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He studied my face. "You seem happy."
Jericho wasn't big on talking, so I was glad I had these couple of minutes with him. "Thanks, buddy. I am happy. What’s up with this game?” I nodded toward the screen.
A small smile crept onto his face as his eyes darted back to the screen. “Nothing, just… a fun escape.” Jericho had always preferred to shut himself inside and get lost in a game for hours or days on end. He once told me it was the only place he felt like he could be himself. Lately, he'd been taking that to a new level, connecting with people more online but he never gave us details.
I knew he loved making music. He wouldn't have stayed with us as long as he had if he didn't, but it seemed like he'd truly found his happy place in the gaming world.
"That's awesome, man. What's next?"
He shrugged. "Your wedding then playing around with some compositions. I’ve been learning how to compose." He looked away, back to his game.
"Compose? What made you want to do that?”
He sat up straighter, picking at the hem of his shirt. "I’ve always been interesting in how the music’s put together but I never had the time to learn with the brutal as fuck tour schedule. Now that I actually have down time, I put together a studio at home and have been messing around.”
I shook my head with a chuckle. "Maybe you can produce our next record."
His eyes flicked back to me. “I’m not that good yet.”
I laughed, lifting myself off the couch. "Dude, I’ve known you for more than a decade. When you put your mind to it, you become a fucking expert in whatever you try. Don’t sell yourself short.”
He ignored me, pulling a joint out of his pocket and stuffing it between his lips. I was effectively dismissed. I decided I'd tortured him enough for today and left to find the rest of the guys. Jericho was right. I reallydidhave a lot of wedding shit to handle today. I refused to let Amara do anything more than get ready and enjoy the day, which meant all the setup and prep work fell to the guys and me.
I moved into the dining room where Maddox, Zen, Gray, Connor, and Harrison sat around the table, eating lunch. I pulled out a chair and sat, grabbing a plate, and starting to fill it. "What's the plan for today?"
Zen grabbed his glass of iced tea and took a sip before speaking. "We were talking, and I think the best way to make sure everything gets done is to split up. Mad, Jericho, Gray, Harrison, and Connor will head to the beach after we're done eating to start setting everything up."
Nodding, I stabbed a piece of chicken with my fork and stuck it in my mouth.
"You and I are going to stay here and write your vows, assuming you haven't done it already."
I looked down at my plate, studying it intensely, and Zen chuckled. "That's what I thought."
It wasn't that I didn't have anything to say to Amara, it was that I had too much. I couldn't organize my thoughts into anything that made sense. Thank fuck Zen wanted to help me out because not only had he gotten married a few months ago himself, but he regularly turned his own mess of thoughts into hit songs. My shoulders relaxed, and the tension in my body eased knowing he'd help.
"Thanks, man. Every time I try to do it on my own, I end up with five pages of gibberish I can't even understand."
He laughed. "What do you think my lyric journal is full of? We'll figure it out. No worries."
I finished my lunch, and everyone split up to go their different directions for the day. Following Zen to the living room, we sat across from each other, and he pulled out a notebook.
"Ready to do this?"
I swallowed hard and let every memory I'd ever had with Amara wash over me, my body flooding with emotion before settling against the soft cushion of the sofa. "Not really. Where do we even start?"
He gave me an amused look. "At the beginning."
* * *
When the light turned golden,and the shadows got longer, I knew it was almost time. Once Zen and I finished writing my vows, all I had to do was wait. I didn't need hours to get ready for tonight. I needed probably a solid half-hour and I'd be done. The waiting was killing me, but the time had finally come.
Sliding into my navy suit jacket, I stood back and looked in the mirror. My hair was perfectly tousled, just like Amara liked it, and my crisp white shirt stood out underneath the navy of my suit. We'd decided to go more casual since this was a beach wedding and she knew I hated tuxes, so I was glad I could be comfortable and still look good for my girl.
There was a knock at the door, and I crossed the room quickly to open it to my brother and dad's matching grins. I opened the door wider, and they both passed by me, walking inside. Hale clapped me on the back. "I always knew you'd be the first one of us to fall."
My dad chuckled. "You were always the one who watched your mom and me and said you were gonna have that someday. I'm glad you held out for someone special."
Grinning, I pulled them both in for a hug. "Me, too."
