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“I couldn’t be happier for you, man,” I tell Owen, squeezing his shoulder. Glancing around the circle of my closest friends, I feel so many emotions at once. Happy for the day and the reason we’re celebrating. Proud of what we accomplished this season as a team. Sad for the end of a huge chapter of my life. But also hopeful for what’s to come. “Thanks for always being there for me,” I tell them, clinking my glass with each of theirs. “I’ve watched all of you find love and embrace it.” I eye Bo and as he sips his whiskey, I see a smile hiding behind it. “You’ve shown me what it’s like to love a woman fiercely and still follow your dreams. I needed that. I’ve never had a good role model for what marriage should look like, but you’ve all shown me, and I’m grateful. I know what I want because of you.”
“Fuck, dude,” Ross says, digging his thumb and forefinger into the corners of his eyes. “You can’t say shit like that when I’m drinking because I’ll start crying like a damn baby.”
“Fatherhood made you soft,” I jab, flipping him off to roughen up the soft edges of my little speech.
Bo throws his arm around my shoulder and pulls me into a side hug. “You and Ross have been the best leaders a rookie could ask for, so I think I should be the one thanking you.”
“Y’all took me in and brought me back to life, literally,” Owen adds, tossing back the rest of his whiskey and setting the glass on the table so he can throw one arm around Ross and the other around Bo.
Before I know it, we’ve created a huddle in the men’s dressing room, and after drinking a good portion of a bottle of whiskey, we’re hugging it out.
When a knock comes on the door, we all break away and start adjusting our suits. Thankfully, Owen didn’t force us into a tux. I fucking hate those things. But a nice black suit, I can live with.
“We’re ready for you,” a feminine voice says from the other side of the door.
Owen’s mom meets us in the hall with Ryan in tow. Little dude is dressed in a suit just like ours. He smiles so big at his dad and when Owen bends down to give his tie a little tug, he wraps his arms around his dad and squeezes hard.
“I’m so happy we’re marrying Sophie today.”
“Me too, buddy. Me too.”
Glancing over at Ross, I catch him roughly rubbing his eyes again.
Fucking softie.
“We better not keep her waiting,” Owen says, standing up and taking Ryan’s hand.
“She looks so pretty,” Ryan says as we walk up to the front. “I already saw her, but you have to wait, because it’s against the law.”
We all get a good chuckle out of that.
“It’s not the law, buddy, just tradition.”
“Well, her hair looks really pretty and her dress is—”
Owen squeezes Ryan to him playfully. “How about you let me see her for myself.”
“Okay, Dad, but you’re really going to love her after you see her in her dress.”
“I already really love her,” Owen says, standing straight and adjusting his own tie.
Minutes later, we’re all standing at the front of the cathedral staring down the long aisle as music starts to play and the doors open.
I watch as Lola and Casey make their way down the aisle, each of them glancing over our way with so much love on their faces.
Once upon a time, I hated weddings. When past team players would invite me to theirs, I’d usually decline. Why would I want to go watch two people profess their love to each other when everyone knows most weddings end in divorce.
But that was before I knew what true love looked like.
That was before my close friends started finding their soulmates.
Now, I see it in a different light.
I see…
Greer.
Standing behind Molly—one of my favorite kiddos in the world—is the woman of my dreams, and for the first time in my whole damn life, I wish I was in Owen’s place right now.
