Page 113 of Falling for the Billionaire Best Man

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DORIE

Isat at the head table, sipping my champagne and doing my best not to look directly at him. It was like looking at the sun. If I looked at him, it would probably make me cry.

Kaisen stood at the front of the room, holding the microphone. His best man speech had started off light, with a few jokes about Cullen and their friendship, but then it took a turn I wasn’t expecting.

“My only real experience with love and marriage was my parents,” he said. “I think that’s probably true for most of us. I did not have a great example. It left a bitter taste in my mouth if I’m being honest. That is until I saw Cullen and Eliza together. They showed me what real love actually looks like. What it can mean. The joy. The support. The friendship.”

My chest tightened as he spoke, his voice raw with emotion.

“Cullen’s always been there for me,” Kaisen said, his eyes scanning the crowd before landing on me. “Even when I didn’t deserve it. He’s seen me at my worst, and he’s never given up on me. And I think that’s what real friendship is. It’s about showing up, even when it’s hard. Even when you don’t know what to say or how to fix things.”

I felt my throat tighten, my eyes burning with unshed tears. I tried to blink them away, but it was no use. Kaisen’s words were hitting too close to home. I was certain he was talking to me. I couldn’t stop the flood of emotions that washed over me listening to him talk about his feelings.

“I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life. I’ve pushed people away when I should’ve held on tighter. I’ve failed to see the good right in front of me, even when it was staring me in the face.”

His eyes locked on mine. I felt my breath catch in my throat. Was he talking about me? About us? My heart pounded in my chest as I held his gaze, my mind racing.

No way. He made it clear he didn’t want me.

“I didn’t think a love like what Cullen and Eliza share was something I’d ever experience,” Kaisen said, his voice softening. “But standing here today, seeing the way they look at each other… I get it now. Love isn’t about being perfect. It’s about choosing each other, every single day, even when it’s hard. Even when you’re scared. Congratulations to you both. Eliza and Cullen, you deserve all the happiness in this world.”

The room erupted into applause, but I barely heard it. My mind was spinning, my heart aching with a mix of hope and fear. Kaisen handed the microphone back to the DJ and returned to his seat at the head table. His eyes occasionally flicked to mine as the reception continued. I tried to focus on the conversation around me, but my thoughts kept drifting back to Kaisen’s words.

What did they mean? Was he trying to tell me something? Or was I reading too much into it? I didn’t know what to think, and the uncertainty was driving me crazy.

“That was a very, uh, pointed speech,” Eliza said as she nudged me with her elbow.

“Stop it.”

“We’re going to talk about things,” she said. “Not tonight, but when I get back from my honeymoon, I want to know what happened. And then I’ll decide if Cullen can still be friends with him.”

“I’m a big girl,” I assured her. “It’s fine. Not everything is meant to be a love story. You got lucky.”

“Yeah, I did.” She grinned.

“Yeah, yeah, way to rub it in,” I teased.

“Hey, I think I want to change into my dancing dress now,” Eliza said. “Will you help me? I don’t think I considered how uncomfortable it would be to sit in this cupcake or parade float.”

“Let’s go,” I said.

She leaned over and told her husband before we stood and excused ourselves from the table.

The moment we stepped into the bridal suite, Eliza let out a relieved sigh and immediately started tugging at the layers of her gown. “I swear, Dorie, if I have to sit in this thing for one more minute, I’m going to suffocate. Why did I think this was a good idea?”

I laughed, shaking my head as I helped her with the buttons on the back. “Because you looked like a princess in it. And you’re going to look amazing in your dancing dress too. Just wait.”

Eliza grinned as she stepped out of her wedding gown, carefully draping it over a chair before slipping into the second dress. It was a fitted, floor-length gown with a slit up the side, sparkling with subtle sequins that caught the light. She looked stunning.

“Okay,” she said, smoothing the fabric down. “This is way better. I can actually breathe.”

I adjusted the straps and made sure everything was in place. “You look incredible. Cullen is going to want to take you straight to your honeymoon suite and skip all the dancing and cake.”

Eliza smiled at that. “Thank you. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“You’d probably still be stuck in that cupcake dress.”