I shot her a soft smile, which she returned.
“Feel free to do what we do and never listen to a word Mateo says,” Lydia said. She wore a beautiful baby blue halter dress, her blonde hair recently cut to her shoulders.
“You love me, don’t deny it.”
“Eh.” Lydia shrugged but shot me a wide smile. She could deny it all she wanted, but she loved me.
I glanced at Trevor and Bryton, clad in the same black and white tux I was in. I almost made a remark about us starting a boy band but held back.
“Where’re the kids and—” Em started to say, but the sound of laughter and footsteps came from inside the ballroom. As a group, we stepped into the room, finding Kai, Wrenley, and Jayden running around the chairs set up for the ceremony. Tucker chased after them, tongue rolling out of his mouth.
I grinned at the sight. From the moment Tucker met the kids, they became best friends. Tucker knew the kids were fragile and knew not to play rough. Anywhere they went, he was right there as their guard.
The kids ran around the corner, Kai and Wrenley in adorable pink and yellow dresses while Jayden was wearing a suit but without the jacket. Give it a few minutes after the ceremony and he’d be crying about wanting to change.
When they came around the back of the chairs, Jayden suddenly fell to his knees, a thud echoing through the room. I winced and stepped forward with Trevor and Bryton, but we all paused when Tucker went up to Jayden, nudging him with his nose.
We stood there and watched as Jayden grabbed Tucker’s side and pulled himself to his feet, still smiling, not a tear in sight. Tucker licked his face, a giggle filling the room. That was all it took for Jayden to run after his sister and cousin, Tucker alongside him.
“Damn, that was the cutest thing I have ever seen in my life,” Trevor said. The others murmured in agreement. I had a feeling there would be tears when we took Tucker back home with us.
“This place looks great,” I commented as I stepped farther into the room. It was fairly large with a huge vaulted ceiling and beautiful wooden support beams. There were also these breathtaking floor-to-ceiling windows that looked straight out into a woodsy area.
Because it was the first week of November, the leaves were changing, a mix of bright yellow and reds, the perfect backdrop to get married to. The room was beautifully decorated. All different shades of pink flowers lined the outer edges of the room, and chairs were situated in a way that made it seem like they took up more space than they did.
A simple white carpet ran from the start of the doors down to where the altar was situated, fitting perfectly against the red wood floors.
“The flower arch is my favorite,” Tasha gushed to Emmie. The white arch sat back from where mom and Steven would stand, pink and white flowers laced through it.
I was beyond excited for my mom, but all of this felt a bit surreal. Watching her get the kind of love she always deserved felt like watching everything finally fall into place. Pressure built behind my eyes. This was going to be an emotional day.
An arm looped around my neck, pulling me into Trevor’s side. “Come on kid, let's get your mom married.”
39
MATEO
Soft piano music played through the room as Kai and Wrenley skipped down the aisle, throwing petals in the air. The two looked absolutely adorable in their dresses. It made it hard to be mad at them for stealing my flower boy position, but I had my own trick up my sleeve.
I stood at the back of the room, watching everyone smile at the two girls before Jayden took their place. He stumbled down the aisle, clenching the rings on a cushion. Thankfully, they were secured or they’d be flying all over the place.
Steven stood at the altar, looking quite dapper in his tux. He kept fidgeting with his sleeves and glancing at the doors behind me every five seconds. It was actually really sweet, as long as I didn’t think too hard about the fact it was my mom he was waiting for.
Once the kids were down at the end and corralled by Lydia, it was my time to shine. Unzipping the fanny pack wrapped around my waist, I strutted for the aisle. I cleared my throat to get everyone's attention.
I looked every single person in the eye, sending Emmie a wink, before I reached into the fanny pack. I dramaticallyswayed my hips, throwing petals in the air. I pulled out a hard candy and handed it to Mila, causing her to grin. When I got to Trevor, I grabbed the small mini bottle of tequila I stashed in the pack and handed it over with an exaggerated wink.
One by one, I went to each person, either handing out mini bottles, little candies, or throwing petals as I worked my way down the aisle. When I finally reached Steven, he stood there shaking his head, but he couldn’t hide the smile on his face. Before he could say anything, I wrapped him in a tight hug.
I hoped he understood how much it meant to me that he made my mother so happy. I pulled away, giving him a wide grin before I made my way to the seat beside Emmie.
“Tequila?” I offered her as soon as I plopped down.
She shook her head, smiling. “You are such a dork.”
“Yeah, but I’m your dork.” I planted a kiss on her lips as the music changed to the wedding march.
As a group, we got to our feet and turned toward the doors as Josie and Wyatt appeared. Josie looked amazing in her peach-colored dress, brown eyes sparkling under the lights. Wyatt was at her side in his tux like the rest of us. We really should start a boy band.
