Page 105 of Say the Words
“Like I’m the luckiest woman in the world.”
Her happiness amplified the ache in my own heart, a bright spotlight on the longing I’d been holding onto for two years. And I was going to just let June drive away in a few hours?Not the time.I could at least get through my best friend’s wedding. Then, I could retreat to regret and Johnnie Walker.
“Booker’s going to spend the rest of his life trying to make you as happy as you are today, you know that, right?”
She nodded, blinking back tears. I hadn’t meant to make her any more emotional, but it probably wouldn’t take much to get the waterworks going today. Booker had cried all through the ceremony, the sentimental sap. All told, they were pretty perfect for each other.
Our fake-casual conversation came to an end when the wedding coordinator slipped up to the table, clipboard in hand, and passed me a microphone. The worst part of my Best Man duties had arrived.
I stood, and the coordinator clinked a spoon against her wine glass, drawing attention to the head table. One hundred faces turned toward me as I stood up. She slunk away, disappearing into the edges of the audience, leaving me to my task. From an inner pocket, I pulled out notes for the speech I’d written months ago.
“I’m Ty Hardy,” I said into the microphone, lifting a hand in greeting. “I’ve known Booker since we were kids. You’ll never meet a guy with more enthusiasm or more heart. He’s got a big personality—that means he’s sometimes an obnoxious ass.”
Laughter rumbled around the audience, to my relief.
“But his big personality gets things done. He’s the kid who started Magnolia Ridge’s annual downtown pet parade through sheer force of will. He’s the guy who petitioned for—and got—extended lunch periods our senior year of high school. And as an adult, he’s the guy who encourages his students to be the best they can be every day.”
Booker had fresh tears in his eyes, and I’d just gotten started. I’d wanted to avoid mooning and getting too sentimental, but hell, I loved the guy.
“That’s what Booker does—he lives life with no regrets and takes every opportunity that comes his way. So when he started dating Eden, our sweet, kind, smart librarian, he didn’t waste any time. They’d been together about a month when he said to me, ‘Ty, Eden’s it for me’. If you’ve seen them together, you know he’s right. They fit. Eden, you might have to deal with his occasional obnoxiousness, but you’ll never have to question that this man would do anything for you.
“If there’s one thing we can learn from Booker, it’s how to—”
I froze, the words I’d written all those months ago blurring across the page like I viewed them through fog. Then they sharpened, so bold and clear, they squeezed my heart in a vise grip. For a second, I couldn’t breathe—I just let the words rattle around in my brain, shaking me out of my stupid fears, pushing out all my doubts, all my insecurities. My world lurched, shifted, and righted again.
The success I’d worked so hard to build wouldn’t comfort me if I sacrificed a life with June to keep it. I didn’t know how it would all fall into place, but I knew what I wanted without question. I loved my life, my ranch, my work—but I loved June more.
Was I really going to let the woman I loved slip away from me without putting up a fight? Hell, no.
I cleared my throat and tried again. “It’s how to take hold of happiness when it comes our way without fear, and live in the moment. To Booker and Eden. May your years be long, your joy great, and may you never want for more.”
The crowd toasted and cheered, but I hardly heard the noise. My whole focus centered on June. She stood to give her toast, our fingers brushing as I handed over the microphone. My heart slammed against my ribcage, pounding out its eager tattoo. I finally fulfilled her wish to avoid some public scene, since it took every last ounce of self-control I had not to take her in my arms right in front of everyone and tell her how much she meant to me.
If Booker could move past his disappointments to claim the love of his life, I could, too. No more hesitation, no more fear, no more garbage excuses. June was it for me, and I wouldn’t go another day without telling her.
I just hoped she would still give me a chance to say the words.
THIRTY-NINE
june
I stood frozenin front of the whole wedding reception, my skin buzzing from Ty’s microphone hand-off. His sweet speech had filled me with fireflies, but when our eyes met, every one exploded in a shower of sparks. His eyes held so much yearning, so much tenderness and vulnerability, that for a moment, I couldn’t speak. I just stood there soaking it in.
A cough in the crowd snapped me out of what I hoped had been a very short Ty-induced daze. I dragged my gaze away from him and tried to focus on Eden and Booker. My hands shook so I could hardly hold the small cards I’d written my speech cues on, but I had to plunge ahead. I took a deep breath and dove in.
“For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Eden’s cousin, June. I grew up with these women, and I always considered myself the fourth Webb sister. It was either that, or accept I already had two older brothers, and that was unthinkable.”
The audience’s laughter eased some of my nerves. Giving an emotional speech should have been a slam dunk, but with my senses on high alert and Ty watching from feet away, tension pulled taut inside me.
“Eden and I were always close, and as a kid, I idolized her as if she were my own big sister. I remember watching her ride her bike, this huge pink Huffy, when I still had training wheels on, and I thought, ‘I want to be like that’.
“Later on, I watched her graduate valedictorian of her high school class, and I thought, ‘I want to be like that’. In college, she figured out exactly what she wanted from her career and went after it. And I thought, ‘I want to be like that.’”
I took in a shaky breath. “One night last winter, Eden invited me to come to town so I could have dinner with her and Booker. They were disgustingly happy, as most newly-dating couples are, and it was pretty hard to take, to be honest. Even then, I could see how perfectly they matched each other, how their strengths brought out the best in each other, how they encouraged and supported each other.
“There was this one moment where Eden’s shawl slipped off her shoulder. In the middle of telling me a story, Booker reached over and moved the shawl back without thinking, like taking care of Eden came as naturally to him as taking care of himself. And I thought, ‘I want to be like that’.”
My voice broke, but I was determined to hold it together. “Booker and Eden see each other for who they really are. They love with their whole selves, no selfishness, no holding back. I have no doubts about their future happiness, because they put each other first.” I turned to face Eden and raised my glass. “Of their love story, may we all say, ‘I want to be like that’.”
