One #3
I listened to the speeches. I was moved by Candace’s words to her sister, the bride, laughed at Jude’s to Dane, and when Dane and Aja stood and thanked the crowd for coming and celebrating with them, I was so happy for them that I stood and gave them the standing ovation with everyone else.
When all seats had been retaken, Dane took a breath as Aja leaned into his side.
I waved to the photographer, and he caught it before they moved apart.
I had a feeling it was going to be one of the best of the night.
Before anything else happened, Alex stood and directed all attention to the screen at the side of the dance floor.
When the curtain drew back, the images and the music began—the video montage of Dane and Aja, their families, their friends, the years before they met and then after.
The last shot was of Dane on his knees in front of Aja as he held a rose up to her.
They both looked at me, in an instant remembering the trip to Carmel and the picture I had snapped.
I was pleased with the tears in the bride’s eyes and Dane’s clenched jaw as Aja’s favorite Stevie Wonder song, “I Was Made to Love Her,” filled the room.
The applause came like a roar as the guests went wild.
Aja’s mother was up and out of her seat in one fluid movement, rushing from her table to mine to take me in her arms. She understood at last why I had needed to go through her photo albums with her.
When she let me go, I turned to the bride and groom and gestured for them to take the floor.
Dane led his wife, her hand tucked in his, and his other lingered on my cheek a moment before they walked by.
After midnight, the orchestra retired and the DJ came in to keep the dancing going until the wee hours of the morning.
Jackets and bow ties were shed, high heels were discarded, and the serious dancing began.
I would have joined in, but there were small details that needed attention.
I had to hand out the “swag,” as Aja called it—going from table to table to personally make sure everyone got a keepsake from the wedding—coordinate with the catering manager, and arrange for all the disposable cameras on every table to be picked up.
Aja appreciated me, as she had not wanted a wedding planner.
Maybe at her next wedding, she’d said, but not this one.
We’d both laughed ourselves silly over that.
When I felt the arms wrap around my waist, I turned in her embrace and found the bride.
“Come dance with me.”
I smiled at her, and we went together to the floor.
As always, the two of us together could not remain serious for even a minute.
In her dress and my tuxedo, it translated to an over-the-top waltz.
There were spins and dips, and we basically had everyone laughing and clapping and calling for an encore when we were done.
She told me over and over how much she loved me, and when Dane came to part us, instead of taking her into his arms, he wrapped an arm around my neck and led me from the crowd back to the table.
We sat together, leaning forward, elbows on knees, talking quietly.
“So, it goes without saying, but still… I have the woman I love, the brother I love, friends I love…There is no one more blessed than me.”
I looked into his dark gray eyes, saw the warmth there, and nodded. “I’m sorry Mr. and Mrs. Harcourt couldn’t be here today to be with you.”
He nodded. “They are.”
“They would be so proud of you, Dane.”
His eyes absorbed me. “My family, the people who mean the world to me…are Aja and you.”
I smiled at him.
“I need you with me always.”
I nodded. “Same here.”
Hand on the back of my neck, he squeezed tight before he let go and stood. “Love you,” he said as he walked away. He barely got it out.
I sat back and watched him go, and there came a sudden feeling of absolute peace. I let my head fall back, my eyes closed, and just breathed.
“Take that.”
I heard the click of a shutter and opened my eyes to find Aja hovering on the other side of the table with Candace and Zora. I glanced at the photographer before returning my gaze to the bride. “What’re you doing?”
She let out a deep breath but said nothing.
“Jory,” Candace said, drawing my attention. “Baby, I had no idea you were so pretty.”
I chuckled and looked again at Aja.
“You are, you know.”
“What?”
“Beautiful,” she told me, motioning me over to her. “It’s funny, because you worried about standing up with the others, and the truth of the matter is that, Jory, honey, you are the beauty of the bunch.”
“You love me.” I smiled wide, wrapping her up in my arms. “You’re a little biased.”
“I do love you, but that doesn’t make you any less gorgeous.”
I chuckled and squeezed her tight, and she buried her face in my shoulder.
Candace bumped the bouquet into Jude’s girlfriend’s arms when Aja deliberately threw it at her an hour later, and the look on his face when he realized she caught it was priceless.
His terror was more than obvious. The surge to the door to watch Dane and Aja leave in the Rolls-Royce limousine pushed the wedding party from the front to the back.
There was no way for any of us to even get close.
Dane held up his hand to me, and Aja blew me a kiss.
I had my orders. In the three weeks they would be gone on their honeymoon, I had to coordinate movers.
All her stuff and all his things needed to be in the new house in Oak Park by the time they got back.
It was all on me. I had promised to get it done, even with my busy schedule. My brother was counting on me.
People started to trickle out, and the music changed to oldies that everyone could dance to and sing along with.
I went and said goodbye to the Reids, gave Caleb a hug, and was surprised when Dane’s father made a point of saying how much he appreciated me putting a photo of their family in the montage.
“Of course.” I smiled at him.
He patted my back as I was squatting between his and his wife’s chairs.
“Jory, you’re such a good boy.” Mrs. Reid sighed, the tears welling in her eyes. “Dane certainly picked a wonderful brother.”
I leaned up and kissed her cheek, and her hand stayed pressed to the side of my neck until she could breathe without crying. I thanked them all for coming, and Caleb told me how lucky Dane was to have me. I told him I was the lucky one.
I worked my way slowly through the crowd, doing the last check, moving from table to table before I found the catering manager to thank him.
Finally done, I changed back into jeans, a long-sleeved T-shirt, and Converse sneakers and headed toward the door.
I weaved through the crowd to say my last good nights to the wedding party and quickly kissed and hugged all the women.
I found Rick, Lance, and Alex sitting together and stopped at their table.
“You wanna wait and catch a ride, J?” Rick asked me.
I smiled at him and shook my head.
“What’re we gonna do without him?” Jude asked as he walked up to lean on the back of one of the empty chairs. “He’s the first to fall.”
“We were always together,” Rick said softly, looking around at all of us. “It’s weird. It’s like the end of an era or something. I feel like I should mourn my friend.”
I smiled at them as I hooked myself up to my iPod.
“You think it’s funny, J?” Rick asked me.
“No.” I took a deep breath, stepping away from the table. “But you gotta grow up sometime.”
“I’m not ready to get married,” Rick insisted. “And I definitely don’t want to be anybody’s father.”
“We’ll see,” I said cheerfully, my eyes slipping over each of them in turn. “You guys take it easy. I’ll see ya ’round.”
“Gimme a call, J,” Rick insisted. “I’ll kick your ass at some racquetball or something.”
“Sure,” I lied before I pivoted and headed for the door.
It was nice that, outside, it was crisp but not cold yet.
A beautiful night—or early morning now—for the first week of October.
It was funny, but unlike his friends, I felt nothing but contentment for Dane and a sort of peacefulness for myself.
I had seen my brother through a milestone in his life. I was very grateful.