AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“We should be going,” her mother said.
Aunt Gloria huffed. “We can stay for a drink, Carolyn.”
Her mother glanced down at the floor and then peered up at her. For the first time in Vada’s life, her mom was asking for her permission. She was taken aback, which led to a delay in her response. It took Hades squeezing her hand to snap her out of her shock.
“Yes, stay for a drink. We have plenty of food, too.” Vada felt a bubbling in her chest. “I’d really like it if you stayed.”
Her mother gave a small smile and waved to the end of the hall. “You have plenty of guests to greet. We’ll leave you to it.”
Hades tugged on her hand and headed toward the bar down the hall. She could hear the music and smell the food, and the party had started without them. Just as they walked through the door, Vada glanced over her shoulder.
She came.
*
Vada was riding on a high. Like with all weddings, not everything went according to plan. The caterers had forgotten a dish and the cake topper had gone into hiding. And none of that mattered.
It took over an hour to make sure she’d gotten to say hello to everyone. All the while, Hades was by her side, but she could tell he was reaching his limit. By the time they’d finished, most people had gotten food and were eating at the tables, bar, or, in some guy’s case, standing. This was the perfect time to present Hades with his gift before the party revved up.
He looped his arm around her waist. “Getting a drink. You want something?”
“I’m good for now.” She kissed him and watched as he weaved through the crowd.
Now, it was her turn to go in search of Trista. There hadn’t been a set time or plan for the video, but she assumed it had all been set up, and they were waiting on Vada’s cue. Scrambling around to find Trista was harder than she thought. Every time she turned, someone was offering her food or a drink or engaging in conversation. It took twenty minutes to get from one end of the room to the other. But Vada didn’t complain.
“Trista!” Vada waved her hand over her head, gaining her best friend’s attention.
“Can we do the video now? I think this is as quiet as it’s going to get.”
“It’s like the calm before the storm.” Trista glanced around the room, nodding. “Everything is set up, so go find Hades.”
It took another few minutes to get back to the bar. She spotted Hades at a table with Gunner, Lil, Kase, Phoebe, and two other couples. He was the only one who didn’t have a plate in front of him. She walked over and immediately caught his stare.
“Was looking for you,” Hades said, and when she was a foot away, he hooked his arm around her waist and pulled her down onto his lap. His hand curved over her thigh. “Where were you?”
Before Vada could answer, Trista’s voice came over the speaker, calling for everyone’s attention. She straightened her back and saw Trista on the small stage with a mic in hand, smiling directly at her.
“In all your planning, Vada, dotting every I and crossing every T, with your big ass binder, you left out one small” —Trista cocked her head and winked— “But very important detail to every traditional wedding.”
What?
Trista glanced to her left, and within seconds, Saint appeared by her side. As soon as she saw them side by side, it hit her like a two-by-four across the face.
Vada gasped and covered her mouth. How could she have forgotten?
“Did you really think as your maid of honor and” —Trista gestured to Saint— “And best man, that we weren’t going to give a speech?”
The room erupted in laughter while Vada gave in to her own chuckle and shrugged. Trista handed Saint the microphone.
“I will keep it short,” Saint said.
Hades raised his glass. “I appreciate that, brother.”
“We decided to combine our speech. After reading Trista’s and sharing mine with her, we realized we’d both be saying the same thing.” Saint paused. “Perfection is an illusional. It doesn’t exist. But every once in a while, you see something that comes close to it. That’s what we see when we look at Roman and Vada. Two people who, above everything else, love hard. Accept one another and truly embrace their partnership.” Saint raised his glass. “To Roman and Vada. Not perfect, but pretty damn close.”
Saint was wrong. Perfection did exist. He had just proved it with his speech.
Trista took the microphone from Saint. “Before the party starts, the bride has a gift for the groom.”
