Micah lets go of me and walks to the other side of the pod. “This is pretty cool.”
I join him. “Yeah, it is.”
“Maybe you and River can come back so you can enjoy it together.”
My heart sinks. River’s plan isn’t working after all. Micah’s not jealous.
I sigh. Micah will never see me as anything more than a friend.
CHAPTER 27
MicahBarrett
Saturday, December 5
The Sterling RoseChapel in Vegas is smaller than I expected, but it’s full of understated luxury with ivory marble columns rising to a coffered ceiling and preserved garden roses arranged in crystalline cascades along the walls. The afternoon light filters through custom stained glass windows, casting everything in warm, golden hues that make the space feel both intimate and elegant.
I’m sitting in the second row, watching everyone file into their seats. All my family is here, along with quite a few from Claire’s side. Even some of Levi’s college friends have come. We fill the chapel pretty quickly.
Violet keeps dabbing at her eyes. Tobias is looking uncomfortable in his suit, Kiki’s smoothing down Skyler’s dress, and Noah and Savannah are whispering quietly to each other. And there’s River, with his arm draped casually around Cricket’s shoulders like it belongs there.
My throat goes dry at the sight. He’s been touching her like that all weekend. Small gestures, a casual intimacy that feels as natural as breathing. Cricket leans into him, laughing at something he whispers in her ear, and I force myself to look away.
Tobias and Kiki are sitting in front of me, her hand resting on his thigh, fingers intertwined. There’s something so easy about the way they fit together, like they’ve figured out some secret the rest of us are still trying to crack. Kiki catches Tobias looking at her and gives him this soft smile that makes my throat ache.
In the row across from me, Noah has his arm around Savannah, and she’s practically glowing as she watches people take their seats. They keep exchanging these knowing glances, the kind that speak of shared jokes and quiet moments and a love so solid you could build a house on it.
And then there’s Levi, standing at the altar in his perfectly tailored suit, grinning like he just won the lottery. His eyes are locked on the back of the chapel, waiting for Claire to appear, and even from here, I can see the way his hands shake slightly with nerves and excitement.
Everyone here knows what this is. All of my brothers have found their person, their other half, their happily ever after. Even all of Levi’s college friends have someone. Everyone except me.
I steal another glance at Cricket and River. She’s wearing this soft blue dress that brings out her eyes, her hair falling in gentle waves over her shoulders. She looks beautiful. The thought strikes me, and I inwardly gasp. Have I always thought she was beautiful? I didn’t realize it. But today, there’s something different. A radiance that has nothing to do with the Vegas lighting.
River says something that makes her laugh, that bright, musical sound I’ve been listening to my whole life. But nowit’s for him. Now when she lights up like that, when her face transforms with joy, it’s because of River, not me.
I’m such an idiot.
All those years, all those moments when it was just Cricket and me against the world. When she’d comfort me through my panic attacks, when she’d stay up all night helping me with song lyrics, when I would cling to her like she was my lifeline. I thought that was just friendship. I thought that was just me and my best friend.
I never realized I was in love with her. And by the time I figured it out, it was too late.
The music starts—the wedding march that gets everyone’s attention. Claire appears at the back of the chapel, and I have to admit, she looks stunning. Her dress is simple but elegant, her usually severe expression softened by pure happiness. But what really gets me is Levi’s reaction.
I’ve never seen my brother look like that. Like he’s witnessing a miracle. Like every breath he’s ever taken has led to this moment. His hands aren’t shaking anymore. They’re completely steady as Claire walks toward him. When she reaches the altar, he takes her hands like he’s been waiting his whole life to do exactly that.
The officiant starts speaking, but I’m only half listening. My attention keeps drifting to the couples around me, to the way they all seem to have found their perfect match. And then to Cricket, who’s watching the ceremony with tears in her eyes, River’s hand resting protectively on her knee.
“Do you, Levi Barrett, take Claire Matthews to be your wife?” the officiant asks.
Levi’s grin gets impossibly wider. “I absolutely do.”
“And do you, Claire, take Levi to be your husband?”
“I do,” Claire says, and her voice is steady and sure.
“The couple has prepared their own vows. Levi?”
Levi clears his throat, but he’s still grinning. “Claire, whenI first met you, you were sitting next to me at dinner, looking like you’d rather be anywhere else in the world. You did not appreciate my very humorous jokes or the way I flirted with you, and I thought, ‘This woman clearly has trust issues.’”
