“I’ll just send them to you for the answer to that question,” he said with a smile.

I rolled my eyes but couldn’t help smile back. I waved good-bye and headed for the elevator, feeling surprisingly cheerful about attending a wedding.

…

“I’m hyperventilating,” Stephanie said, fanning her face with her hand. “Why is it, like, two hundred degrees in here?”

I grabbed a magazine off a table and used it to create a breeze. “Everything’s fine. You’re just nervous.”

“You would say it’s cold feet.” Steph put her hand over her heart. “I’m excited to marry Anthony. I want to marry him.”

I could tell by her shaky voice that she was trying to convince herself as hard as she was trying to convince me. “Steph, I know you want to marry him, and I know this is the day you’ve been dreaming about. Still, it’s perfectly fine to be nervous, even if you’re excited. It’s a big deal, and I’m sure it’s nerve-racking thinking about all those people staring at you.”

“Oh, shit. I forgot about all the staring people. What if I trip?”

“Your dad won’t let you. Neither will Anthony.” I put my hands on her shoulders and locked eyes with her. “But if anything goes wrong, I got your back. I’ll do something crazy…like flash everyone.” I looked down at my dress. “As soon as I can figure out how to.”

Stephanie laughed. “You do need to do something big to outlive the slapping story.”

“Yes, well, it’s my goal to do something crazy at everyone I love’s wedding.”

Steph took a deep breath. “Okay. Freak-out over. I’m getting married, I can’t wait, and everything’s going to go smoothly.” She flung her arms around me and I nearly toppled over. Once I was sure I was steady, I hugged my best friend back, thinking about all the good memories we’d had over the years and how my life would’ve totally sucked without her.

I grabbed my bouquet and handed Steph hers. “Let’s do this.”

Fifteen minutes later, Karl and I were marching down the aisle together, just like we’d practiced the night before. Already, several people were crying and dabbing their eyes with tissues. A couple weeks ago, I might’ve made a joke that they were crying because they knew that Steph’s and Anthony’s lives were over. But I was feeling like a glass-half-full girl today.

The audience members stood as the wedding march filled the air. Stephanie and her dad walked down the aisle. My best friend, the girl I considered my sister, looked beautiful. The beading on her bodice caught the light, her blond hair was curled and pinned up, and her smile lit the room.

Before I could prevent it—even sense its coming—a traitorous tear rolled down my cheek. Pull it together. You can’t join the rest of the hopeless romantics crying at a wedding. You’re better than this.

Another tear ran down and Laura slipped a tissue into my hand.

How embarrassing. If anyone asks, I’m crying because I’m losing my best friend. I swore I could feel Jake somewhere in the audience looking at me, too. I didn’t dare try to see if I was right.

Stephanie reached Anthony and they came the rest of the way together. As she spun to face her groom, I bent down and rearranged her train.

The priest looked at the two of them, a smile on his face. “We are here to celebrate the union of Stephanie and Anthony. These two people are here to commit to spending the rest of their lives together…”

I was working on reforming my opinion of forever relationships and all, but those words still made my stomach clench. But then I happened to glance out at the audience. My eyes went to Jake as if they knew he was there before I did. He smiled at me and I turned into a bit of a mushy twitterpated mess despite myself.

…

Searching the reception hall for Jake, I ran into Karl. “Hey, have you seen Jake?” I asked. Karl had officially met him last night at the rehearsal dinner.

“No, but I’ve been busy talking to Erin,” Karl said, a love-struck smile curving his lips.

I followed his gaze to the blonde, the same girl he’d met at Shots. “It seems like that’s going well.”

His smile widened. “She’s never told me that my profession was a farce or gotten me into a bar brawl, so yeah, it’s going pretty well.”

“Man, you’re so picky about that stuff.”

He laughed, and I smiled, enjoying that we could joke like this. Then I spotted Jake. Talking to Mrs. Hildabrand.

Oh no. Anyone but her.

“Good luck with Erin. I’ll catch you later,” I said, already moving toward Jake and Mrs. Hildabrand.

Mrs. Hildabrand smiled at me as I approached. “Darby, I just met your beau. He’s very nice and very handsome.” She grabbed my hand and patted it. “And you wanted to give up. I told you he was out there.” She twisted to face Jake. “Can you believe she tried to tell everyone she was happy on her own?”

Jake shook his head in mock disbelief. “I can’t. I guess it’s lucky I got to her.”

“Oh, such a gentleman. You don’t let her get away.” She smiled at me again, and I knew whatever she was about to say was going to be bad. “You know, after you two get married, you’re going to have to start your family right away. After a certain age, it gets a lot harder.”

I grabbed Jake’s hand. “Excuse us, Mrs. Hildabrand. I’ve got to go introduce Jake to some other people.” I led him away from the woman as fast as I could.

Before I could say a word to Jake about what had just happened, Mrs. Taylor came up to me. “We’re going to do the toasts after people have had some time to eat. Just go on up after Karl.”

She eyed Jake.

“Mrs. Taylor, this is my boyfriend, Jake. Jake, this is Stephanie’s mom.”

Jake extended his hand to her. “Nice to meet you.”

Mrs. Taylor shook his hand. “You two aren’t going to get in a fight, are you?”

“Not planning on it,” I said.

Mrs. Taylor shot me a look. I’d been at her house enough she didn’t mind putting me in my place.

“Sorry, Mrs. Taylor. No fighting. I promise.”

Jeez. You make a scene at one wedding and you’re marked for life.

I led Jake over to the table where my family was seated. It really was nice to not have to worry they didn’t like each other or have to take control of the conversation, but simply sit back and enjoy being around so many people I loved.

As dinner was wrapping up, I noticed Mrs. Taylor walk over to Karl and tap him on the shoulder. His toast was first, which meant I’d be going next. My stomach churned as I thought of standing up in front of everyone and giving my toast. When I first started putting my speech together, I’d searched online for help. Total waste of time. How was I supposed to read something aloud that made me gag?

There was one quote that said, “Love is when you look into someone’s eyes, and see everything you need.” Seems like a lot of pressure to put on someone. And everything? Really? Like, do you have a cheeseburger in there, because at some point, someone’s going to get hungry.

The best one I’d read, the one I’d been thinking about, said, “A great marriage is not when the ‘perfect couple’ comes together. It’s when an imperfect couple learns to enjoy their differences.” I’d use it, but Steph might interpret it as me saying she and Anthony weren’t the perfect couple.

Karl took the microphone out of its stand and cleared his throat. “Hello, everyone. I’m Karl, the best man, and it’s my privilege to toast this happy couple. Earlier today, I witnessed one of my best friends marry the woman he loves. I’ve known Anthony for several years now, and he’s always been a kind, generous person. In Stephanie, he’s found someone who has those traits and complements him perfectly.

“As a marriage counselor, I’ve seen lots of couples in every stage of their relationships, and I can tell you that Stephanie and Anthony are a great couple. They communicate well, which everyone knows is a key to having a good relationship.” Karl glanced at me and smiled. “Someone recently informed me, though, that communication isn’t the key to a good relationship. It’s realizing that we all communicate differently. She might’ve been onto something. I guess it’s about figuring out how to communicate with someone different from you. So, may you learn to understand each other, even when you don’t.”

He raised his glass. “To the happy couple. I wish you a lifetime of happiness together.”

Drew nudged me. “Go knock ’em dead.” He leaned closer and whispered, “And if you see anyone who needs put in his place, you know what to do.” He made a slapping motion.

I shot him a dirty look before making my way up front to give my toast.

“Hope I didn’t steal your speech,” Karl whispered as he handed me the mic.

“I just want credit when all your counseling sessions go better,” I said with a smile. But the second I raised the microphone and looked out at all the people, my knees started shaking and I felt light-headed and queasy.

“For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Darby, and the beautiful bride is my very best friend. She and I have gone through a lot of ups and downs together, and I’m so honored to be with her on one of the happiest days of her life.” My throat went completely dry. I eyed the glasses on the table, wishing I’d brought mine with me. I cleared my throat and licked my lips. “Those of you who do know me know I’ve been skeptical about the whole happily-ever-after thing.”

I could see the fear in Steph’s eyes, so I charged on with the rest of it before she passed out. “But because I’ve known Stephanie for so long, I can see when she’s truly happy. Being with Anthony has made her happier than I’ve ever seen her. I’ve watched their relationship from the beginning. Watched the way they’ve changed each other’s lives. And I can say, without any hesitation, that these two have what it takes to make it. So today, I feel not like I’m losing a friend, but like I’m gaining one…” I twisted to Anthony. “That’s right, Anthony, you should’ve read the fine print. You’re stuck with me, too.”