Page 9 of Unforgettable

I groaned and told her I was on my way before I stomped like a petulant child and grabbed Hazel’s gift from the table. “I’m sorry, we have bridesmaid dress emergencies that I have to attend to. Can we talk later?”

Josh seemed dejected but nodded. I swiftly kissed them both on the cheek and feeling my face flush at our proximity and the sudden closeness of the act—although it was something I’d done numerous times before—I hurried back to the bride’s house and in the direction of the emergency.

FOUR

Amanda

Watchingtwo of my best friends get married, while exciting and beautiful, also made me reassess my own loneliness and lack of a partner.

The ceremony was elegant, beautiful and understated. Everything went perfectly, meaning no one tripped, no one objected to the union, and Luke cried when he saw Hazel appear at the end of the aisle on her father’s arm. The sky was painted in deep pinks and purples as the sun set. The diminishing light cast a warm glow on the sea of all-white flowers and thick greenery.

They each wrote their own vows, although Hazel’s were far more advanced, just as they should have been, given she was the published author and had a way with words. But there wasn’t a dry eye among any of the almost two hundred guests.

From where I stood behind Delilah—who was struggling to stay standing for the short twenty-minute ceremony—I had a perfect view of Luke, who looked at Hazel with all of the love in the world. Like she was his light, his beginning and his end and everything he could ever want.

I wanted someone to look at me like that.

And as I watched the ceremony, diligently holding my bouquet in front of me and dabbing at my eyes with the tissue I’d snuck in, I caught both Josh and Reed stealing glances at me. Each time our eyes would meet, I’d shuffle uncomfortably on my feet, imprisoned under their heavy gazes. From behind me, Stephanie, Hazel’s friend and coworker, nudged me to tell me to stop moving once or maybe three times.

The officiant pronounced them husband and wife. I dabbed my tears one last time and nearly lost my voice from screaming. Then I was sandwiched between the two men. I knew it was Hazel’s doing, pairing me with both Reed and Josh to exit the ceremony and enter the reception. She was the only person—aside from the three of us that were involved—that knew about our threesome. She was nice enough to only bring it up when she caught one of us staring too long or had drunk too much during one of our many margarita nights.

If her plan was to make me uncomfortable, she had more than succeeded. The last time I had felt the heat of the two of them against me, they were both buried inside of me, and that memory pushed itself front and center as we flawlessly executed our ceremony exit and subsequent reception entrance.

After dinner and speeches, Hazel pulled me out onto the dance floor, where we danced to all the songs we used to grind to in our high school cafeterias. That was until Luke came to steal his bride, and I was looped into a less than thrilling conversation with a few of Hazel’s extended family members about the quality of the school systems in Tennessee versus those in Texas.

Each time I tried to politely excuse myself, the man—whose name I couldn’t remember—would pull me back into the conversation with another question about our teaching curriculum and standardized testing requirements. Even in the middle of a wedding reception, I was about to fall asleep in my empty martini glass.

“Excuse me, everyone, but I have to steal Amanda. We have some maid of honor and best man things to take care of,” Josh said, smoothly inserting himself in the conversation and gripping my arm to haul me away. Eagerly, I stood and followed him. His hand slid down my arm until his fingers intertwined with my own.

“Ugh, thank you! I was dying of boredom.”

“I could tell. Your eyes kept darting around like you were hoping someone would save you.”

“My knight in a black suit. Don’t tell Hazel, but some of her family isboring.” I laughed as we approached the bar.

“Dirty gin martini for her, and I’ll have a whiskey neat. Thanks,” Josh ordered for us both. As we waited for our drinks, we watched the party continue around us.

“Dad, Daddy!” Zach, Josh’s six-year-old son, ran up to us, waving his tie in the air like a lasso. He was Josh’s twin in almost every way, although Josh would argue all day that his son was twice as smart and creative as he was at that same age.

Zach, along with Miles, Hazel’s nephew, had been the ring bearers for the ceremony and had become glued at the hip through the entire weekend.

“Aunt Delilah said that I could go home with them and spend the night with Miles if it’s okay with you. Please tell me it’s okay with you, Dad.Pleaseee. They leave in two days, then who knows when I’m going to see him again,” Zach pleaded while jumping up and down, his hands clasped in front of him.

“Well, I need to talk to Aunt Delilah and Uncle Tony, and if they tell me that’s okay, then that’s fine with me.”

Zach stopped bouncing and perched his hands on his hips. “Daddy, do you really think I’d lie to you about something this serious?”

Josh laughed and grabbed his drink from the bartender. “No, I don’t think you’re lying, bud. I just want to make sure it’s okay with her.”

“Okay, here she comes.” Zach pointed behind us as Delilah waddled over.

“You’re okay with this?” Josh asked.

“Yeah, it’s fine. They can entertain each other. Tony can watch them while I sleep. I’m actually leaving now, though. You can come by Hazel’s whenever and come pick him up.”

“Sounds good. Zach.” Josh stooped down until he was at his son’s height and leveled him with a serious look. “What are the rules?”

Zach huffed but obliged his dad’s request. “Use my manners, pick up after myself, and treat others the way I want to be treated,” he recited.

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