Page 10 of Bossy Bride: Emma and Jesse

“Custom-made,” I tell Wald.

“What?” He’s still half listening to crazy Johnny.

“The tie,” I say. “It was custom-made by this little Italian tailor just outside of Vatican City. It’s not really mine, it was my father’s tie. But I was looking for something red to wear tonight and this just popped out at me. So… where do you sleep?”

“What?” he says again, only this time it’s a laugh.

“You know.” I nod my head at Joey and Huck. “Like… do you guys have a custom bed? How does this work?”

“We take turns,” he says, sipping from a glass of water.

“No shit.” I knew it. “Is there like… a schedule? And do any of you get jealous?” I know this is prying, that Joey’s sex life is none of my business, but I can’t help it. I’m… intrigued.

“Jealous?” Wald is still confused. “Um… well. No. I don’t think so. I mean, I love them all equally.”

“Equally? Like… totally equally?”

“Yup. I don’t care which one of them I sleep with. It’s all pretty nice. So we just… fall into whichever bed we feel like it, I guess. Normally I sleep with Brooke.”

“You do?”

“Yeah. Joey likes to sleep alone. But sometimes he sleeps with Brooke too. Huck sleeps with me most nights.”

I have to admit—this is a crazy arrangement. But it’s all kind of exciting too.

“Nice,” I say.

“Who do you sleep with?” Wald deadpans.

I laugh. “Emma. Just Emma.”

“Well, that’s… lovely.” He says it like he feels sorry for me. Like I have no idea how fun his haphazard sleeping arrangements are and he’s the luckiest guy in the world.

I can’t really disagree with that, but I’m more than satisfied with just one sleeping partner.

“And then she looks me dead in the eye and says, ‘I’m going on my first date next weekend and I’m kind of excited about it.’”

Only Megan laughs. She’s the only one still paying attention to Johnny.

But then Johnny is laughing too, and I have to stop listening to Wald go on about his plural arrangement to enjoy that look for a moment.

Johnny Boston. Laughing.

My brother. Happy.

I love it.

This makes me think about my own happiness. And when I glance at the woman responsible for that new feeling on the other side of the glass-walled conference room, I find her looking back at me.

I point my finger at her and she beams a smile at me, then turns back to her charitable giving tasks and I look around the room.

One year ago. What the hell was I doing last Christmas?

I have no clue what I was actually doing on this particular day one year ago, but last Christmas Eve Zach and I were in the Bossy Building on my floor watching reruns of It’s a Wonderful Life. I was thinking I could relate to that dude, but looking back on it now, I can see I was wrong. Jimmy Stewart’s character—I forget his name in the movie—he was the glue in his community. He sacrificed his own happiness and future for the good of everyone.

I glance at Johnny—who is still talking about this psycho little girl with Megan—and realize… it was him, actually. Johnny was the one who sacrificed his future for the rest of us.

I kinda respect the dude for that. I might not know him well, but I respect him. And I hope this Megan girl is the real deal.