AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I have to thank you too,” Clara said. “For everything.” She and Katie sat on each side of me and for the first time in weeks, it felt like things were level and right.
Beck and Zara shared a smile and clasped hands between the chairs where they sat side-by-side across from us. The reception was informal, a buffet and open seating, so there was no head table or official duties to be done now that they were hitched.
“If I can help my stubborn superstar big brother find even a tiny fraction of the happiness I’ve found, I’ll feel like I’ve done something good,” Beck said.
“You do lots of good,” Zara told him, leaning in to kiss his cheek.
They shared an intimate look then that made my heart flop around inside my chest, and I reached for Clara without planning to, my whole being driving me to touch her. More than ever, I wanted to find a place we could be alone, to reassure myself that this was real, that she was mine.
Wedding receptions—even the most unconventional—follow a certain rhythm, and as much as I wanted to hoist Clara over my shoulder and run away with her, I couldn’t. Not yet. Plus, I was doing my best to temper my expectations around any alone time, given that Katie was here with us too.
Despite the casual seating and non-scripted events of the evening, I felt like part of my obligation as best man and brother was to give a proper toast, so once everyone was seated, I signaled the DJ. He brought me the microphone, and I stood, moving to the center of the room where I could see everyone.
“Hey there,” I began, feeling a little bit awkward now that all eyes were on me. Normally when people were watching me I was wearing skates and pads. I felt naked and vulnerable, as silly as that was. “I’m Sylvester, Beckett’s older, wiser, and much more handsome brother.”
That earned a little chuckle that relaxed me a bit, and I glanced to Clara to find her bright happy gaze on me, banishing any remaining nerves.
“In reality,” I continued, “Beckett’s had me beat my whole life with the single exception of that one time when I was actually born first. Since the day he arrived, he’s been kinder, smarter...hell, maybe even funnier than I could ever manage to be.
“I remember one time, when we were pretty small, the family went to some lake for a picnic. Hell, maybe it was here—Beckett was better at geography too, I guess.”
Another little laugh rippled through the crowd and I met my brother’s eyes. He shook his head just a little, disagreeing with me. Or potentially dreading the story I was about to tell.
“Well, I’d told the little guy, who maybe was about four at the time, that it was pretty likely that we’d bump into a Bigfoot, being out in the wilderness like this. Needless to say, he was terrified, which I found pretty amusing at the ripe old age of six. I wracked my brain to see how I could amuse myself even more, and told Beck that the only way to guarantee that Bigfoot wouldn’t haul you away and eat you was to be naked when he found you.”
I switched hands with the microphone and turned to face some of the other tables, getting into the story now. “So Beck stripped down as we were eating Mom’s ham sandwiches and refused to put his clothes back on, no matter what either of my parents did. I took my shirt off in solidarity.
“But here’s how Beck won this one too. After lunch, we were exploring around the lakeside, Mom and Dad sitting right nearby, watching us, having given up on getting their youngest into any clothes at all. And one of us must’ve stepped on an old rotten log or something where a bunch of wasps were nesting.”
A worried little gasp went up from the crowd.
“You’d think I’d be better off, partially covered like I was. But you’d be wrong. Beck started screaming and running around, getting Dad’s attention, and pretty soon I was screaming and dancing too, because the wasps were everywhere. Dad grabbed Beck and me and ran to the water, taking us both in with him, which sent most of the wasps headed in the other direction since I guess they’re not great swimmers.
“Anyway, once we’re in the water and the wasps were gone, Beck was crying over the welts he’d gotten all over his chest and legs. But me? I was still screaming and flailing around, which made my dad pretty pissed.”
I grinned at Dad, who shook his head at me. He was grinning back, though, and something loosened in my chest. I hadn’t seen Dad smile in a while.
“You see, I still had on shorts and underwear. And the wasps had gotten inside those as I’d stood basically on top of their nest, and when Dad had pulled us into the water, they were still there. So then not only were those things pissed that I’d stepped on their nest, they were furious because I was slowly drowning them in my pants.”
Most of the guests were laughing now, despite their pained expressions.
“So you see...Beck won that one too. I ended up with wasp stings in places we just don’t talk about in polite company.”
I bowed my head for a quick second in silent reverence for my nuts, which had, luckily, recovered from the incident.
“And what we’re here to celebrate today? It’s just one more example of my brother winning. Because Zara? She’s everything. Sweet, funny, kind, smart—and last I heard, she beat him at just about every game they played. Which tells me that he’s found his match.”
I raised a glass of champagne in their direction.
“Please join me in welcoming Zara to the Remington family, and in wishing both Zara and Beck many wins in their future together.”
There was clapping and cheering, and I handed the mic back to the DJ. He started some music, and just as I was about to return to my table and see if I could convince Clara to dance with me so I could feel her up as best I could in front of a crowd of people, Dad signaled me from where he and Mom were sitting.
I glanced over at Clara and pointed to my parents. She nodded and raised her glass to me, and I headed over to say hello.
“Good speech, son,” Dad said, waving me into a chair at his side.
“Are you and Clara...” Mom took a breath and wiped her eyes. “Are you back together?”
