Page 73 of Fire & Ice

The next few hours are a blur for Tripp. The photographer takes candid photos of all of the groomsmen, half-dressed and scattered around Beau and Tripp’s apartment. Shots of them fixing bow ties and clinking beers together, supposedly looking casual while being weirdly posed. Tripp hates it, but he doesn’t say a single word, because Beau issodamn happy his cheeks must hurt from smiling.

Tripp’s pretty sure the photographer catches the moment that Beau walks out of his bedroom looking like a groom, and Tripp loses it like he’s pretty sure only the bride and the mother of the groom are supposed to do.

Well fuck it,Tripp thinks.He’sBeau's mom, much as anybody is.Andhis dad,andhis damn big brother, and for well into Beau's teen years, he was Santa-freaking-Claus, too. Tripp’spretty sure he’s entitled to a couple of sappy tears on today of all days.

After multiple checks to ensure that they have everything that needs to come along to both the church and the reception venue, Beau's entire entourage heads outside. To Tripp’s dismay, the casual-force-posed picture-taking is repeated under the sun and in front of random trees, next to the limo, and—by Tripp’s insistence—in front of Engine Fifteen when the crew stops by to wish Beau well.

At least when things get tedious, Tripp has the reassuring comfort of the ropes hugging his body to soothe and calm him, tempering his natural tendency towards impatience and irritation.

Plus, Lee is by his side pretty much the whole time, which also helps anot-small amount. The limo ride to the church ends up being a lot more fun than the picture taking, and includes as much beer as Tripp can drink during the twenty-minute trip (four). By the time they’re all lining up in the back of the church, he’s feeling pretty damn good. Pretty damnhappy.

In fact, Tripp is relatively sure that he could put up with nearly anything this day might throw at him, all in the name of being the most stellar Best Man Beau could freaking ask for. He deserves it.

Even when Beau heads off down the aisle on Reina’s arm, and the doors to the main church swing closed behind him so the girls can file in and pair off, Tripp manages to hold it together.No emotion, no tears.Not with such a giant audience waiting on the other side to judge him.Even Tripp has his limits.

Right before the music starts and the wedding coordinator motions for him and Ro to start the long walk towards the altar,Tripp glances back over his shoulder to send a tipsy wink Lee's way. Lee must be feeling pretty good himself, because he doesn’t even admonish or scold Tripp, just smiles softly and shakes his head before mouthing the word, “Behave.”

Tripp does, save for a few devilish winks at elderly ladies in pews, and the entire party makes it to the altar unscathed.

The ceremony is beautiful. Flowers everywhere, lots of that white, gauzy shit draped over the seats and the altar itself. Tripp digests the display from Beau's side, deciding that Bri did a bang-up job on the place.

The whole church stands when “Here Comes the Bride” plays and Briana enters, and Tripp, fully-prepared, has a handkerchief ready to hand off to the emotional groom. Hundreds of Beau and Bri's family and friends line the aisle, but the two of them only have eyes for each other. As Tripp watches his baby brother tear up seeing his almost-wife make her way towards him, it’s a much more sobering moment than he thought it would be.

Beau isgrown,and somehow, that’sstartling.It’s not as if Tripp didn’t know that already, he’s known it for years. And yet, it’s never been demonstrated—never been shoved in his face—quiteso clearly as this.

Bri, with her starry-eyes and bright smile that’s for Beau only—sheis Beau's future, not Tripp. While he and Beau will always be family, always be irreplaceable in each other’s lives, they aren’t theonlything each of them has to lean on any longer. Beau has Bri, and Tripp—Tripp’s alone.

Except, no.

No, he isn’t, Tripp realizes, feeling the barest tips of Lee's fingers nudging at the edge of his palm. It’s a gentle, careful reassurance, designed to make Tripp feel safe and supportedbut not to steal the show. Leeknowshim, likely knows exactly what he’s feeling right now, and he cares enough to reach out. And while Tripp can’t bring himself to tear his gaze away from his brother exchanging his vows, he does have the strangest thought go through his mind, one that he can’t quite shake loose.

It’s the idea that—if hedidturn and look at Lee—he might find him looking back with the same expression that Bri is wearing while smiling up at Beau, right now.

That thought scares and excites him so much and in equal measure that Tripp can’t bring himself to glance Leander’s way atall.At least, not until Beau and Bri have been pronounced “husband and wife,” and the whole party has paraded back down the center aisle of the church, ushered off into one of the side rooms so that everyone in the cheap seats can exit and form their rice-throwing lines outside.

Inside the cramped holding area, Tripp gets about four seconds to congratulate Beau before his newly-hitched self is swept away by other members of the bridal party, a whirl of back-slapping, face-kissing, and loud cheering erupting before the happy couple manages to break away and steal a moment for themselves in a far corner.

As Tripp watches them cup each others’ cheeks with a wistful little smile on his face, an unmistakable presence appears by his side, accompanying giant hand coming to rest at the small of his back.

“Hey, Lee,” Tripp says, finally glancing over to find Leander looking back exactly the way he always stares at Tripp, and somehow, that’s even more confusing.

“Hello, Tripp,” Leander replies, holding his gaze from just afewinches too close for two (otherwise) platonic (fuck)buddies, and it’s right then when Tripp realizes thatmaybethe answer is that Lee has been looking at him this way all along.

“Alright, everybody line up! Opposite order as the procession, please. Bride and groom, you’ll be bringing up the rear.” The wedding planner calls out instructions from where she’s popped only her head into the too-small space. Tripp can’t help but think that if Christian was here, her remark would have definitely been turned into a dig at him and Lee, so thankfuckhe isn’t.

Their exit from the church is cliché and cute, rice raining down over all of their heads while the crowd cheers and the girls yell and try in vain to cover their carefully-styled hair. With the procession reversed, Tripp and Ro are following Lee and Avery to the limo, andLeeis the one who turns to wink over his shoulder this time. He’s all bright smiles and perfect, rice-strewn hair to match his gorgeous tux, everything Tripp ever wanted all wrapped up in a fancy, bow-topped package for today.

Tripp’s chest aches.

There are more pictures.Lotsmore pictures at multiple locations, and no alcohol to make the taking of them more tolerable. Tripp grins and bears it, because it’s forBeau,but even inside the limo, he’s not having any fun. The beer and champagne have long-since run out, and Lee gets stuck several seats away from him, no matter how Tripp tries to position them otherwise, each and every time they pile in and out of the vehicle.

By the time the bridal party makes it to the reception venue, Tripp’s harness isn’t doing jack shit for his mood, and he’s ornery enough to consider making amends with Christian if the reward would come in the form of a double whiskey on the rocks. Things get better once Mickey makes that wish come truefor both of them, and Tripp’s never been more grateful for his and Beau's surrogate father. That’s saying a lot, considering this weekend alone.

Bri and Beau's reception is being held at a swanky hotel downtown, and the ballroom the party is set up in sits right off of the hotel lobby. Just inside the open double doors to the room, the lights are dim, the disco ball is spinning, and the DJ is talking, getting ready to announce the wedding party’s big entrance. Furtively, Mickey and Tripp gulp down their drinks in a far corner of the hallway, and then ditch both empty glasses in a decorative ficus.

Looking significantly happier, Mickey wipes his mouth and claps Tripp on the shoulder before taking his place in line behind Brett and in front of Lee. Ahead of them all, Sandy and one of Bri's friends are already dancing their way into the ballroom to the sounds of “Marry You” by Bruno Mars.

Tripp rolls his eyes—talk about cliché.

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