“You were,” she agreed. “But those were things I needed to hear, so no apology necessary. If you’d been sweet about it, I probably wouldn’t have taken them to heart. I needed the hard words.”
I gave her my best smolder. “I have lots of hard things for you. Not just words.”
“So thoughtful,” she said before slapping my arm. “Now stop trying to distract me with your dick when I’m supposed to be composing myself to speak in front of this crowd. You’re riling me up.”
“Sorry not sorry. And you were the one who brought up hard things, not me. I was just trying to apologize. But if you won’t let me do that, then let me do this.” I wrapped her up in my arms and pulled her close. “I know you don’t love hugging in public and I’ll let you go in a moment, but I need to hold you and tell you how much it means to me that you changed your mind about us.”
“Quinn, don’t.”
I froze. “Don’t?”
Her arms tightened around my waist. “Don’t let me go.”
Lucky for me, there was an empty seat at the table where Jaime was sitting with Alex and Nolan, Sean and his wife, and another couple I recognized from Alex’s birthday. The staff set a place for me, and Jaime held my hand under the table as the champagne was poured and someone handed a microphone to Nolan.
He stood, and the room hushed. “Thank you all for being here with us tonight. It means so much to Alex and me to see so many friends and family here celebrating together. One of the first things Alex told me about himself was how close he was to his sister, and I’m proud to call her my sister now, too.” He looked at Jaime, and she smiled back, touching her hand to her heart. “She’s agreed to kick off tonight’s reception by saying a few words, so I’ll turn the mic over to her for a toast.”
I squeezed Jaime’s hand before letting it go, and she stood up, smoothed her dress, and took the mic from Nolan.
“Thank you, Nolan, for the sweet introduction. Some girls might grow up wishing they had a sister, but not me. I’ve always thought another brother would be awesome, and I’m glad it’s you. I love you both.”
The crowd awwww’d collectively, and she smiled again at the grooms before turning toward the guests.
“For the last year, ever since Alex and Nolan asked me to make this toast, I’ve been panicking about it. What could I say about love and life that would mean something to them…” She glanced at the grooms. “And to you? Should I quote The Bard? The Bible? The Beatles?”
I grinned and she gave me a quick wink.
“I hunted around for the perfect lines, hoping to unearth something brilliant and beautiful, words that would unlock the mystery of love to a skeptic like me. Surely there was a secret to be discovered and shared.” She paused. “But I couldn’t find it. Nothing resonated. Nothing rang true. Love was just as mysterious as ever. So mysterious that I finally broke down and asked my big brother, ‘What’s the secret?’ Because when you look at these two…” She gestured toward Alex and Nolan. “You know that they know it.”
After a pause, she went on. “And my brother said to me, ‘Jaime, there is no secret. There is no magic. There is no way to know what the future holds. The point is that you’re willing to take a chance.’” She took a breath. “I thought a lot about that in the following days. And I realized he was right—love isn’t a secret to be unlocked, or a mystery to be solved. And marriage isn’t the mystical union of two souls whose fate is written in the stars.” Her voice got stronger. “It’s a feeling, followed by a choice made in the face of chaos and uncertainty: I don’t know where this road will take me, but I want you by my side on the journey.” She glanced at me briefly, and my body warmed. “It’s a leap of faith, and what a privilege it was to be here today and watch these two make it.”
Smiling, she went on. “I am going to disagree slightly, though—what kind of kid sister would I be if I didn’t?” She waited until the chuckling died down and turned to Alex and Nolan. “There is magic in a love like yours. Not the kind that can be seen or touched or explained, but the kind a person can feel when they look at you together. The kind that makes a person believe.” She paused for a moment, glanced at me, and then turned back to the crowd. “To Alex and Nolan—may the rest of their journey be as beautiful as their leap was today, and may we all be there to witness it!”
“To Alex and Nolan!” someone echoed, followed by a chorus of well wishes throughout the room.
I picked up my champagne and drank, so proud of Jaime I was bursting with it, and so in love with her I could hardly sit still. I watched as she went around the table to the grooms, hugging and kissing each of them, lingering a long time in Alex’s arms. After giving the mic back to the band’s vocalist, she returned to her chair, which I pulled out for her. Once I sat down again, I took her face in my hands and kissed her hard on the lips.
She looked relieved. “Oh my God, I’m glad that’s over. How did I do? Too much Cheez Whiz?”
“Not nearly. You were great. It was beautiful and heartfelt.”
“Thanks.”
“So you’re really a believer now, huh?”
That earned me a coy smile and playful lift of her shoulders. “Maybe.”
“I’ll take it.” I planted a kiss on her nose. “Love bug.”