Page 66 of Best Man
“COOL!”
“ARE THOSE FOR EVERYBODY?!”
“Unfortunately, we don’t have quite enough for everybody,” Paulina said, and the kids snapped their fingers and hung their heads,aw, man!“But we definitely have enough for all the kids,” she added.
That was the best news the kids had ever heard in their lives and, high on countless soda pops, they jumped around and pumped their arms in the air again.
“And the lanterns that are left over can go to the couples or whoever else wants one badly enough!” she said.
Sasha pulled down the tailgate and waved the kids over first. They stormed the back of the truck like a cloud of locusts and the pile of sky lanterns quickly shrank before their eyes. After the kids scampered away with their lanterns, the adults came next—and though they were far more orderly and behaved, even they wore youthful smiles and bopped around with genuine excitement while they waited to grab their lantern.
It was a bittersweet moment when Paulina saw the pickup bed was completely empty—on one hand, it meant her wedding gift was a hit. On the other hand, after spending all that time making them, she was a little disappointed that she hadn’t saved a sky lantern for herself.
Then again, she’d said they were for the couples … and she was single … so, by her own rules, she wouldn’t have gotten one.
Paulina got over it a second later and spoke to the crowd again. “Okay, looks like everyone’s got their lantern. So, now let’s all take a minute or two to think up your wish!”
The crowd went quiet and dropped their heads. While the crowd focused their thoughts and intentions on the things they most wanted, Sasha stealthily sidled next to Paulina and nudged her side. “Pst. Paulina.” He was keeping something behind his back.
“What’s that?” she asked. “What do you have?”
He revealed a sky lantern. “This one’s for us,” he said with a grin. “I kept it in the cab with me.”
“Sasha!” She squealed—she was happy and yet a tinge guilty at the same time. “But we said they’re for the couples!”
“Yes, but we made them, didn’t we? No one would be mad at us for taking one.” He stared at the lantern. “Besides, I get to make a wish, don’t I?”
She blinked. Was he saying what shethoughthe was saying?
“Huh? What do you mean?” she asked.
“Nothing,” he quickly answered, hiding a coy smile. “Forget it.”
She was sure his true meaning, whatever it was, had been lost in translation. To think otherwise was dangerous—and she’d opened her heart to him too much already.
Content to do as Sasha said, she gave a nod of her head and simply forgot what he’d said—because anything else was simply begging to be hurt.
22
Niko
“Think of your wish, okay?” Niko said, eager to change the subject. He wasn’t supposed to let anyone know what his wish was, and he’d already come dangerously close to spilling it to Paulina—which would invalidate the wish, if superstitions were right.
Paulina tapped her chin and mulled it over.
“Got one?” he asked when she looked ready.
“Yeah,” she said. She raised the mic again. “Okay, if everybody’s ready, we can start lighting the candles. Kids, make sure an adult helps you with the matches, alright? And make sure you don’t let go of your lantern until we’reallready.”
The matches were struck and sparked to life with a hiss, and one by one, everyone lit their candles. The sky lanterns began to glow, lighting up the tissue paper with a romantic flicker—a real crowd pleaser all by itself.
Paulina worked the mic, coordinating the release. “Is everybody ready?! Okay, then let’s have the bride and groom release their lantern first—and then everyone else can release theirs after it gets a head start!”
“Ready, hon?” Jax asked, and Piper nodded. They released their lantern together. The kids made noises of awe and wonder as the lantern slowly floated away from their outstretched hands.
Niko wondered what Jax and Piper had wished for as they watched their lantern fly away—a long and happy marriage, surely. To be blessed with healthy children, maybe? He hoped they’d get everything they wished for, and more.
“Okay, now everybody else—think of your wish, and we’ll let our lanterns go on the count of three!” Paulina said.
