JORDAN
Fifteen minutes later, I walk into the tuxedo shop, I see Riggs, Coach Hart, and my dad talking quietly. My dad hears my approach, smiling when he spots me.
“There’s my son.” He pulls me into an embrace.
Riggs and I do the handshake we started two years ago at CTU, and I see a hint of sadness in his eyes. The last few years have taught me a few things. One, time is short and I need to spend as much time with the people I love as I can. Two, I grew up with an incredible father, and I want to be the type of man he is as I embark on raising my children.
“I can’t believe you’re marrying my sister.” I tease Riggs. The second I mention Reagan, his face lights up, and the grin that fills his face reaffirms to me the fact that he is perfect for my twin. These two are disgustingly in love, something I used to envy, but now that I have found my person, I can fully appreciate it.
“Me either. I have to be the luckiest man alive because she’s so far out of my league I’m not even on the same planet.”
“You’re right about that, but we couldn’t be happier to have you join our family, Riggs. You’re exactly the man my angel needs in her life.”Dad puts his hand on Riggs’s shoulder and gives him a reassuring squeeze.
The door to the shop opens and I hear him before I see him. “The party has arrived!” Carter knows how to bring comic relief into the most emotion-filled moments. We all laugh—except for Williams, who trails behind him, dark circles under his eyes. The man looks like he hasn’t slept in days.
The tailor greets us and tells us we’ll take turns putting our tuxes on and doing last minute adjustments. As we get started, I see that Williams is hanging back. It’s not uncommon for him to do this, but something seems off about him today.
“Williams.” I tip my chin to let him know I want to have a chat and he follows me over to a quiet corner of the store. He won’t meet my eyes at first, and when he does, sadness consumes them.
“What’s up, Cap?”
“What’s going on with you? And don’t you dare lie to me.” I narrow my eyes at him and he knows that I’m not going to tolerate lying. We don’t normally do these types of conversations in person. Our team text chats are always a safer place to dive into topics and keep it light, but this is serious and he knows it.
Letting out a deep breath, he is silent for a moment, collecting his thoughts. When he finally speaks, it’s soft and full of pain.
“I’m a mess, J.” He runs his hands through his light hair, pulling at the ends a little.
“Lindsey?” He nods. I wonder if I looked this rough dealing with Trey and Mack all those years. I’m surprised when he opens up, sharing for probably the first time ever. I feel honored that he would choose me.
“I just… I messed up. This past spring, I blew my last chance with her. Watching her move on has been brutal, but now she’s getting married? I can’t be mad at anyone but myself. If she was with some grade A jerk, I’d step in, like I always have.
“But Wilder, man, he’s a freaking good dude. That’s the thing I can’t get over. I thought in the end, we’d be together. I didn’t realize there would ever be someone else, maybe someone better, if I’m being honest.
“I got their save the date card in the mail a couple of days ago. It hit me that this is real, not some fling. She loves him.” His voice cracks on the last part, showing me a side of my friend I’ve never witnessed before.
My heart breaks for the guy and I’ve been there—sort of. When Mack and Trey decided to go to California I really thought I’d lost her for good and I was a wreck inside. I masked it by “dating” a lot of girls my freshman and sophomore years. Nothing ever came of it and all it did was prove to me that Mackenzie was the only girl I saw a future with.
“Look, Williams, I can’t say I’ve been in your exact shoes, but I’ve had to watch the woman I love be with someone other than me. I messed up, too. What are you going to do?”
Shaking his head, he looks like he’s got the weight of the world on his shoulders. “Man, I don’t think there is anything I can do. She’s already moved to Atlanta with him and I’ve heard my mom and hers talking about all the planning. I can’t go in guns blazing, and try to steal her away from him. If he makes her happy, how can I justify that?”
“I’m sorry, Williams. I don’t even know what to say. That really sucks.”
“Yeah,” he chuckles sarcastically, “it really does. It’s time for me to move on. Moving to Charlotte and playing in the league will keep me plenty busy.”
“I can’t wait to play with you again, man. I’m here for you. Whatever you need. You want to go get her? I’ll drive. You want to wallow? We’ll grab pizza and play Xbox. You want to ball out and move on? I’m beside you. You’re my brother.”
“Appreciate that, Cap. I’ll be okay… eventually. Excited to ball with you, too, bro.”
“Excuse me, are y’all bromancing over here without me?” Carter saunters over, looking like James Bond in his tuxedo. Not that I will ever tell him that. His ego knows no bounds, although sometimes I think it’s all a big front.
“I better go try on my tux.” Williams punches Carter on the shoulder and heads over to Riggs, Jake, and my dad while Carter turns his eyes on me.
“What’s going on?” He throws his thumb over his shoulder toward Williams and I shake my head.
“Nothing, man. I don’t think it’s my place to talk about it.”
“I already know it’s Lindsey. He may not tell me much, but I saw his face when I asked him about the save the date card she sent out. He was devastated in a way I’ve never seen before, except for when he finally told us about Shawn and his accident.”
