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Love is Forever
MY PARENTS WEREstanding on the stage with Tessa as we walked in. They waved us up, so we meandered our way through the crowd and took our place in front of quite possibly three hundred of our closest friends, family, colleagues, you name it. I hated crowds. They terrified me, and Brandt knew it. He kissed my hand and squeezed it close to his heart.
"Hi, everyone. Thank you so much for joining us to celebrate two milestones in our lives," my mom spoke fluidly. "But we are missing some people. Mr. and Mrs. Reilly?" She scanned the crowd. "There you are. Please, come up and join us. We're all family now."
I watched as Brandt's parents shyly made their way to the stage. They were the exact opposite of my parents. They were quiet and kept to themselves. His stepmom was super sweet, but I hadn't really labeled his dad yet. He never really said much around me. I knew he was a good man, though, from the way Brandt spoke about him and respected him, and that was enough for me.
"And we can't forget Brandt's brother, Grady. Come up here, dear."
Grady was just as handsome as Brandt, but there was a hidden darkness deep within him. I wasn't sure if Tessa ever caught it because she was, well, Tessa. She was always flying on her own cloud. I think that was why they worked so well together. She brought out the light in him. He hopped onto the stage and stood next to Tessa.
"Now, our family is complete. We are here to celebrate my oldest daughter, Baylor, getting married in a few weeks to one of the dearest men I have ever met. I could tell she had met the one immediately. She might not have known, but a mother can see when a shift takes place within her children. We are gaining two wonderful young men, Brandt and Grady, and two equally wonderful friends." She looked at Brandt and Grady's parents. "You have raised two strong and respectable men. Thank you for allowing us to be a part of your family.
"And we can't forget. We are also here to celebrate my little Tessa being accepted into Stanford, the school of her dreams, to do what she was born to do—save the world one ocean at a time. We are the luckiest parents in the world and so proud of both of you." She wiped away a tear with a tissue she had hidden in her fist. "I told myself I wouldn't cry." She laughed. "But I came prepared, just in case." She held up the tissue. "Thank you all for being here to remember this moment." She raised her glass. "Cheers."
Brandt took two glasses from a server and handed me one. Everyone raised their glasses and responded, "Cheers," including us. The crowd dispersed quickly afterward, and the music filled the room. My parents stayed on stage with Brandt's parents while Brandt and I dared to join the sea of people. Tessa and Grady followed us.
"That was emotional!" Tessa shouted. "Mom sure knows how to dig at the little heartstrings."
"Yeah, but think about it. She's about to lose both of her daughters at the same time. That's gotta be hard on her."
"Yeah," she replied thoughtfully.
"Hey, Tessa!" a girl yelled as she clumsily pushed people out of her way to reach us.
"Hey, Becca."
A friend of Becca's hung behind her, obviously plastered. Brandt released my hand and looked away from Becca uncomfortably. He and Grady started whispering.
"I hope you don't mind I brought my best friend. She's a little drunk, though," Becca shouted over the music.
"No, it's totally cool. Bay, this is Becca. She went to High Pointe with us," Tessa introduced Becca.
"Technically with your boyfriend.” She laughed as she raised her glass toward me.
She looked oddly familiar, but I couldn’t place from where.
"Your sis and I are going to be rooming together at Stanford."
That was a new revelation. "Oh?" I looked at Tessa with a questioning glance.
"Oh, shit. I'm sorry. Was that a secret?" Becca blurted.
Tessa cut her off, "No, it's fine. I just hadn't told anyone yet. No secret."
"Phew. I thought I was out a roomie. This is my friend, Alex. This is Tessa."
"Hey, Bay. We're going to get a beer," Brandt quickly interrupted and then took off with Grady to the bar.
Becca tried to finish, "And this is her sister…"
"Bay. I heard. Hey," Alex managed to slur out.
"There you are." A guy grabbed Alex's arm. "She's had a few too many. Sorry," he said as he ushered her away.
"Bye!" Alex yelled.
"I should go with them. Sorry, we're late!" Becca shouted as she sauntered after them.
