“Hi, everyone,” Lucas says. “So, it’s tradition for the best man to give a toast, but instead, Addie and I are going to tell a story.”
“It’s a really great story,” Addie adds with a nod.
“Picture if you will,” Lucas begins, raising his hand for dramatic effect, “a hot summer in 2003.”
“Cami was seventeen and Landon was in his early twenties, home for the summer before he shipped off to join the Navy.” Addie glances over at us, grinning widely. “And we had a big cookout in Landon’s backyard.”
“But Cami didn’t come alone,” Lucas continues. “No, Cami showed up to the cookout with some dude, none of us can remember his name. Now, what I do remember is seeing Landon’s face when Cami walked into the backyard with that bozo on her arm. It wasn’t pretty. In fact, I do believe that Landon proceeded to glare at the guy all night.”
Please don’t tell them about how drunk I got that night.
“What he didn’t know,” Addie says, picking up the story, “was that Cami was so not into Mr. No-name. Frankly, she just brought him along in hopes that Landon would get jealous and finally make a move. It was her last-ditch effort, if you will, before Landon left.”
“Oh, he was jealous all right,” Lucas says with a laugh. “And I won’t even get into how much beer he drank that night.”
“Thank you!” I call out.
“But he didn’t make a move on our Cami,” Addie says, and everyone in the room says “aw” in sympathy. “I believe her exact words after that night were ‘screw him.’”
“Awww!” everyone says again. I reach under the table and take her hand in mine, and when I look down at her, she’s laughing with the others, not embarrassed in the least.
“But the story gets better,” Lucas says. “Not long after Landon moved back home, I came to town to see how he was doing, and I was shocked when he bailed on a night of debauchery with me to take Cami out on a date.”
“It was their first official date,” Addie says with a smile. “And it may have been years later, but they finally got it right. That first date led us here, and all we can say is, it’s about time, you guys.”
“To Landon and Cami,” Lucas says, raising his glass. “And to a long life together.”
Everyone cheers and I lean in to whisper in Cami’s ear. “This moment is thirteen years in the making, and I couldn’t have pictured it any better than this.”
Epilogue
Three months later . . .
~Cami~
“I have wedding photos!” I announce, and pull an album out of my purse. The five of us are enjoying Sunday-morning brunch at our usual place in Northwest Portland.
“Oh! Fun,” Riley says, and reaches for the album and she and Kat huddle together to look through the photos.
“Why didn’t anyone tell me that you could see my belly through my dress?” Addie asks with a scowl. “I would have showcased it more.”
“No one can miss it now,” Mia says, and reaches out to rub Addie’s stomach. “Are you ever going to tell us what you’re having?”
“No. Jake and I want it to be a surprise.”
“I don’t like surprises,” Kat says, and then points to one of the photos. “Aw, Cami, this candid shot is awesome. When was this?” She turns the album to show me and I smile at the memory.
“That was after everyone else had left the church and Landon wanted to say a few things to me privately. We didn’t realize that the photographer stayed to take a couple photos, but I’m so glad she did. That’s one of my favorites.”
“What did he want to talk about?” Addie asks.
“That’s one of the few things that I’m not going to share with you guys,” I reply. Those words were too important to share them with anyone else.
“Well, it’s a great picture,” Kat says. “She did a really good job.”
“Thanks, I think so too.”
“Hey, Kat, did you buy your airline tickets for your trip yet?” Mia asks, making Kat frown again.
“Yes, but I’m telling you guys, I don’t want to go.”
“You do want to go,” I correct her. “You just don’t want to fly.”
“I don’t need to go,” Kat says.
“It’s a freaking wine convention in the Sonoma Valley. Of course you need to go,” Riley says with a laugh. “It’s shocking that you’ve never been down there before.”
“I’ve never had time to drive down there before,” Kat says.
“You’re one of the most badass women I know,” Addie says, and shoves a chunk of pineapple in her mouth. “I don’t know why you’re so damn afraid of flying.”
“Because I just don’t like it,” Kat snaps. “You don’t like things. Sometimes people just don’t like things.”
“Okay, look.” Riley looks back and forth between them, warning them to chill out. “Kat, it’s not going to suck. It’s not a long flight from here.”
“Did you book an aisle seat?” Mia asks. “That will help. Looking out the window might freak you out.”
“I got an aisle seat,” Kat says. “Can I get drunk before I get on the plane?”
“I don’t see why not,” I reply with a shrug. “Also, think of all of the hot guys that will be down there for the convention.”