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I watched the penny drop on Kennedy’s face. It was in slow motion, something that might have been funny if the subject matter were lighter.
“No,” she said finally. “No way. Steve would have said something. He wouldn’t let either of you do that to yourselves if he felt like you weren’t doing it for the right reasons.”
Stevehadsaid something to Adam, I was pretty sure of that, because I’d caught the way he’d been looking at him the night before, while we ate dinner.
“You’re not doing this just for Daniela, are you?” she asked, her voice suddenly very soft in the quiet bathroom. “I mean, I know you’d do anything for her in a heartbeat. But that’s not why we’re here today, right? You wouldn’t do that to him…lead him on like that?”
I looked down at my feet and had to close my eyes against the boiling liquid I could feel firing up in my tear ducts. She knew better than that–Kennedy was probably the only person in the world who knew what I felt for Adam.
“Oh, no you don’t,” she whispered gently, able to see right through me. She tipped my face up and carefully pressed the corner of a paper towel to the inside corner of each eye. “Not after we put mascara on those ridiculous eyelashes of yours. Now pull yourself together, woman. There’s a gorgeous man waiting for you down the hall and I am absolutely certain that, in his mind, Daniela is just frosting on the cake.Youare the cake, you got me?”
I sucked in a shaky breath and nodded gratefully at my sister-in-law. She understood me like so few people did, and for the nine billionth time I was thankful my brother had finally gotten his shit together, and Kennedy finally said yes when he asked her to marry him. Again. For what was probably the twenty-seventh time. She joked that he’d finally worn her down.
Teagan’s chatter carried down the hall as we emerged from the restroom and Steve smiled at both of us as he walked closer with T on his hip. “You two ready? You’ve got a real impatient man there, Mads. He’s about to knock down someone’s door to get this show on the road.”
Kennedy stepped in to take Teagan and I leaned when Steve wrapped his arms around me in a tight hug.
“You’ve made a good decision, Mad. So has he.”
That didn’t make me feel any better, not at all.
Steve tucked my hand under his arm and led me down the hallway, into the room I recognized as the room in which the city council convened.
“Got you two the fancy room,” Gary Torvald crowed from the front, and I cringed. I hadn’t seen the man in decades, but I was fairly sure he’d shove a finger up his nose while having us repeat our vows to one another. He was just taller now.
“Thank you, Gary.” I managed a weak smile and he reached over to sock Adam’s shoulder. It looked like he put some swing behind his fist, but it didn’t budge Adam, who stood watching me like his life depended upon maintaining a laser focus.
“Little Maddy VanBuren.” Gary laughed delightedly. “Never thought I’d see you again. Good on you, Beckman, she’s a real looker.”
Torvald had always had a big mouth and it seemed he hadn’t outgrown it.
Adam’s mouth went tight and I suspected he disapproved of Gary’s inability to keep his opinions to himself. “Don’t have all day, Gary. Would like to marry this woman before she changes her mind.”
He looked serious about that.
Gary ran a hand through his thin, mousy hair and gave me a lecherous wink that made my ovaries threaten to shrivel up and die. When Adam’s nostrils flared, I knew he’d noticed.
Steve and Kennedy settled on chairs in the front row and when Teagan slipped off Steve’s lap and toddled over to Adam, he scooped her up with a smile.
Adam’s parents sat in the front row as well, on Adam’s side, and Hailey was already dabbing at her eyes with a tissue.
“This a problem?” Gary gestured toward Teagan, and Adam’s eyes narrowed.
“Never a problem. This is my best girl–was my best girl. Now she’s myotherbest girl.” He gave her a kiss and me a wink.
“Ok, ok. Just checking.” Gary cleared his throat and glanced down at some note cards he held in his hand. He launched into what seemed like an impromptu speech about how he’d known me growing up, but he’d only gotten to know Adam–who was older than him–when he moved back to town post-Army.
Since Gary’s personal recollections were few, it didn’t take long to get to the vows and he fumbled through the cards for a second before he announced, “I almost forgot!” He slapped his forehead exaggeratedly. “Adam, you wanted to personalize the vows?”
My eyes widened, because I hadn’t known to prepare anything and I wasn’t very good at winging things involving words.
Adam leaned over to set Teagan down and he directed her toward Steve with a gentle pat on her butt. Then he straightened, reaching for both of my hands and he looked into my eyes with such seriousness, everyone else in the room ceased to exist.
“Madelyn Christine VanBuren.” He sighed, like that was the sweetest name he’d ever heard. “I’ll never forget what a pain in the ass you were, growing up.”
Steve guffawed loudly and the sharp slap that echoed through the room was something I’d thank Kennedy for later.
“Always following me and Steve around, trying to figure out what we were doing. If we were going fishing, you wanted to go. If we were going hiking, you’d grab your boots.
