My hands clench at my sides, and I force myself to focus on Tiff.
Today isn’t about me and my fucked-up, broken heart. Today is about her. I'll stand here and smile and be the best damn cousin she could ask for, even if it kills me. Even if this entire wedding feels like the universe's cruel joke on me, because that's what family does.
And Honey?
Honey's just going to have to remain the girl I love and who’s lost.
At least for today.
I’ve survived full-speed tackles, a rogue marching band, and one psychopath mascot named George, but hand me a microphone at my cousin’s wedding and suddenly I’m praying George tackles me again, so I don’t have to speak.
“Hi, everyone.” I clear my throat. “First off, I want to say a huge thank you to Asher for that speech. I’m not sure how to follow that... mostly because I’m not sure what I just listened to, but I’m going to try.”
Asher hollers from Jamie’s side of the long table, loud enough to rattle the glasses. The entire wedding party is crammed onto one table set for forty—that’s how small and intimate this whole thing is.
When I glance over at Asher, he winks and stretches, taking his time to rest his arm on the back of Honey’s chair.
Fucking show off.
Ishould be sitting next to her, but I get it. No one wanted me to start something. Especially since her himbo hockey brothers are sitting on the other side.
I clear my throat. “I’m only really a speech guy when it comes to talking to my team on the field, but when Tiff asked me to say a few words, I didn’t think twice, because this—” I gesture toward her and Jamie, who are sitting in the middle of the long table, with Ella on Jamie’s lap. “—is worth talking about.”
I find Tiff's eyes; she gives me a tiny smile. That's when I know I’m screwed. I'm so fucking happy for her, it's unreal.
“When Tiff was seventeen,” I say, my voice steadier than I feel, “she showed up on my parents' doorstep with nothing buta duffel bag and a positive pregnancy test. Her family slammed the door in her face.” I shrug lightly.
“So, my parents opened their home to her.” I glance back at them, lifting my glass slightly. The rest of the guests follow suit, raising a glass to the only parents actually invited to celebrate. “And they didn’t just give her a place to stay. They gave her a family.”
The room quiets. The lump in my throat hits, but I keep going.
“From that day on, she wasn’t just my cousin. She was my sister. My responsibility.” I shake my head, a small smile tugging at my mouth. “Except she didn't need me as much as I thought. This girl—” I nod at her. “—Busted her ass through school, worked nights, took care of Ella like she was born to do it and created a life for herself that most people would envy. All I did was pick up the slack and help her move halfway across the country to Indiana, because I wasn’t ever going to leave her behind.”
I glance around the room, then back to her, because none of it matters unless she hears it.
“She’s been my teammate since before I had a team. The strongest person I know. She took what could’ve broken her and turned it into something good. Somethingbright. You only have to look at Ella to see it.”
Ella tugs on Jamie’s sleeve and whispers something. Jamie smiles, playing along.
“Ella. Mini MVP. Eyes on me,” I say, pointing at her. “You are officially the best thing that ever happened to this family. I’ve reviewed the tapes enough times to know.”
She giggles, mission accomplished.
“Anyway, back to your mom, who’s managed to build a whole life from scratch. Raised the coolest kid on the planet, passed her GED, and hell, she even managed to find love.”
I pause to drag it out and give Jamie a slow, teasing once-over.
“Withhim.”
The room laughs harder this time.
“Yeah, yeah,” I say, waving a hand. “Trust me, nobody was more shocked than me. In fact, if you’d told seventeen-year-old me that Tiffany Bright would end up marrying the same guy I spent an entire football season trying to take down—the same guy I once bet I could steal a girl from...”
I flick my eyes toward Honey for half a beat. She doesn’t move at first. Then her shoulders jerk. It’s the tiniest flinch that even that idiot boyfriend next to her doesn’t notice. I do, though. She drops her gaze to her dinner, and stares at it as though it’s more interesting than me.
It’s not. It’s a piece of chicken in gravy. I’m in a suit.
“—yeah, I would’ve laughed in your face and asked what you were smoking.”
