Page 63 of Best Man
Everyone laughed.
“Anyway, later that night, Piper had her big date with Jax the professional hockey player—or maybe I should say just-a-rookie Jax? Anyway, I stayed by my phone all night. Just waiting.Waitingfor that big, end-of-the-night update. But the night got later and later and I hadn’t heard anything from her. So I assumed that could only mean good news, and as much as I wanted to text her asking how it went, I didn’t—for fear that I might,ahem, interruptsomething.”
The crowd chuckled, and someone went,ow ow!
“I fell asleep with my phone by my pillow. I woke up the next day and Istillhadn’t heard anything from her; no calls, no texts, nothing. So I finally said screw it, and I called her to ask her how her date went. She calmly explained that the date went well. She told me that Jax grew up on a farm, too, so they actually had a lot in common. Great, right? Well, at this point, I wasdyingto know what actually happened—
“I shrieked,‘So did anything happen or what?!’
“She said,‘Well, he tried to kiss me.’
“‘Wait,’I said. ‘What do you mean, he TRIED?’
“She said,‘I mean, he tried, Paulie. But I didn’t kiss him back.’
“And I must’ve said something like, ‘ARE YOU INSANE?!’ ”
The crowd laughed and Jax’s cheeks turned a little red, but he nodded as if to say,yup, it’s all true, she turned me down.Piper, also laughing, put her arm around her husband to soothe his reeling ego.
“But see, that’s just Piper,” Paulina continued. “It was obvious that she saw something in Jax. But she could also see that she and Jax were on different paths at that point in their lives. Would their paths ever align? Who knew? I know a lot of girls, maybe myself included, wouldn’t have been so mature. The allure of hooking up with a professional athlete … c’mon, ladies—it’s a fantasy—we can admit it, can’t we?”
The girls in the crowd brave enough to admit it went,wooooooo!
“But anyone who knows my sister knows that not only is she smart as heck, above all else, she ispatient.She knew Jax was worth waiting for, but she also knew that he maybe wasn’t in a place where he was quite ready to settle down yet. He wasjusta rookie, remember? His life was still going through major changes. And hey, maybe Piper wasn’t quite ready to settle down yet herself. And maybe she had to convince herself she wasn’t in love with him all along—because believe me, weallknew she was!”
Piper laughed along with everybody else.
“My point is, Piper and Jax began a friendship instead. A very close friendship. A friendship that, once they startedlivingtogether, had all of us wondering if maybe, justmaaaybe,there was something a little more going on behind the scenes.”
The friends and family familiar with the situation agreed with ammm-hm!
“I won’t lie. I was a little worried at times she was being played. I mean, when Jax got traded, she followed the guy to Dallas! Who does that?!”
Piper waved her napkin in the air as if it were a white flag.
“But Piper and Jax waited. And that’s a really amazing thing. Because they waited until the time was absolutely right, and then their romance beautifully and naturally unfolded, just like it was always meant to. And now we’re all here to celebrate their deep love and commitment for each other. It’s a perfect ending to their story, but really, it’s just the beginning of their next chapter together.”
She turned to talk to her sister directly.
“Piper, I couldn’t have asked for a better big sister. I know you think I’m hardheaded because I’m not always ready and willing to follow in your footsteps. Okay, let’s face it, sometimes I ask for your advice just to do theoppositeof what you tell me.”
Piper, looking genuinely shocked Paulina would admit it, laughed victoriously,ah-HA!
“But don’t think that doesn’t mean I’m not listening to what you say. Because, believe me, I am. I watch what you do, I see your success in life, and I wish I could be like you. You’re an inspiration to me; you’re something for me to shoot for and try to live up to. I’m always asking myself, ‘what would Piper do?’ … even if I end up doing the exact opposite. Sorry I’m stubborn! But you know me better than anyone else; you know I have to blaze my own trail.”
Piper nodded, seeing her point.
“And really, thanks for understanding that about me. Thanks for not being frustrated or disappointed with me when I choose to do things my own way. You’ve given me room to grow and that’s why you’re such an awesome sister. I love you so much, Piper. You’re the best big sister anyone could ever ask for.”
Piper was tearing up. She mouthed,I love you, too, Paulie.
Paulina turned to Jax.
“And then there’s Jax! Oh, Jax. I can finally call you ‘bro’ now, huh?I’d ask you to always take good care of my sister, but I know I don’t even have to because your love for her is so, so obvious. Welcome to the family,BRO.Nice to have another farm kid around here!
“Anyway, um—in closing, I love you both and I can’t wait to see the life you build together. I wish you all the best, and I’ll always be here if you ever need anything from me.”
With that, Paulina passed the mic to the next person, and the crowd gave her a round of applause.
