That had been for me.
I just had a few final touches before it would all be ready, and we were planning to open the doors on the first day of summer.
“Alright,” Giana said breathlessly when she returned from the bathroom. “Is the food out yet? I’m ready to eat.”
“Me, too,” Clay said salaciously, and he picked her up like she weighed nothing, scooping her and her long sage dress into his arms.
“You’re a brute,” she said through her laughter, but she clung to him with her rosy cheeks and let him carry her to the wedding party table where our dinner was being served.
The garden filled with cheers as Julep and Holden were introduced as husband and wife for the first time, and once they were seated at the table with us, the band played softly while the staff served a dinner fit for the president. Julep’s mom had taken over so much of the planning that it didn’t surprise me one bit. It felt like a southern ball, but with a boho touch.
Leo drew circles on my knee with his fingertips under the table, his other hand shoveling food into his mouth as we all talked and laughed through dinner.
It was the most bittersweet feeling, because we all knew that we wouldn’t be together like this very often now that we were all spread out over the country. Riley and Zeke would be in Boston, Holden and Julep in Charlotte, Clay and Giana in Denver since Clay had been drafted to the Broncos, and Leo and I would round out the stretch in Minneapolis.
Giana must have really been feeling it, because as our plates were being cleared and we were about to make our way to the dance floor, she started bawling.
“I’m sorry,” she said, taking Clay’s handkerchief when he offered it to her. She dabbed at the corner of her eyes, shaking her head, her wild curls bouncing with the movement. “I just… I love you all so much.”
“We love you, too, G,” I said, reaching over to squeeze her hand with mine.
“I bet some dancing will make you feel better,” Julep said as she stood, and once again, I was breathless looking at her. She was the most beautiful bride.
“Psh, I know what will make her feel better,” Clay argued, putting his arm around Giana. “A trip to the bookstore tomorrow. I saw you eyeing that little one downtown when we were on our way to the hotel.”
Giana smiled up at him through bleary eyes. “You know the way to my heart.”
“I think Clay only pretends like he does it for you when we all know what the kinky bastard really wants is more highlighted pages to re-enact,” Zeke said with a smirk.
“Two birds, one stone,” Clay confirmed. “Though at this point, I’m pretty sure we’ve done it all.”
“TMI,” Riley said, standing and folding her napkin before dropping it to the table.
“Well,” Giana said, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. “There is one trope we haven’t tried yet.”
“If you’re referring to the reverse harem shit, I’ve already told you — I don’t share.” Clay looked almost murderous with that comment, which made us all laugh.
“No,” Giana said with a laugh of her own. “Um… I was thinking more… accidental pregnancy.”
Clay laughed, kissing her temple. “Yeah. Sure.”
But the rest of us were frozen still.
Because Giana did not look like she was joking.
She watched Clay with worry etched in every feature, wringing her little hands in her lap. When Clay saw us all staring at her, he found her again, and his face went snow white.
He searched her eyes, a thousand questions in his, and then he trailed that gaze down to her stomach.
Giana unfolded her hands and smoothed them over her flat belly, framing it in a little heart.
“Wait…” Clay swallowed, his eyes snapping back to hers. “You’re… You’re really…”
“Yes,” she whispered.
I clamped a hand over my mouth, tears springing to my eyes as Julep let out a little squeal. But no one moved, not as we waited for it all to sink in for Clay.
He blinked — once, twice — and then, he shoved back from the table, his chair grinding against the floor as he fell to his knees. He wrapped Giana in his arms, burying his head in her chest as his shoulders shook.
“Come on, guys,” Leo said. “Let’s give them a moment.”
He nodded toward the dance floor, and we all followed, but not before the girls and I snuck another look back and found Clay’s massive hands spreading over Giana’s belly, his eyes thick with tears.
“I’m going to be a dad,” he breathed a question up at Giana.
When she nodded, he broke entirely, and we all tore our eyes away, linking arms and letting out unnaturally high-pitched peals of laughter as we ran to the dance floor.
The band was a hit, transitioning from the soft music that had played through dinner into a broad range that pleased everyone from twenty-one to eighty. We danced in a circle, mostly around Julep and Holden, though we all took turns doing stupid dance moves in the middle. I laughed particularly hard when Zeke, Holden, and Leo did some sort of mime act that involved them stuck in invisible boxes.
We were all sweating by the time Clay and Giana joined us, and the guys wrapped Clay in a loud bear hug of congratulations while the ladies swarmed Giana. We fawned over her, taking turns touching her stomach even though nothing was showing yet. Julep said she hoped it was a girl. Riley tried to pester her for names. And I just gave her a high-five for finding a way to make a book-related joke about her pregnancy.
Soon, we were all dancing again, and more and more players joined us.
Braden and Blake started a train at one point, pulling me right between them and giving me no choice but to join. When we were dancing in a circle again, Kyle held up his phone to show us the photo he’d posted of all the guys in their tuxes before the wedding. It had half-a-million likes already, along with thousands of comments — most of them from women who were heartbroken Holden was wifed up now. He’d garnered quite the following after the starting quarterback for the Panthers was injured near the end of the season and Holden stepped in, taking them all the way to the playoffs. They went out in the first round, but once again, Holden was in the spotlight.
I had a feeling he’d live his entire life there.
When I was sweating so much I had to down an entire glass of water to keep from overheating, the band finally gave us a break with a slow song. They crooned out a beautiful rendition of “Scenic Drive” by Khalid and Alicia Keys, the male and female lead singers somehow making it sound even better than the original.
Leo took me by the hand as the first notes played, pulling me to the edge of the dance floor that was the least crowded. His hands found my hips and held me close as I threaded my arms around his neck.
For a while, we just swayed to the music, our eyes dancing over one another as soft smiles played at the corners of our lips. I’d never been to a wedding before, but there was something about being surrounded by such young, promising love that made me want to lean into Leo and tell him how much he meant to me in a hundred different languages.
As if he felt the same, he tugged me in even more, until I could rest my head on his shoulders and close my eyes as we danced. I inhaled his scent, his soul, intertwining mine with it and absentmindedly wondering what our wedding would be like.