amazed, that kind of thing.”

He looked at the pair dancing and then back to Olivia.

“Some of those songs are older than they are.”

“Nah, but some of them are from when we were kids.” She turned to grin at him. “Like I said, those two have been thick as thieves since we were kids. It seems like he’s always been around to me.”

“Did they ever date anyone else?”

To his surprise, Olivia nodded. “They did. In high school they were on again off again, then they went to different schools in college and decided it would be too hard to keep things together with the distance, but they kept ending up together. It was during their senior year they gave up fighting it. I know it hasn’t always been easy for them. They’ve had several rough spots, but they always managed to get through them, usually by leaning on each other. I have faith that now that they’ve made it this far, nothing can tear them apart.”

Caden wasn’t so sure, but he wouldn’t say anything, partly because a wedding wasn’t the place for that, and partly because he didn’t know these two. Maybe they were destined for each other. He glanced at Olivia again and wanted to drag her out onto the dance floor, just so he had an excuse to hold her close to him, maybe kiss her again. But he waited. He would get the chance he just had to be patient.