Page 96 of Golden Goal

“To the husband-to-be, and my little brother,” Brody’s brother says before gesturing to Caleb.

Shit, I didn’t know we were all saying something.

I rack my brain trying to come up with what to say. I hate being put on the spot like this.

“To the best alternate captain we could have asked for,” Caleb says.

“To the best left winger, and future hall of famer,” Hunter adds with a wink.

“To a great addition to the coaching staff,” I say.

“To one of our best friends.” Wes gestures at Hunter and me. “Even though he resisted our friendship for a while.”

“To the best uncle.”

“Gee, thanks guys.” Brody lifts his glass, glancing at all of us, and I swear his eyes are glassy. “To the best friends a guy could ask for.”

“Cheers,” we all yell, and down our drinks.

“Alright. Let’s get you wifed up,” Caleb says, collecting our empty glasses.

We file out of the bedroom, down the stairs, and out the back door to where everyone has found a place to sit. Most of the guests are current or past members of the Storm family.

“Over there,” I tell Wes, pointing to where Becca and Hadley are sitting in the middle of the second row with Sutton and Ansley.

I slide into the seat next to Becca. She grins at me and links our hands together. Wes ends up sitting next to my sister, who glares at him then scoots as far away from him as she can.

Oh boy.

The “Wedding March” starts playing, and everyone gets to their feet, waiting for the bride to appear. I turn my attention to Brody, who is standing with the Justice of the Peace at the end of the aisle.

I’m so happy for my friend. If anyone deserves their happily ever after, it’s him and Aubrey. I remember how adamant he was a few years ago that they were just friends and that he didn’t have feelings for her. Pretty sure he was the only one who believed that lie.

Brody’s expression shifts, and he stops fidgeting, standing straighter and breaking into a huge smile. Aubrey must be walking down the aisle. I turn toward the house, and there she is, on the arm of a man who I assume is her stepfather. She’s radiant in a pale-pink knee-length dress with a bouquet of roses in her hands. They slowly make their way down the aisle to Brody, and everyone sits back down.

They exchange vows, and before I know it, the officiant pronounces them husband and wife. They share a kiss that’s probably a little more than PG, but hey, it’s their wedding. We clap as they make their way back toward the house for pictures.

“I’m so happy for him. For them,” Sutton gushes as we make our way out of the aisle.

“Me too,” I agree.

Becca and I make our way over to the bar while the rest of our group wanders off.

“That was a beautiful wedding,” Becca says, accepting her glass of Sprite from the bartender, a few minutes later.

“It was.”

I nod my thanks when he hands me my beer, and drop a twenty into his tip jar. We take our drinks to one of the empty high-top tables.

“What kind of wedding do you want?”

Me and my big mouth. I take a drink of my beer, cursing myself for asking that question.

“I never really thought about it.” She tilts her head, studying me over her glass. “Are you asking me to marry you?”

I almost choke on my beer. It takes me a few seconds to recover.

“No. If I was asking, you’d know.” I pause, watching all of my smiling, laughing friends and teammates. “Maybe this is too soon and we shouldn’t be having this conversation.”