The room erupts in laughter and cheers.
Frost raises his hands in surrender. “Noted.”
Amy grins and sits down, and I reach over to squeeze her hand. “Love you,” I mouth.
“Love you too, bitch,” she mouths back.
“Where’d you get that bat?” I ask, perplexed. We confiscated all her bats before we left for the rehearsal dinner.
She winks. “Made a pit stop.”
I grin at her. Typical Amy, but I wouldn’t trade her for anything in the world. My parents stand, and my chest tightens all over again.
Dad clears his throat, his eyes already shiny. “Hope, sweetheart. Watching you grow up has been the greatest privilege of my life.” His voice wavers. “Watching you find someone who loves you the way you deserve to be loved... that's all a father can ask for.”
Mom takes over, her hand on Dad's arm. “Frost, we're so happy to welcome you into our family. You make our daughter happy and make her feel safe. That's all we've ever wanted for her.”
I'm crying now, not even trying to hide it. Frost wraps his arm around my shoulders, pulling me close.
“To true love,” Dad says, raising his glass. “To family… To Hope and Frost.”
“To Hope and Frost!”
“To true love and tailpipes!” Colt hollers as everyone stares at him in disbelief. “What? The MC needs some representation, too.”
It’s silent for a brief second before everyone shouts, “True love and tailpipes!”
We finish dessert as someone cranks up the speakers, and a loud, upbeat song blasts through the room. People start getting up, laughing, and moving toward the makeshift dance floor.
“Oh, fuck,” Colt hollers.
My eyes scan the room for the commotion until I find it.
Chaos.
Running through the room in nothing but a white cloth diaper and a pair of white feathered wings strapped to his back, holding a toy bow and arrow.
“Oh, my God,” I breathe.
“Cupid is here!” Chaos shouts, shooting foam-tipped arrows at people. He hits Eagle in the shoulder and Glitch in the leg.
He takes aim at Amy and fires, hitting her square in the chest. She freezes. Her eyes wander down to the arrow and back up to Chaos.
“You're dead,” she growls.
Chaos grins. “Gotta catch me first!”
He takes off running, the diaper flapping and his wings bouncing. Amy bolts after him with the plastic bat in her hand, and the entire room loses it. People are doubled over, laughing and cheering her on.
Frost pulls me close, his chest shaking with laughter. “Your best friend is insane.”
“Your best friend is wearing a diaper,” I counter.
He kisses my temple. “Fair point.”
I look around the room at the brothers laughing, my parents smiling, and Amy chasing Chaos around a table while he shoots arrows wildly into the air. Frost stands beside me in solidarity as we watch our best friends’ antics.
Everything is picture-perfect. We might not be a Norman Rockwell family, but we’re all family, nonetheless.
