Page 68 of Unbroken

“And if we’re being honest, I know you’ve been hung up on her for a decade, so why wouldn’t you take the opportunity to do something about it?”

I knew he couldn’t help himself, so I shouldn’t have been surprised by his additional comment. But I still tossed an unimpressed look in his direction. He threw back a knowing smirk and tipped back his beer.

He took a swig and set it back on the table. “So, you kissed her, didn’t you? Or did it go further than that?”

I wasn’t sharing any more details with James, so he could guess all he wanted. Unfortunately, my silence seemed to be answer enough for him.

With an understanding chuckle, he gripped my shoulder and pointed up the deck behind me. “Here’s your chance, bud.”

Confused, I pivoted, scanning the crowd of people quickly growing by the minute. It took me less than a second to find her stepping out onto the deck through the white french doors.

My heart immediately started racing, and I began to sweat.Fuck, Blakely was gorgeous. Half of her wavy, black hair was pulled back, and the smile gracing her lips was a gift to everyone who witnessed it.

Unashamed of my outward ogling, my eyes slipped down the rest of her body, thoroughly enjoying the way the green satin dress clung to her curves. The fabric ended just at mid-thigh and easily moved with her when she turned to close the door.

My entire body reacted to her presence. It told me to follow her and make things right. As did my cock, which was quickly hardening behind my already tight dress pants and making them even more uncomfortable.

It wasn’t until they were halfway across the deck that I realized Amanda was behind her, and they were walking toward Ivy and Reed’s mom, who we affectionately referred to as Mama G.

“You gonna go over there?” James asked. “Because I can’t tell what you’re thinking.”

“I’m not going to immediately rush over there. She just got here.”

“Okay, man. Just don’t wait forever,” he added unhelpfully and patted my shoulder before leaving me alone to join everyone else.

The crowd had grown quite a bit in the past hour, but I found Blakely at every opportunity. It was hard not to find her, like my body was drawn to hers no matter the distance.

I was just waiting for the right moment to bring it up. To tell her that I still wanted to talk and that I’d lost my mind the past two weeks. But in the middle of a party didn’t feel like an ideal time to do that.

“Hi, everyone,” Reed spoke into a microphone set up at the back of the deck closest to the water. The sun had set just enough that the warm pinks and reds were reflecting off the mostly still lake. Josh and Amanda stood only a foot or two away, arms wrapped around one another, as Reed peeked over at them. Zach, Josh’s son, bounced around them in his own little gray suit.

Next to me, Luke nudged my arm. “What’s he doing?”

I shrugged and took a sip of my fresh beer as Reed continued, “Thank you all so much for coming today, but we have to be honest now. We’ve brought you here under false pretenses.”

Everyone in the crowd glanced at one another.

“As you are all aware, me, Josh, and Amanda have been together for about a year now, and I don’t want to speak for them, but this has easily been the best year of my life. And since they’ve both agreed to marry me, I assume they agree.”

It took a second, I think, for all of us to comprehend what he just said, but when we did, cheers echoed through the crowd, and clapping ensued.

Reed looked over at his partners, who all had matching wide smiles.

“And we’re going to make it official today. Well, as official as we can. Although you cannot legally marry more than one person in the US, that’s not going to keep us from committing to each other forever. We’ve learned that life is pretty damn short, and we’re not going to waste another minute. So, today isn’t just a party. It’s still a celebration, but it’s also our commitment ceremony.”

A new round of cheers erupted, and Reed’s parents immediately descended on the throuple, and the rest of us weren’t too far behind them. We took turns hugging Reed, Josh, and Amanda. Luke cried when he clapped his brother on his back, and Hazel, who was baby-free for the first time since Josie was born, was a blubbering mess.

Amanda pulled Hazel, Ivy, and Blakely toward the house with a hurried request to help her change, while Josh and Reed asked me, Luke, and James to stand up beside them.

In five minutes, the party was transformed from just that—a party—to a wedding. Luke, James, and I stood next to Reed and Josh, who held hands, eagerly waiting for Amanda, who was expected to walk out of the french doors and onto the deck.

The music began, and the doors opened. Amanda had changed from her simple blue dress to a very bridal, floor-length white dress. She’d added flowers to her hair and had a small bouquet clasped in her hands, but her best accessory was the smile that hadn’t faltered all day.

She began walking down the makeshift aisle we’d created by parting the crowd in two. Blakely, Ivy, and Hazel had their own bouquets and followed behind Amanda.

Amanda’s parents had never come around to the fact that she’d fallen in love with two men, and those men also loved eachother. But it didn’t seem to bother her. Even without her blood relatives, she was surrounded by family.

Hazel was still crying as they finally met us and the officiant at the end of the aisle, and Ivy looked like she was barely holding it together as well. Blakely’s expression was one of pure awe and wonder.

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