Except, he grinned into the microphone and looked over at us. “Sorry, friends. He’s bigger and stronger. And he gave me a hundred bucks.”
I watched as Aiden stood and approached the mic, pulling it from the stand. Both my father and Maddox dropped their heads, already grumbling, and Reid started laughing before Aiden began to speak.
Brayden groaned. “It’s a wedding, Aiden. Not a roast.”
“Have some faith, kid.”
He turned to the mic. “For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Aiden Callaghan. Adopted uncle, best friend, and all-around favorite boss of tonight’s couple.”
There was much laughter and taunts, which made Aiden smile.
“I’ve known these two kids since they were born. Before that, even. Twinkles in their fathers’ eyes. The reason business suffered so greatly for a time because they were too busy with their own erections than the ones that the company was trying to build.”
Everyone groaned. My dad dropped his head to the table in mock disgust. Maddox laughed, slapping him on the back. “Reed, Bent will give you five hundred to take back over,” he called out.
Aiden pointed his finger at Reed. “Keep your ass in that chair, young man. I’ll give you a grand to stay there.”
Reed held up his hands. “I like where this is going.”
I heard my dad groan. “I don’t.”
I chuckled. This was all too funny.
Aiden held his hand over his heart. “Imagine. My two best friends’ kids getting married. Who would have dreamed that, all those years ago when we were poor university boys just trying to get by? Living hand to mouth, or in Bentley’s case, million to million. Poor guy. We felt sorry for him, which is why we took him in. He was floundering, dripping money out of his pockets with nowhere to go.”
That made my dad laugh.
“We’re here today to celebrate something truly magical. Something so rare and fortuitous, it has to be celebrated. I am, of course, talking about the open bar. Holy shit, Bent. Did you know how much these people would drink? Good thing the groom’s dad has access to the accounts—you’re going to need it.”
There was more laughter.
Aiden made some other jokes about us as kids but stuck to his word about keeping it brief and not going overboard.
Until the end.
“Marriage between the right two people is an amazing thing. It completes you in a way nothing else can.” He looked over at us. “I wish you as much sex as I have had in my own marriage.” He paused, scratching his head. “Wait. I mean success. I wish you a successful marriage.”
He snorted with laughter at his own joke, while shaking his head at the whooping from the tables. “You guys are sick. I meant success.”
“Sure, Dad!” one of the boys hollered.
Aiden winked. “I just want to add—may your ups and downs only be in the bedroom.”
After the groans settled down, he became serious. “Stand with me and join in a toast. To two young people meant to be together. Their love is strong and beautiful. I’m proud to be their uncle, and I can hardly wait to see what the future brings for them. Or see Bentley bounce their child on his knee and be able to call him Gramps and get away with it.” He lifted his glass. “To Brayden and Addi—the couple of the day.”
He engulfed us both in his massive arms, lifting me right off the ground. “I did good, right?”
I chuckled. “Sure, Aiden.” I pressed a kiss to his cheek. “You did real good.”Hours later, I smiled, remembering how proud he was of himself, as I sat down in a dark corner, the unexpected moment of quiet welcome. I had danced with my husband, my father, my new father-in-law, my brother, and Aiden. One turn with Aiden and I wasn’t sure my body would recover. His strength and size didn’t make for a good partner. And during the faster numbers, we all knew to give him a wide berth. His enthusiasm knew no bounds and made up for his lack of coordination. Cami usually just “held on for dear life,” she told me once.
Pops, Reid, Van, Halton, Richard. My “cousins” insisted on their turns, and Ronan, Paul, Jeremy, Liam, Reed, Gavin, Theo, Matthew, and all the rest had claimed a dance. I bent low, rubbing my aching feet. I was grateful for the reprieve, although I didn’t expect it to last long. Brayden would find me once he finished dancing with his mom and would want to dance some more. He loved to dance with me. In fact, he loved to dance period and moved with an easy grace. I was grateful for that.
Brayden’s mom, Dee, looked lovely today, her mossy green dress complementing her soft red hair nicely. She smiled up at Brayden, their conversation constant since they’d started to dance. He was smiling indulgently down at her, towering over her as he did me. She had a couple of inches on me, but Brayden was six three, so he dwarfed both of us. He adored his mom, and she him. I was thrilled to have her as a mother-in-law. Like my own mom, she had been supportive of us from the beginning, saying it was destined to be.