The Design(83)

“As most of you know, my sister is older than me by a few years, and because of that, I’ve always looked up to her.” I scanned to where Brooklyn sat, looking like a freaking Disney princess in her wedding gown. Her blonde hair was twisted into a complicated up-do and her makeup was flawless as usual. “When I was little, I’d follow her and her friends around, listening in on their gossip and stealing their makeup whenever they weren’t looking. She put up with my antics and convinced her friends to let me hang around with them even though I could hardly keep up.”

Brooklyn smile and pressed her hand over her heart.

“As we got older, I continued to idolize her and she continued to be my greatest teacher. She taught me how to paint my nails, how to throw a curveball, and how to run from a doorstep after you've just egged a house. While those are skills every young girl should know, it wasn’t until our parents passed away that she was forced to step in and teach me the most important lesson of all. Brooklyn taught me how to grieve for our parents while still understanding that we had a lot of life left to live. She taught me that we couldn’t waste life just because they were gone—we had to honor their memories any way that we could.

“I see Brooklyn honor the memory of our parents every day in the way she loves Jason. I watch the way she treats him, the small acts of love and kindness she bestows upon him every day, and I see my parents in them.”

Brooklyn glanced toward Jason with tears brimming over in her eyes.

“I know how it feels to be unconditionally loved by my sister, and I have to say, Jason, you are one lucky man.”

“Here, here,” Jason said, raising his glass and stirring a few laughs around the banquet room.

“I’ve also seen how much joy Jason brings to Brooklyn’s life. He treats her as if she’s the most precious gift he’s ever received.”

Brooklyn and Jason turned to one another and he dipped his chin to give her a quick kiss. I turned to my left, to where Grayson was standing, wearing the same clown nose and sombrero as me (though pink really wasn’t his color). He’d already delivered his speech, but he stood by my side, pressing his hand to my lower back for support and nodding for me to continue.

“So let’s raise our glasses to Jason and Brooklyn. May they always remember to cherish one another and may we all find a love as lasting as theirs. Cheers!”

“Cheers!” everyone sang, clinking their glasses together and taking sips of the champagne.

Grayson clinked his glass with mine, but before I could take a sip, he leaned forward and stole a kiss. Our sombreros collided and his pushed mine off the back of my head, down to the dance floor.

I laughed and pulled back to stare up at him. The man had a clown nose on and he still looked adorable.

“Are you laughing at me, Cameron?” he asked with a wink.

I squeezed his clown nose and then pulled it off.

“Ah, much better. Now I can actually see my fiancé again.”

Grayson reached to pull my clown nose off as well.

“Gorgeous,” he smiled.

“Can you two stop being adorable?” Brooklyn asked as she bumped her hips with mine. “Jason and I need to do our first dance.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” I smiled and tugged Grayson off the dance floor beside me. The house lights dimmed and a spotlight hit the newlyweds as they took their positions. Jason wrapped his arm around Brooklyn’s waist and she cozied up to him with her head resting against his chest. Love surrounded them.

A slow jazz song swept over the speakers and the DJ announced that Brooklyn and Jason would be enjoying their first dance together.

“Don’t forget your mom wants us to come over for dinner tomorrow,” I reminded Grayson as Brooklyn and Jason danced slowly across the floor.

“It’s a wonder she even wants me there. These days it seems like she only has eyes for you,” he teased, pinching my waist.

“That’s because I reply to her texts much quicker than you!”

I left out the fact that Grayson doesn’t gossip with her about The Bachelor. No need to wound him—we both knew I was her new favorite child. (Or soon-to-be child.) “Yeah, yeah,” he mumbled, nuzzling my hair.

“Do you think anyone can tell that Brooklyn’s been drinking sparkling juice instead of champagne?” I asked as we turned our attention back to the newlyweds.

“Nah. No one suspects a thing.”

I smiled. Just two weeks earlier Brooklyn had found out she was expecting her first child with Jason. The news was still fresh, and with the paparazzi hounding their every move, she was keeping the announcement private for as long as possible.

I leaned against Grayson and let him support me as I watched my sister dancing with her new husband, the father of her child.

“We need to think of what song we want to dance to at our wedding,” I said, tipping my chin to look up at him.

Without pausing, he answered, “‘You Shook Me All Night Long’ by AC/DC.”

I laughed. “Yeah right, you’re dreaming.”

His gaze tipped down to me, his eyes sought mine, and we stayed like that for a moment, watching each other.

Then, finally, the side of his mouth hitched up and he nodded. “Yeah. I think I am.”



The End