Chapter 42
forty-two
. . .
Aidan
My tie constricts my windpipe until I can hardly breathe. I tug at the knot, trying to get some relief, but it doesn’t make a difference. I still feel like I’m about to choke from the strip of silk.
“Are you sure about this?” I mutter to Hailey.
We’re in the vestibule of the courthouse. Ryan and his parents are a few feet away, his mother fussing over his tie and smoothing his jacket.
My sister is wearing a white dress with fancy lace and delicate beading.
I don’t know all the details, only that Ceci arranged for a local bridal boutique to bring some samples by the apartment, Hailey picked out a dress, and I handed over my credit card.
Forty-eight hours later, she’s wearing a wedding dress and looking beautiful.
She didn’t want a veil. Her long blond hair is pulled up into a fancy style, and she’s wearing a delicate pink headband. Or is it a tiara? I’m uncertain. Some sort of headdress.
All I know is she looks every bit the beautiful bride she is, and I couldn’t be happier. For her, and for my best friend.
She rolls her eyes. “Am I sure I want to get married?”
“I’ve got the car, we can book it out of here in ten seconds flat.”
I’m only halfway joking. I know she’s not about to cut and run, but on the off chance she needs to get away, I’ll happily drive her anywhere she needs to go.
“Does your impending freak-out have to do with my getting married, or the idea that you won’t be?”
I gulp in air. “The first one.”
“Really? Why?”
“Because it’s you and me.” I turn to her, taking her hand in mine. “It’s always been you and me. Ever since Mom and Dad…”
She sniffles. “I know. I wish they were here.”
“Me too,” I whisper, because I’m pretty sure my voice is about to break.
She gives me a watery smile. “But I wouldn’t trade the last few years for anything. Having you here with me, being so close… I will never be upset over our relationship being so strong. My getting married doesn’t have to change that.”
“If one of us gets traded, it might.”
He has his no-trade clause, but he can be heavily persuaded to waive it for the right circumstances.
“We can’t think of that. That’s hockey. Once it’s all said and done, I know we’ll find our way back to each other.” Hailey squeezes my hand. “We’ve got a lifetime together. Me and Ryan, and you and Ceci. Or you and someone else.”
My heart seizes. “You think it won’t be Ceci?”
“I don’t want to put pressure on you or her. I love you guys together. But it’s early. I don’t want you to fuck it up.”
“Me either,” I mutter.
She grins at me. “So don’t.”
“Like it’s that easy.”
“Well, for you, it might not be.” She giggles, color blooming on her pale cheeks.
Footsteps sound from the other end of the hallway, and I look up to see the woman in question. Ceci is wearing a blue velvet pantsuit with a tight-fitting blazer that clings to her curves. Her stilettos click, click, click on the worn linoleum flooring.
“They’re ready for you,” she announces.
“Okay, kiddo,” I murmur to my sister. “You ready to get married?”
She nods quickly. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”
I offer my arm, and she slips her small hand around my elbow. She doesn’t have her cane or crutches today, the prophylactic fluids yesterday having helped, but we take it slow and steady just in case.
It’s only the six of us in the judge’s chambers, plus the actual officiant. Me and Ceci, Ryan’s parents, and the bride and groom. Simple. Private. Perfect.
Ryan stands in front of Judge McCall, hands tucked into his suit pockets, and I walk Hailey over to him. Once she’s close enough, she takes his hands, and I move back a bit to give them space.
My hand reaches for Ceci’s, and in the next instant, her palm slides against mine, and all is right in the world.
The actual marriage ceremony is quick, and before I can blink, Ryan promises to love and cherish Hailey until the end of time, and then she’s in his arms and they’re kissing, and my eyes are watery, and fuck, man, why is it so hot in here?
“You okay?” Ceci murmurs to me.
“There’s something in my eye,” I mutter back, rubbing at it.
“It’s called emotions,” she teases. She swipes her thumb beneath my lashes, catching the leaking moisture. “There, I’ve caught it for you.”
“Oh, no. You’ve caught the emotions?” I have to joke, because if I don’t, I might actually cry for real.
“Yep. Turns out they’re contagious.” She grins at me, then rises onto her tiptoes to kiss me. “Whatever shall we do?”
I slide my arm around her waist, pulling her flush against me. “Live happily ever after?”
“Hmm. Sounds fake.” She kisses me again.
A throat clears behind us. “Is there another?”
Freezing, I glance at Ceci out of the corner of my eye.
She looks back at me.
Together, we shake our heads.
“Nah. Not for us,” she says.
Ryan shakes the officiant’s hand. “Thank you.”
“Wishing you a lifetime of happiness.”
I reach into my breast pocket, pulling out the two tickets I have stashed away.
“For you,” I offer.
“We can’t take bribes,” Judge McCall says.
“Not a bribe. A thank-you. Center ice, first row on the glass.” He won’t reach for them, so I place them on his desk. “Use them, throw them away, I don’t care. Thank you for all that you do.”
Ceci reaches for me again, and I take her hand in mine.
“Ready?” she asks me.
“Let’s go party.”