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I swallow and nod. “Thank you for making that happen.”
He looks down at me. “I would do anything for you. I love you.”
The tears start up again. He wipes them. “Don’t cry. Everything’s going to be okay. I’m going to prove to you that I can be the kind of man you want. The kind you deserve. I promise you.” He gives me a soft kiss on my lips.
We sway in silence for the remainder of the song. He rubs his hands all over me. I’ve missed his touch so damn much.
The song eventually comes to an end. He stops our movement. He gives me one more soft kiss on my lips. It takes every ounce of willpower I have not to deepen the kiss.
He rubs his thumb across my bottom lip. “Do me a favor, Reagan. Turn on the news at 4:00 tomorrow. There’s an announcement I think you’re going to want to hear.”
I look up at him. “What is it?”
He winks. “You’ll have to watch.” He kisses my hand. “Remember how much I love you.”
He walks out the door. I’m frozen watching him leave.
Mom comes over to me and wraps her arms around me. “Are you okay?”
The tears spill over as I shake my head no. Harley and Skylar join our embrace.
They squeeze me tight until someone announces that we all need to take our seats.
Everyone sits down. The best man speech is about to begin. I wipe my eyes as Trevor takes the microphone.
“Hello, everyone. I just want to take a minute to thank my sister for having my babies.”
He pretends to search his pockets. “My bad, wrong sibling speech.” Everyone laughs. I roll my eyes. Any damn excuse to mention that his sister had his babies.
“Some people may not know this, but I met Jess before Hayden did. She thought I was cute, but our sister Harley told Jess that I was bad news and that she should meet Hayden instead. Because Jess doesn’t qualify for any senior citizen discounts, she and I would never have worked out anyway.” He winks at Aunt Cass. She just smiles at his joke. I love that about the two of them. They accept each other for the crazy way they are. They never stymie one another’s often outrageous and offensive humor.
“For those who don’t know, I’m the twin brother and best man. I may be the best man tonight, but Hayden is always the best man in the room. He’s smart, thoughtful, selfless, and at least semi-intelligent. Jess, you really did choose the bigger man. At least from the waist up.” Everyone laughs again.
“I’ve learned a lot about love in the past few years. The love truck has smacked head on into our family. I watched our brother Payton fall in love with his beautiful wife, Kylie.” He raises his glass to them. “I’ve watched my father fall crazy in love with his stunning wife Darian. He’s more whipped than any man on the planet.” Everyone laughs. I can’t help but look over at Melissa. She’s smiling, but I recognize a hurt in her eyes. I feel for her in this moment. We’re both women surrounded by couples in love with no one by our side.
He continues. “I’ve watched my sister Harley fall in love with the devilishly handsome Brody.” He smiles at Brody. Brody and Harley laugh and kiss.
“And I’ve fallen in love myself with my sexy bride, Cassandra.” He blows her a kiss. She catches it and tucks it down the front of her dress.
“And now Hayden has found his gorgeous bride, Jessica.”
“We’re a lucky in love crew right now.” I hate that I can’t help but feel pain in this moment.
“Love breeds love, so I hope we have some more of it. I have a feeling we will.” He briefly glares at me before turning back to Hayden and Jess. “Jess, you’ve got yourself a gem. I can tell you firsthand that he’s also a very clean roommate. Hayden, you’re lucky to have found a smart, beautiful, kind woman like Jess.” He raises his glass. “I wish you both a lifetime of happiness. To Jess and Hayden.”
Everyone holds up their glasses and repeats, “To Jess and Hayden.”
That speech was actually really sweet. Not the grandstanding I would have expected from Trevor. I guess he figured out where the attention belongs tonight.
Hayden takes the microphone. “Thanks for that enlightening speech, Trevor.” We all laugh.
He grabs for Jess’s hand and they both smile at each other. “Thank you all for being here tonight with us. We can’t tell you how much it means to be able to celebrate our special day with all of you. I thought I was giving my bride a great wedding gift by adding to her jewelry collection, but just before we walked down the aisle, she gave me an even better gift.”
Trevor yells out, “Keep it PG, Hayden. There are kids in this room.” We all laugh.
Hayden places his hand over Jess’s stomach and has the biggest smile I’ve ever seen. “Baby Knight will be making an appearance in about thirty-four weeks.”
The whole crowd erupts in cheers. Everyone runs to hug Hayden and Jess. It’s a beautiful moment and a beautiful way for them to share the news.
