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“Sounds good man,” he laughs. “See you in the morning.”
I tip my chin to him, then guide Isaac through the halls of the hotel connected to the vineyard, Meadow Grove Winery. For this weekend it’s the wedding venue, but it’s also his family’s business. I know my way around pretty well, having spent a lot of time here as a kid with Isaac. Once we’re outside the room we are sharing tonight, I use the keycard to open the door. He stumbles across the threshold, falling face first onto the plush queen sized bed with a groan.
“Andyyyy,” he slurs. He knows I hate it when people call me Andy. “Megan’s my best girl, but you’re my best friend.” Oh dear, here we go. “I know how much you want to get married, but you just gotta go with the flow. It’s gonna happen when it happens my man.”
I pat him on the back, feeling the sweat through his dress shirt. I yank my hand back in disgust, wiping it on my black pants. “Thanks, Isaac. You’re right. You got lucky and met the girl of your dreams when you were—what, fifteen? Sixteen?” I struggle to remember exactly what year Isaac met Megan. At this point it seems like they’ve just always been together.
“Fifteen,” he slurs. “I love that girl and have wanted to marry her ever since I can remember, but we were kids. Just kids!” He takes a deep breath then continues his drunken ramble. “Of course she had to finish med school, then residency. And according to her, ‘no one wants to plan a wedding in the middle of their residency,’” he mimics her voice, then giggles at the end. “Oh well, I get to marry her now. She’s worth the wait.”
“You guys are definitely meant to be.” I roll Isaac over, taking off his shoes. “Get up, you’re gonna be pissed at me if you sleep in your clothes.”
He nods, slowly sitting up on the edge of the bed. He takes off his dress shirt, and slides out of his slacks, leaving him in only his boxer briefs, undershirt, and socks. He burrows himself under the blankets, and is snoring within a minute.
I chuckle to myself. I pull his phone out of his dress pants pocket, and set it on his nightstand, plugging it in. I fill a paper hotel cup of water from the bathroom tap and set it on his nightstand. Then I dig my own phone out of my pocket, and text Megan, Isaac’s bride to be.
ME
Hey Megs, he’s passed out cold, but I made sure he didn’t drink too much. Just happy drunk.
Megan
Thank you so much, Andrew. We owe you.
Nope, just promise to do the same thing for me when I get married.
You got it. It’ll happen sooner than you think, I just know it.
Ironically, Isaac just said the same thing.
Hmm, sounds like we both know best.
You’re probably right. Goodnight, Megs. Can’t wait for tomorrow. It’s been a long time coming.
You’ve got that right. Night, Andrew.
I plug my own phone in, and head into the bathroom. I really am excited about tomorrow, in more ways than I can help, but I confided in Isaac a few weeks ago that I was jealous. Not of him being with Megan, hell no. She’s like a sister to me. No, I’m jealous of their relationship, and how settled and secure they are. I want that. I’m sick and tired of the meaningless dates that never lead anywhere.
But, like they both said, I have to be patient. Although, it’s getting more and more difficult. At the age of twenty-nine, I have no potential prospects. My mom keeps telling me I have to stop searching for it, that when it’s meant to be, it will just happen, and the right woman will appear. She and my dad are high school sweethearts, so they didn’t have to search or even wait. Part of me wants to believe my mom, but the other part is set on finding her, finding my future.
My brothers all like to give me crap about how desperate I am to settle down, but what do they know? My oldest brother Jason, is lonely, but is more focused on caring for his young toddler. Thomas cares more about his work as a police officer than anything, and Beau? Well…Beau is hung up on his best friend Marley, yet won’t do a thing about it.
With a sigh, I shrug out of my dress shirt, hanging it on the hanger, and slide off my dress pants. We have an early morning, not nearly as early as the ladies, but we all have tasks we are assigned to. Isaac has to direct the family members to their various tasks, the other groomsmen are setting up the chairs for the ceremony, and I have to meet the florist and help her get everything unloaded. To be honest, I have no idea why I’m the one working with the florist. I know virtually nothing about flowers, except that roses are typically red. I’m definitely not qualified for a job like this, but I’m also willing to help in any way I can.
I send off a message to the guys, letting them know not to be out too late, because we have jobs to do in the morning. I try not to sound like a dick in my message, and I’m relieved when they all send a ‘thanks’ or a thumbs up in reply. I don’t know these guys as well as I do Isaac, as he met most of them when he was in the Twin Cities for college. Meanwhile, I was here in Ivy Ridge, learning everything I could about the family woodworking business. Cunningham Bespoke Woodcrafts, started by my great-grandpa, and carried down by my Gramps, and now, me. I’ve never regretted it though. Not for a minute. Spending all that time with Gramps is not something I will ever resent. I always knew that when I grew up this was where I was meant to be. I love the life I’ve made for myself, I’m just missing a partner to stand by my side.
The groomsmen are good guys, but most of the time we’ve spent together, they’ve all been drunk, or well on their way to drunk, so I don’t really know their actual personalities. I’m pretty sure most of them are still stuck in their frat boy party age, and Isaac has made a few passing comments that he believes the same.
Sure, I drink socially and go out every now and then, but it’s not my whole personality. Especially at our age. Hangovers aren’t as easy to recover from now as they were at twenty-two.
I leave the bathroom, heading over to the empty bed, listening to Isaac’s aggressive snores. He sounds like a fucking fighter jet plane. He stops breathing for a moment, before snorting loudly, and rolling to his other side.
How the fuck does Megan sleep with that every night? He never used to snore this bad. Does the man have sleep apnea? I climb into my bed, and scroll my phone for a bit, googling sleep apnea symptoms. I decide he definitely has it and make a mental note to tell Megan about it once the wedding is over, before reading a few articles about some recent trade of a hockey player to our team. Soon my eyelids grow heavy and I start to drift off.
3
JOSIE
Springtime has always been my favorite season. It’s such a beautiful time of year. All the trees are growing back their leaves in vibrant shades of green, flowers are blooming, and we get to see the sun for longer and longer each day.
