A Kiss for a Kiss (All In 4)

“For those of you who don’t know King very well, I can tell you, he’s the most responsible guy I’ve ever met in my life. He drives like a ninety-year-old on Sunday afternoon. Sorry if there are any ninety-year-olds out there, but man, you better not be in a rush to get anywhere if you’re riding with King. Aside from his excessive caution when driving, he’s a pretty great guy. And loyal. You’ve never let me down, buddy, except for that time you let Rook take shots at me.”

The head table chuckles, and a few people look around at each other, not understanding the reference. “You see, this guy right here is the reason I’m married to Stevie. If it weren’t for his advice, and his patience, I don’t think I would have gotten my head out of my butt long enough to figure out how to get her to date me. Man, I’m rambling, aren’t I?” He tugs at his tie again, his face starting to turn red, possibly from embarrassment.

“Back to King. He’s a rule follower, through and through, but when he met Queenie, well . . .” He waggles his brows and smirks. “Let’s just say, for the first time in all the years I’ve known him, I watched him struggle to follow those rules he likes so much.”

He takes another sip of his drink. “I wanted to talk about the way these two actually met, because everyone believes that was when Queenie started working for the team, but their first introduction came six weeks before the start of the season.”

I glance down the table at Ryan, whose cheeks are on fire. Queenie’s cheeks have gone pink as well, but she’s hiding a grin behind her hand. She whispers something to Ryan, who arches a brow and calls out, “You might want to move this along unless you’re planning to relinquish your best friend status.”

That gets us another round of giggles.

Bishop smirks. “Don’t worry, King, I won’t give up all your best secrets. Anyway, I can tell you that Queenie must have left a lasting impression, because King is the most even-keeled guy in the universe. Not much ruffles his feathers, but Queenie lit a fire under his a—butt.” He smiles, and it’s no longer a smirk, but something softer. “Queenie, you came into King’s life at exactly the right time. He needed someone to shake things up, and you did that in just the way he needed. You made a great guy an even better man. If there were ever two people who are meant for each other, apart from my bae and me, it’s the two of you.”

Queenie hugs Ryan’s arm and mouths thank you to Bishop.

“You took my milk-drinking, khaki-wearing, straight arrow of a best friend and you pushed him outside his comfort zone. So thanks for that.” Bishop lifts his drink, which is mostly empty, and toasts the couple.

More speeches follow, and when it’s my turn to speak, I freeze and only manage to say how happy I am for Ryan and Queenie and how they’re made for each other. It feels slightly disingenuous to talk about my relationship with Ryan as my brother, even though that’s how most of our lives have been spent. Jake and my parents are the last to speak before Queenie and Ryan.

Jake takes his place at the podium and sets his glass of water to the side. He takes a deep breath and shakes his head. “I don’t think I’m going to make it through this without a few voice cracks.” He clears his throat. “King, you are such a lucky man to get to love my daughter.”

Ryan smiles and kisses Queenie’s temple.

“Queenie, what a phenomenal woman you’ve become. I’m always so impressed by your resilience, your compassion, your zeal for life. From the moment you were born, I knew you were destined for great things. You have this light, this way of making people fall in love with you.” He pulls a tissue from his pocket and clears his throat. “There were times when I wasn’t sure if I was doing this whole parenting thing right, Queenie, and I feel like we learned a lot by trial and error, especially when it came to things like hiding all the Sharpies and only leaving the Crayola markers lying around. That was a rough lesson.”

“For you, not for me,” Queenie quips.

Everyone laughs.

“We’ve been through a lot together, you and I. Lots of up and downs. Every boo-boo we put a Band-Aid on was a life lesson for me. I couldn’t protect you from the world, no matter how hard I tried, so I did my best to make sure you always knew I was going to be there to help you up when you fell. You’ve become a strong, independent woman, and I’m so damn proud of you. And you’ve picked such a great partner.” His gaze shifts to Ryan and he blows out a breath. “King, I know you’re going to love my daughter the way she deserves to be loved, without reservations or conditions. You make her happy in a way no one else ever has. It’s been a joy to watch you two grow together.” He raises a glass. “To a love that knows no boundaries.”