Shelli and Aiden, you know they aren’t traditional, and they love to eat,” she jokes, and Shelli grins. “We had flamethrowers, for goodness’ sake. I doubt y’all are expecting traditional around here.” Posey’s hand comes to rest on my shoulder, and I meet her watery gaze. “I have heard the name Aiden Brooks since I was old enough to process that it was your name. I hated sharing a room with Shelli because all she did was talk about you, and she would draw A+S’s all over our stuff. She was, like, eleven, by the way, and like any teenager, Aiden didn’t even know Shelli existed. A little insight into her love for you… She wrote A+S on one of my hockey sticks for good luck. How her loving you is good luck for me, I’ll never know, but I’m telling you, there was never a moment when I thought she wouldn’t end up with you.”
I glance over to Shelli, who is beet red, which I find so endearing.
“For one, my sister gets everything she wants. She hustles like no other. And every guy who came along, she would say, ‘Eh, he’s no Aiden Brooks, but he’s good enough for right now.’ I’m not joking, like that was legit what she said, and I believed her.”
“Man, our wedding is turning into a comedy hour.”
Shelli laughs. “Right?”
Posey then moves, coming between Shelli and me. Shelli reaches up, placing her hand in Posey’s, and they share a look that is so private, I almost feel wrong for staring at them. “My sister—” she starts, but then she gets choked up. “My sister is the best person I know. She has always had my back. She worries for Owen and Evan like they’re her boys, and Quinn, with all she has been doing lately, she has been helping him with college papers. She’s a giver, and we are lucky to be her siblings. I know for a fact she’ll be the best aunt ever, and I can’t wait to see her with my baby,” she continues, and Shelli’s lip starts to wobble as she places her hand on Posey’s growing stomach.
They share another grin, and then Posey looks at me. “Aiden Brooks, I said earlier that she doesn’t do anything mediocre, and I wasn’t playing. She has to be the best at everything she does, and no one could be by her side but the best. You are a good man, and my family loves you, but I also know how to drive the Zamboni, and that’s a promise.” I laugh out loud as she holds up her glass of water. “To the bride and groom, to a lifetime of happiness, joking, and love!”
I wrap my arms around Posey first, kissing her cheek as she gives me a loving look. She pats my cheek before wrapping Shelli up in a tight hug. She whispers something in Shelli’s ear, and when they part, they’re both teary-eyed. To the point that Posey has to clear her throat before she whooshes out a breath, looking out into the crowd. “So, without further anecdotes—and please, no one give my father the mic, he is still a blubbering mess—I ask that you join our family in watching Aiden and Shelli’s first dance as husband and wife.”
“Oh, that’s our cue,” Shelli says, standing back up, and I scoff.
“I thought you said this wasn’t a production.”
She gives me a very direct look. “It’s not. Come on,” she says, taking my hand, and together we head down the stairs as everyone cheers and congratulates us. When we reach the dance floor that is surrounded by flowers and little candle boxes, I spread out my arms so I can show off my beautiful bride. Shelli shakes her head, but I know she loves it. I pull her in as the soft music of Tori Kelly’s “I Was Made for Loving You” starts to play. Her hands come up under my chin, and I lean on them as we press our foreheads together along with our bodies. I close my eyes as I get lost in the music and words, as well as her soft body.
“Posey wasn’t kidding. I really did say that about every guy.”
I open my eyes to find her watching me. “You were right.”
She beams at me. “I was.” I kiss her nose as her face explodes with love for me. “Asher’s words were beautiful.”
“And completely true. I never wanted to be the best version of myself until I gave