CHAPTER 25 DANNY
The bonfire is exactly the sort of relaxing atmosphere Alexis and I have been craving. Being out in public with the people we’re closest to feels incredible, and I don’t really know how many opportunities to do this sort of thing our future will hold.
I hope it’s a lot.
I fear it’s not.
We’re sitting in camping chairs we found at the house in a circle around the small fire.
We’re talking about everything and nothing—memories of bonfires as kids, or of the beach, or of family vacations.
It’s a rare moment of peace when we get to just sit and relax with friends, in particular in this sort of environment.
Here we’re just six normal people, and there’s something really great about that.
Cooper and Rush are two of the most chill guys I know. Gabby is a sweetheart, and Anna is…well, she’s my older sister. Bossy and obnoxious, but it’s awfully nice to have her here. And it’s even better seeing her forming a bond with my wife.
Jesus. I’m still not used to saying that…but I think I’ll get used to it pretty quickly considering every time I look at her, the words run through my brain.
Anna asks Alexis a question about the dress she wore, and Alexis asks to borrow my phone. The three ladies move over to sit on one side of the fire as they begin looking through all the photos from yesterday while I sit with Coop and Rush.
“What’s it like being married?” Rush asks.
“Sort of like dating, but with less sex, I’d imagine,” Cooper quips, and I chuckle.
“So far that does not seem to be the case for me.” I smirk, and they both laugh. I turn to Cooper. “When are you and Gabby going to make things official?”
“When we got engaged, we always said we’d figure out our date in the off-season, and while neither of us is in any sort of rush, we’d like to make it official before the season starts.”
“Before the season starts? We have to be back for spring training in two months,” I point out.
That reality plows into me.
It’s not just that this dreamland we’ve found ourselves in is going to end in a few days when she has to go perform on Christmas Eve, but then we’re back to reality.
She gets back to filming. A month and a half later, I travel to Arizona for spring training.
It feels like the beginning of the end of the bliss where we have this unlimited time together, and I’m not ready for reality to come crashing in just yet.
I try to put it out of my mind, but it looms there, growing bigger and stronger by the minute.
The fire crackles in front of us, the flickering flames casting glows on the faces of my friends.
Cooper clears his throat. “Yep. We’ve decided on the last weekend in January.
We’re keeping it small, and invitations will go out around the first of the year.
But if you can, both of you…keep that weekend clear.
” He glances over at me and takes a quick sip of beer.
“And while we’re on the subject, would you be my best man? ”
“Not Troy?” I ask, surprised he’s asking me.
“He’ll be busy being father of the bride.” Cooper shrugs.
“Of course, man. I’m honored you asked.” I hold my can up, and he hits mine with his.
“Well now I just feel left out,” Rush jokes, and we both laugh.
“But since we’re on the subject…” He glances over at Anna, who is deep in conversation with the girls about the gorgeous dress Alexis wore yesterday.
He looks back at me and draws in a deep breath before he lowers his voice.
“I want to ask your sister to marry me. I don’t need your dad’s approval, but I do need yours. ”
My brows rise—and my hackles, too, at the mention of my father, who I never responded to earlier. I push that out of my head as I focus on Rush’s question. “You…you need mine?”
“I know it’s fast, but I see how happy you are with Alexis.” He glances at Cooper. “And you with Gabby. And I don’t know. I guess I just…I want that, too. I want to be a permanent part of not just her life, but the boys, too. I want her there when I get home.”
“Wow.” I take a sip of my beer because it is the brother’s job to make the potential future husband sweat a little, right?
But I know Rush, and even though my first instinct when I heard they were together was to tell him hell no, I see the way he is with Anna.
And I’ve seen how Anna was with Chris.
This is a much, much better fit than that ever was.
My sister is happy. She’s relaxed with him. She smiles more. She’s still stressed with the boys, and overwhelmed, but Rush is the kind of guy who will help guide her through that and make her load lighter.
“Of course, man. I’m honored you asked. Congratulations. Well, congratulations if she says yes.”
Both Rush and Cooper laugh, and this is the life.
My two best friends here with me as the three of us found something not a single one of us was looking for.
I guess that’s what happens when the right woman comes crashing through the barrier into our hearts. It doesn’t matter if we’re looking or not. If she’s the right one, she’ll find her way in.
We stay out until midnight, the legal time when bonfires have to end, and then we head inside, where all the couples split off to go to their own respective bedrooms.
Tomorrow was supposed to be our wedding day, and it’s crazy to me that it already happened. As I make love to my wife before we go to bed, I can’t help but think that this really is the life.
In the morning, though, things start to fall apart at the seams.