Page 107 of My Best Friend's Mardi Gras Wedding

God, he really needed to come up with a grand gesture and then fuckingdo it.He was tired of sitting around and being in love with Tori and not telling her.Not showing her.Not shouting it to the world.

But no, storming up the aisle at Andrew’s wedding wasnothow Josh’s gesture was going to go down.

Something had tohappenhere.This was all much less dramatic than he’d expected.He’d envisioned showing up in Autre, telling everyone what happened, and having them all pile into cars and head back to the plantation with him.

Of course, he had no idea what came after that.

That was why he was here, asking them for input.

But instead of storming the plantation or hiring a skywriting plane or heading to Iowa so they would all be there when she got home, he was sitting on a barstool, petting his new cat, and listening to his grandparents tell him he was an idiot.

“Look, you’re all into big gestures,” he finally said.“The girl you keep is the one you’re willing to make an ass out of yourself over, right?Well, Andrew made an ass of himself for her.Big-time.He risked everything.Now come on.Give me something good.”

“But you justleft,” Ellie said again.“Good God.What do you think Tori’s thinking right now?”

“What was I supposed to do?You don’twarnpeople that you’re about to make a big gesture.That’s part of what makes it big,” Josh protested.The truth was, he’d acted on instinct.He’d seen what Andrew was doing, he’d thought, “ohhellno,” and he’d stormedoutof the church, intent on sweeping Tori off her feet.

Eventually.

After he’d figured out how.

And hopefully before she decided that him leaving her at the church with Andrew was a sign he didn’t want her.

Fuck.

Okay, walking out had been stupid.He hadn’t thought about that until he’d passed the Welcome to Autre sign.His need to outdo Andrew had been all that had been driving him.

So, yes, he’d fucked up.But he’d hoped these people would help him fix it.

“I’m freaking out, okay?”he finally said.That was the bottom line.He’d never felt like this.Felt thismuch.He didn’t know how to express it in an appropriately huge way.“I was watching her walk down that aisle and thinking how much I loved her and how I couldn’t wait to tell her.Then Andrew stops everything and tells herheloves her.That’s a big deal.He knows about all her public spectacles over the years.He’s talked her out of some of them.So doing that, so publicly and humiliatingly, was a big deal for him.Stomping up that aisle, making a big deal out of it all in front of everyone is very much somethingIwould do.But Andrew doing that?That was…something.”

From Andrew it meant more.

“That wasAndrew’sbig gesture.His big moment.I wasn’t going to…use that too,” Josh finished weakly.Because that really was weak now that he thought about it.What the hell?He wasn’t willing to tell her how he felt because Andrew told her first?

Ellie rolled her eyes so big he was afraid they might get stuck at the back of her head.

Cora, however, reached out and smacked Josh upside the back ofhishead.“It’s not a competition.”

“It’s not?”he asked, rubbing the spot.“Really?Two men love her and want her?How is that not a competition?”

“Because there’s only one real choice,” Cora said.“The onesheloves.”

“This isn’t pie, boy,” Leo said.“You can’t love two people equally like you can love both pecan and rum raisin.”

“But you didn’t eventell herthat you love her and want her,” Ellie said, giving him a harsh frown.

“She didn’t tellmethat she loves me either,” Josh pointed out.

“Andthat’sthe big gesture,” Ellie said, pointing her finger at his nose.“Taking the risk.Putting it all out there because of howyoufeel even if you’re not sure how she feels.”

That hit Josh right in the chest.Tori never shied away from defending her animals—or any animals—just because someone else might think it was weird or not understand or because the consequences might not go her way.She dove in, driven byherheart.

“Shit,” he said, blowing out a breath.“Why did I walk out of there?That was stupid.”

“Finally,” Ellie said.

“Thank God,” Cora agreed.

---