“Brat,” I tease and glance down at my phone to check the time.
“Hey, did you ever watch that video I sent you a few weeks ago? The one I told you to watch with Easton?”
I try to remember what the hell she’s talking about but can’t. I guess I didn’t watch it. “I don’t think I did.”
“Do me a favor, scroll back in our messages and watch it for me before midnight.” She sips from her glass of champagne and smiles.
“What about watching with Easton?” I ask.
“Don’t worry about it. Just watch it now. I’ll see you in a few.” Then she gets up and leaves me staring at my phone.
I look around for Easton but don’t see him in the crowd of tuxes and gowns.
It only takes me a minute to scroll back and find the video, and when I press play, I choke on a cry.
Kenzie has the camera in selfie mode. “I hope you guys are still watching this when we’re all old and decrepit and going on seniors’ cruises together. I love you guys.” The camera flips and pans over to Easton, who’s waiting at the end of an aisle. Elvis stands on one side of him, and Pace stands on the other side. Then the camera moves to me, walking down the aisle on Maddox’s arm.
Oh my God.
She taped it.
The whole thing.
From our silly vows to the look on Easton’s face when Elvis said he could kiss his groovy chick.
“She finally showed you that, huh?” Madman moves behind me and watches over my shoulder. “You know, I’d have talked you out of doing it if I didn’t think it was what you really wanted to do. Or if he was a douche. We don’t deal with douches, right?”
I sniff. “Right. No douches,” I agree with Maddox.
“Come with me.” He holds his hand out for me. “Easton’s waiting for you on the roof for the ball-drop.”
“That’s half an hour away,” I argue. “And it’s cold.”
“They’ve got so many heat lamps up there, I’m surprised the fire inspector hasn’t shut this place down. Come on. We’ll take the elevator. I don’t want you falling on your ass on the stairs, trouble.”
I know it’s no use fighting with Maddox, so I place my hand in his, and we take the elevator up to the roof. When the doors open, Brandon is standing there, waiting for us. “Thanks, Maddox,” Brandon tells him, and Mad turns and kisses my temple, then walks away.
“Big guy?” I question as Brandon curls my arm around his.
“Do you have any idea how incredibly proud I am of the woman you’ve grown into, shortcake?”
“What’s going on?” I ask, and he smiles so big, I think it might split his face open.
My mother comes around the corner and hands me a bouquet of the palest pink roses I’ve ever seen. They match my dress perfectly. “Mom?”
“You wanted small. You wanted no fuss. We’re giving you both. Your family and closest friends are around the corner. No fuss. No muss. Everyone was going to be here for the gala anyway. We just hijacked the roof for a few minutes.”
“Mom . . . I don’t know what to say.” My voice shakes as I take the flowers and throw my arms around her.
“Don’t say anything, darling. Just be happy and let me watch you marry that man. Because, Madeline, no on in the world will ever love you the way Easton Hayes does. When you were hurt . . . My God, he loves you.”
She wipes my face, then takes gloss out of her purse and dabs it on my lips.
“I’ll see you after, sweetheart.”
Brandon watches Mom go, then walks us around the corner to where my family members all stand on either side of a black-velvet aisle. And there, at the end of the aisle, is my husband, standing next to my brother, Max, who’d gotten ordained to marry one of my siblings at some point. I laugh because I can’t even remember which one.
“You ready?” Brandon asks.
“If I could, I’d run to him right now,” I whisper back and lock my eyes on my husband.
Once I reach the end of the aisle, Brandon puts my hand in Easton’s, and I lean in and run my lips over E’s mouth. My family laughs, but I don’t care. “I love you, hockey boy.”
“Till we’re old and gray, princess.”
Twenty minutes later, my husband’s arms are wrapped around me as we watch the ball drop and yell along with the countdown.
Ten.
Nine.
Eight.
Seven.
Six.
Five.
Four.
Three.
Two.
One.