Nick laughs, straightening his tie in the mirror."Not even close."
"Bullshit.Every groom freaks out."
"Maybe I'm broken then."
He turns to face me, and there's something different about him today.Calmer.More solid.
"Come here, your tie's a disaster."
I let him fix it, which is weird as fuck because I'm usually the one fixing everyone else's problems.
"You scrub up alright," I tell him, and I mean it.
The grey suit fits him perfectly, and he's got this glow about him that makes me think maybe some people really are meant to be together.
"Likewise."
He claps a hand on my shoulder before stepping back, checking his work.
"So, remember that idea you had about the studio in Eden?"
My heart stops."Yeah?"
"I've got a couple of investor friends who love the concept.If your heart's really in it, Nate, I think you should pursue it."
"Serious?"
Nick nods, his expression dead serious.
"Let's get through this wedding with no hiccups, then we'll sit down and talk about it properly."
I stare at him, trying to process what he just said.
A music studio, in Eden.
A dream I hadn't even realized was a dream until my time in Malaga.Something that's mine, that I could build from the ground up, like Nick has with Sonder.I barely let myself think about it since being back, and he's talking about making it real.
"Nick, I?—"
"There's nothing to thank me for," he cuts me off, but I shake my head.
"There's everything to thank you for."
His face softens.
“You know what one of the biggest lies is?”Nick says.“‘Blood makes you family.’No.Blood makes you related.Loyalty, love, trust—that’s family.And you’ve been that to me for a long time.So don’t thank me for showing up when I already told you I always would.”
The words land hard.
Everything I spent years trying to claw out of Scott—validation, pride, anything—Nick just hands over without hesitation.Like it costs him nothing.
“I’m proud of you, Nate,” he says quietly.“Really fucking proud.”
I don’t trust my voice, so I don’t try to say anything back.Nick gives me a small nod, like he gets it.
“Alright, we should head down.”
I breathe once, grounding.
