That’s a relief, because I’m not sure I could’ve rolled with that one.” Looking at Drew again, he added. “Not that you’re not awesome, bro.”
Drew reached up and squeezed Brody’s shoulder. “I get it, man.”
“We mean,” my dad interrupted, “that you finally found something you’d stand by. Or someone. You did all of this”—he gestured around at the fake wedding—“so you wouldn’t ruin the chance of my supporting you in a business with Drew, right? I know the bar is Drew’s dream, but you worked on it like it was yours too. And I think, as time went on, it became yours as well. Which is great because it suits you.”
“You think?” my brother asked shyly, probably trying not to overtly bask in one of the few compliments my father had ever paid him.
My dad stepped toward him and put an arm around his shoulders. “I do.”
And then my father did something I so rarely saw him do. He hugged my brother.
“Does this mean you’re not mad?” Brody asked, his voice muffled by my dad’s shoulder.
My dad laughed and pulled back, moving to my mom’s side again. “Oh, we’re mad. But it’s not as…all-consuming as it was.”
“So I haven’t ruined everything? For Drew and me?”
My dad smiled fondly at both Brody and Drew. “No. It’s not ruined.” Then he gestured to the rest of our family, who were staring with rapt attention. “But maybe that’s a conversation better left for another time.”
My mother took that as her cue, announcing to everyone that refreshments would be served under the tent she’d set up farther out in the yard.
We all practically collapsed against Brody as everyone started to get up and move toward the food. The rest of the Scooby Gang converged on us, as did Ransom.
“Dude, your parents are fucking gangster,” Xander enthused. “They spent thousands of dollars just to make you look like a fucking moron. So epic.”
“I’m just glad it went the way it did,” Brody said, relief evident in his tone.
“Me too,” Vee agreed as she gave Brody’s arm a squeeze.
My brother drew her into a hug. “Thank you for everything.”
“Surprisingly, it was my pleasure,” she replied, giggling a bit.
Carter clapped his hands together. “All right. Who’s hungry?”
“Are you ever not hungry?” Toby asked him.
“No.”
We all laughed as we started walking. I felt the lack of a presence beside me and turned to see that Drew hadn’t moved from where he’d been.
I walked back to him. “Hey. You okay?”
He shook his head slightly as if he’d been daydreaming. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine.”
“Great,” I replied, lacing my fingers through his. “Ready to go see what craziness the moment will bring?”
He smiled and gave my hand a squeeze. “I think I am.”
D R E W
Everyone was milling around, catching up and dancing to the band the Masons had hired. Sophia was bopping around from table to table talking to family. She’d dragged me along for a while, but I’d excused myself to the bar and then found a quiet corner to hide in.
I felt…full. Full of feelings that were all banging into one another, and making small talk wasn’t conducive to parsing them out.
“Doing all right?” a voice asked from behind me.
I turned to see Sophia’s dad standing there, looking at me with a flash of concern in his eyes. Never, in my wildest dreams, would I have ever thought I’d be getting that kind of look from him, and it made the riot of emotions even more chaotic.
“Yes, sir. Just needed a breather.”
“Can’t blame you for that.” He gestured to a chair beside me. “Mind if I join you?”
“Not at all.”
We sat there in silence for a minute, both of us surveying the party.
He huffed out a laugh, and I looked over at him so I could follow his gaze to what made him laugh.
It was Brody twirling Aamee around the dance floor while “I Will Survive” filled the room.
“He’s a handful,” Mr. Mason said.
I laughed. “He is that.”
“He’s a good kid, though. He just needs direction. He’s never had a lot of his own, and he never met anyone he was interested in following. Until he met you.” Mr. Mason hesitated before continuing. “I’m damned grateful to you for it.”
I whipped my head toward him, unable to believe he’d actually said those words to me.
“You look surprised,” he said with a smile.
“A little bit, sir.”
“I was wrong, initially, about you. I let my own frustration at the situation color my view of you, and that was unfair. What