5. Reid
FIVE
REID
“Dude.” Maverick elbows me when I make my way to the front of the ballroom where the ceremony is being held. I stand next to him in my designated spot under an arch made of bright pink and yellow flowers and fix my tie. “Where were you?”
“I was talking to someone,” I say.
“Who?”
“Remember that girl from the bar? She’s here.”
“ What ? What is she doing here? Oh my god. Do you have a stalker?”
“I don’t have a stalker, you fucking weirdo. She’s friends with Maven, apparently.”
“Holy shit,” he says. “Did you talk to her?”
“I asked her to save me a dance. That sounds really fucking cheesy, but I ran into her and then literally fell on top of her. She looked pretty in her dress and?—”
“I have Emmy’s handwriting tattooed on my chest. Her name has been my phone passcode since the week after I met her. I’m king of the fucking cheese. You don’t have to justify yourself to me. Are you going to invite her back to your room later?”
I burst out laughing. “No way. I haven’t been with a woman in years. My experience before that is limited to two long-term relationships. Spontaneous isn’t in my vocabulary.”
It’s embarrassing to admit that to the man who used to get any woman he wanted. Maverick Miller has game. He winks at someone and their underwear comes off.
I’m the awkward guy who doesn’t realize someone is flirting with me until my friends are giving me shit for not getting her number.
And proposing a one-night stand?
Yeah, right.
I’m the furthest thing from impulsive.
I like to think things through.
I’m into logistics. Numbers and data and analytics.
More pragmatic than idealistic, I prefer to look at all the angles of a problem before determining its possible outcomes.
Asking Avery—who I’ve known for all of five hours—if I can fuck her sounds like a recipe for disaster.
I can think of a million ways it could go wrong: a drink tossed in my face. Getting slapped. Being subjected to hysterical laughter.
The thought of that kind of humiliation makes my skin crawl.
“Here’s what we’re going to do,” Maverick says as the last of the guests take their seats. “After Dallas and Maven cut the cake and have their first dance, you’re going to find your girl.”
“She’s not my girl,” I say, and he snorts.
“She’s your girl. This is fucking destiny, man. You’re going to hand her a glass of champagne and sit with her. I’m going to pay the DJ a shit ton of money to put on a slow song. You’ll say something along the lines of, ‘So. About that dance.’ Then, you’ll lead her onto the dance floor, hold her close, and just enjoy the moment, Reid. If it feels right, kiss her. If it doesn’t, talk some more and get to know her. You don’t know what’s going to happen unless you try.”
“What the hell? You are a relationship expert. When did this happen?” I ask. It’s the same thing I would’ve told him if he were asking me for advice. “I still remember the time you forgot a woman’s name eight seconds after she introduced herself to you.”
“Falling in love with someone who keeps me in my place helps.” His smile is wry. “I think I’m shit at it half the time, but she’s sticking around. I must be doing something right.”
“You’re doing a lot of things right, Mav.” I nudge his side, and he beams. “You’d really pay the DJ to play a slow song for me?”
“Of course I would. I did it at the hockey gala last year so I could dance with Emmy. Why wouldn’t I do it again so you can have a few minutes with this woman?”
“You’re a good friend.”
“Call it premature best man duties for your wedding somewhere down the road. Dallas has you. I have him, and you have me.” Maverick cranes his neck. The music starts, and the crowd turns quiet. “Which one is she? The one in the second row? Blondes aren’t usually your type.”
“You’re really bad at being discreet, aren’t you?”
I search the room, and I spot Avery right away. She’s sitting at the back of the ballroom, sandwiched between two women and staring at me.
I check over my shoulder, expecting to find her eyeing Maverick or Jett, the Titans’ quarterback and one of Dallas’s groomsmen. When I glance back at her, she’s biting her bottom lip and trying not to laugh.
And she’s still looking at me.
I’ve never been one for attention, but I like it from her.
“There,” I whisper.
“Where?” Maverick asks out of the corner of his mouth when Dallas gives us a sharp look.
“Four rows from the back. Black dress and brown hair.”
“That’s literally half the women here. Wait. I think I see her. Oh, shit, Reid. She’s pretty.” He waves, and I bat his hand away. “What is wrong with you?”
“What is wrong with you ? What the hell are you doing?” I hiss.
“Saying hello because you clearly aren’t going to. I’m getting the ball rolling. Setting you up for the game-winning three-point shot. You’re welcome.”
“Emmy is going to kill you,” I say. “And it’s going to be fun to watch.”
“Bold of you to assume Emmy wouldn’t wave too,” he says, flicking the back of my head. “Now shut up, Plant Daddy. Our girls are heading our way.”
The precession starts with June, Dallas and Maven’s daughter and our goddaughter, walking down the aisle. Emmy follows behind her, and Maverick whines when he sees her form-fitting dress and the smirk she tosses his way. Four other women approach the flower arch, then Maven appears at the entrance of the ballroom.
Everyone stands. Dallas covers his mouth with his fist as she gets closer, and a choked sob racks his shoulders.
“God, she’s beautiful,” he says. “Look at her. I get to wake up to that face for the next fifty years, and I’m going to want fifty more.”
“Shit.” Maverick drops his head back and sniffs. “Why am I crying? I never fucking cry.”
I wipe my eyes. “Because she’s perfect for him, and all we’ve ever wanted is to see Dallas happy.”
I’m an only child, and for the decade I’ve known these guys, I’ve considered them my brothers. We’d do anything for each other.
When my ex called off our engagement, they took me to my therapy appointments. Helped me find a new place to live and loaded up the moving truck in the middle of summer without a single complaint.
When Dallas became a father, Maverick and I treated June like she was our own daughter. We were there for every diaper change. Her first steps and her first words. We switched off feeding duty in the middle of the night so Dallas could shut his eyes for twenty minutes. All three of us walked around in an exhausted daze the first two years of June’s life, but we’d do it again.
And when Maverick realized he loved Emmy, the first woman he’s ever had feelings for, we talked him through the scary shit. Now those two are next to tie the knot, and my god, I’ve never seen him so happy.
I wasn’t sure if the dynamic of our group would change when Dallas and Maven started dating. It was always the three of us, and adding a new person to the mix left room for someone to feel left out.
Maven was the missing piece.
She’s compassionate and kind. Funny and light-hearted, but she knows when to be serious. She brings out a side of Dallas that disappeared when he became a single dad trying to juggle all of his responsibilities, and I’ll never be able to thank her for breaking him out of his shell.
I love her so fucking much.
It almost feels like she’s becoming a part of Maverick and me too. The sister I always wanted but never had. Someone to protect and encourage and cheer on. Another best friend and another person in my corner. A lifetime with her around doesn’t feel like enough.
Dallas’s shoulders shake when Maven climbs the stairs and reaches for him.
“Hi, honey,” he says softly, and she touches his cheek.
“Hi, sweetie,” she says. “Are you okay?”
“Better now that you’re up here with me.”
“I guess I shouldn’t tell you about the runaway bride act Reid and I were going to pull, huh?” Maven jokes, and I bark out a laugh.
Dallas looks at me and smiles. “If I was going to lose you to anyone, I’d be okay with it being him.”
“Wow,” Maverick grumbles. “That’s fucking rude.”
“You win everything else. Let me have this one,” I say, and he rolls his eyes.
Dallas reaches for me, asking for the rings. I shove my hand in my pocket and pull out the boxes, carefully handing them over.
“Thanks,” he murmurs.
“Happy for you, man.”
His eyes flick over to Maverick, then back to me. “Do I need to put him on a leash?”
I snort. “Don’t think it would help. Stop staring at me, Dal. Maven is way hotter, and she’s the star of the show.”
“Yeah.” Dallas smiles. “She is, isn’t she?”
They go through their vows; the promises to take care of each other in sickness and in health. They talk about their future; the kids they’re going to have and the plot of land they’re planning to buy after the football season ends. Neither can get through the words without crying, and there’s not a dry eye in the house.
When the officiant announces them as husband and wife, Shawn, Maven’s godfather, whoops so loudly, everyone bursts out laughing.
“Congratulations, you two.” I kiss Maven’s cheek and give Dallas a hug. “Can’t wait to celebrate.”
“Thanks for standing up here with us, Reid.” Maven squeezes my hand, then glances at Maverick. “You too, Mavvy.”
“Shucks, Mae.” Maverick grins and drops a kiss to the top of her head. “It’s an honor.”
When I turn and look out at the crowd again, Avery isn’t looking at the couple of the hour.
She’s still looking at me.
I’m never the guy who gets the girl, but tonight, I want to try.
Spontaneous.
I can be spontaneous.
Just for the night.