don’t watch a lot of football, clearly). “I’m gonna stand right here, and you guys watch me through the window in the door. Chloe, when I’m ready for you I’ll hold up a finger.” She holds up a finger in case I’ve forgotten what fingers look like. “And you’ll walk up the aisle. Go slow, and smile.”
I beam at her to demonstrate that I do, in fact, know how to smile. Beside me, Annie shakes with suppressed laughter.
“And once Chloe’s in place and your song starts, Annie and Don, I’ll signal you.” She holds her finger up again. It’s kind of sweet how seriously she’s taking this, and for a moment I think about how nice it is that Don found someone who fits into their small family so well, someone who loves them both so much.
Then I focus on what she’s saying. In mere moments, Annie will walk up that aisle and this will be it—her wedding. My heart starts racing and Annie and I look at each other at the same time. Her eyes are full of fear.
“What if I trip, Chloe?” she says in a rush. “What if I trip and then Drew realizes he could never marry such a klutz?”
I put my own nerves on the back burner. I have to take control of this situation, for Annie.
“Annie.” I place my hands on her shoulders. “Drew loves you, and you love him. There’s nothing you could do during this ceremony that would make him love you any less. And even if you did fall . . . well, you guys met when you tripped onto him. That’s a nice, full-circle moment, right?”
She exhales and closes her eyes. “I guess.”
“And I’ll be holding on to you,” Uncle Don says, putting an arm around her. “I won’t let you fall.”
I bite my lip, afraid that I might start crying and ruin my makeup. Annie may be so unlucky in some ways, but how lucky she is that she has Uncle Don—how lucky we all are that we have each other, the three of us living on the same property all these years. How will we survive it when everything changes? When Annie’s really gone? I mean, I can’t live in that carriage house forever. Eventually, none of us will live together. Will we still feel like a family? Will we still need each other?
Through the window, we see Tyler hold up a finger.
“It’s go time,” I say, and Uncle Don leans over to give me a hug. And then it’s me and Annie, staring at each other one last time before she walks down the aisle.
“I love you,” she says, her voice shaky. “You’re my best friend.”
And even though I know today is all about her and Drew, and even though I’m thinking about all the things I want to say to Nick, for now, I’m reminded that romance isn’t the only great love story of our lives. Sometimes the love we have with our lifelong friends, the ones we can depend on through changes and fights and joys and heartbreaks—sometimes those are the greatest love stories we have.
“I love you,” I whisper as I squeeze her hand. And then Tyler’s no longer holding up a finger but full-on waving a hand at me, so I step through the door and walk down the aisle.
I know Nick is out there in one of those folding chairs, looking at me and probably hating me, but I don’t let myself think about it right now. I keep a smile on my face. I walk slowly. Drew smiles at me and I give him a wink, then take my place on the opposite side of the aisle, directly across from his very tiny brother.
And then the music changes. Harry Nilsson’s version of “Somewhere over the Rainbow” starts to play, because of course Annie wanted to walk down the aisle to the song from the end of You’ve Got Mail. There are more than a few sniffles as she and Don slowly make their way toward us, and when I turn to look at Drew, he wipes his eyes, too.
“Here,” I say, handing him one of my bra tissues while all eyes are on Annie.
Annie smiles shyly, taking slow steps toward us, and I make the mistake of looking out into the crowd. I see the rest of Don’s D&D friends, Gary (and his wife!), Tobin (who’s definitely wearing a T-shirt under a blazer, bless him) . . . and Nick. Looking