Page 40 of Consummation (The Josh & Kat Trilogy #3)

Twenty-Six

Josh

I peek through a crack in the door and peer out into the courtyard, scanning the faces of Jonas and Sarah’s wedding guests, all of them seated and patiently awaiting the start of the ceremony.

Obviously, ninety percent of the attendees at this wedding are Sarah’s friends and family—which doesn’t surprise me.

Jonas and I have no family other than Uncle William—and if Jonas has made any close friends over the years, he’s certainly never introduced them to me.

“Wow, those flowers are incredible,” I say, surveying the virtual explosion of flowers in the courtyard. “I’ve never seen anything like that. It’s like a gingerbread house made of flowers.”

“Sarah saw this ‘wall of flowers’ in some celebrity magazine and lost her shit,” Jonas says behind my back. “So I told her to do whatever her little heart desired.”

“It’s amazing. Hey, are those the violinist and cellist from my house the other night?” I ask, spotting the two women playing a symphonic piece, along with a third woman playing a large harp.

“Yeah,” Jonas says from behind me. “Sarah had originally planned to have just the harpist, but when she heard the violin and cello at your house during our ‘romantic dinner for two’—thanks again for that, by the way—she flipped out and hired them for the ceremony on the spot.”

I chuckle. “Those ladies ought to give me a commission for all the work I’ve indirectly sent their way. Kat’s brother Dax hired them to play on his album, too.”

“Yeah, I know. I met Dax, remember?”

“Oh yeah. I forgot.”

“Have you heard his album?” Jonas asks .

“Just the first three songs. They’re really good—I sent them to Reed and he absolutely loved them. He’s probably gonna sign Dax’s band. He just wants to watch them play live first.”

“Awesome,” Jonas says. “I’d love to hear them.”

“Stay still, Jonas,” Uncle William says from behind me. “Joshua says I have to retie the knot to make it perfect . Stand still, Jonas, for the love of God.”

“Sorry. I’m bouncing off the walls.”

“Really? I hadn’t noticed,” Uncle William says, chuckling.

I continue scanning the faces of the guests, looking for anyone I recognize.

Well, I see Henn and Hannah in the third row, sitting with their hands clasped tightly together.

And there’s Uncle William’s longtime housekeeper (and longtime lover?), Katya, sitting next to my uncle’s vacant chair.

I see a handful of familiar faces from Faraday & Sons—the CFO, Jonas’ assistant and her husband, a few people on Jonas’ team.

There’s Sarah’s mom Gloria in the front row wearing a corsage and Jonas’ friend Georgia with her boyfriend and son Trey, all of whom I met last night at the rehearsal dinner.

My eyes lock onto T-Rod in the back, standing in front of a mammoth wall of white flowers, talking to a woman in black holding a clipboard.

I smile to myself. Six years ago, when I decided to dive headfirst into launching the L.A.

branch of Faraday & Sons, I hired Theresa through a temp agency, thinking I was gonna need someone a few hours a week (at most) to organize my life and possibly run a few errands for me.

I never in a million years thought, six years later, Theresa would be my faithful ‘woman behind the curtain’ for the Wise and Powerful Oz.

Holy shit. There’s Miss Westbrook—Mrs. Santorini now—sitting with three kids, including a teenage boy who must be her son Jonas, the one she named after my brother.

I smile to myself. Sarah Fucking Cruz is a force to be reckoned with, I swear to God.

Apparently, she’s hell-bent on “healing” my brother’s tattered soul, through any means (and people) necessary, God love her.

My eyes continue drifting over the faces in the crowd and finally lock onto Kat’s parents, seated in the farthest row.

Kat’s mom is in the process of whispering something into her husband’s ear and he’s smiling and nodding.

Man, they’re a handsome couple. Especially Kat’s mom.

Damn. She’s a knockout, even at fifty-something, especially in that sparkling gold dress.

Holy shit, it blows me away how much Kat looks like her mother.

It’s like Louise is a crystal ball, showing me exactly what her hot twenty-something-year-old daughter’s gonna look like thirty years from now: a hot fifty-something-year-old.

As I’m spying on her, Louise rests her cheek lovingly on her husband’s shoulder—the exact same move Kat always uses on me—and all of a sudden, I feel the world warp and buckle around me, like I’ve slipped through a gap in the space-time-continuum.

Suddenly, I’m no longer looking at Kat’s parents awaiting Jonas and Sarah’s wedding, I’m seeing Kat and me, awaiting our son or daughter’s wedding, thirty years from now.

Whoa.

I quickly shut the door, my heart pounding in my ears, and turn around.

Uncle William’s just finishing tying the knot on Jonas’ tie.

“There we go,” he says, patting Jonas’ chest. He grabs Jonas’ shoulders and turns him toward me like he’s a preschooler on picture day. “I used a Windsor knot the second time. Does that meet with your approval, Master Joshua?”

I survey my brother from head to toe. “Yeah, he looks absolutely perfect now. Good job.”

Jonas beams a huge smile at me. “I’m right here—you can compliment me directly.”

“You look absolutely perfect, Jonas.”

“Thank you.”

“I’m gonna take my seat now,” Uncle William says. He hugs Jonas and pats him on the cheek. “I’m happy for you, son. Sarah’s a great girl. Be good to her . ”

“I will. Always.”

“I know you will. You’re an exceptionally kind-hearted person, Jonas. Always have been.” He pats the side of Jonas’ neck. “She’s a lucky girl.”

“I’m the lucky one.”

“Be happy, Jonas,” Uncle William says softly, emotion warping his voice. “That’s all I’ve ever wished for you, son.” His voice cracks .

Jonas swallows hard. “I will be. I already am.”

The emotion on Uncle William’s face is making my eyes water—I’ve never seen him look quite like this before.

Uncle William turns to go.

“Hey, Uncle William?” Jonas says.

Uncle William stops and turns around.

“Thank you for letting Sarah wear Sadie’s necklace. It means a lot to me that you did that for her. Sarah was absolutely thrilled. Thank you.”

“Oh, I’m glad you mentioned that,” Uncle William says.

“When I gave the necklace to Sarah last night, she seemed so excited to make it both her ‘something old’ and her ‘something borrowed’ for the big day, I didn’t have the heart to tell her I was giving her the necklace and not just loaning it to her.

” He chuckles. “I figured I’d tell her after the ceremony.

So when I drink way too much Scotch at the reception and forget to tell Sarah the necklace is hers, will you make sure to tell her for me? ”

“Oh, wow,” Jonas says. He looks at me, astonished—but since I’ve never seen the necklace they’re talking about, I can’t return his expression. “Sarah’s gonna be shocked as hell. Are you sure? She’s not expecting that at all. ”

“Of course. It’s my wedding gift to Sarah—my way of welcoming her into our family.

” He looks wistful. “Sarah reminds me of Sadie, you know. Same spirit. Sadie would have been thrilled to know her favorite necklace will be worn again, especially by someone as beautiful as Sarah, rather than sitting and collecting dust in a vault for another thirty years.”

“Thank you so much. Sarah will be thrilled. I’ll be sure to tell her.”

Uncle William grins. “Now go get married to your dream girl, son.”

“Yes, sir. With pleasure.”

When Uncle William is gone, I take a good, long look at my brother from head to toe and marvel at the joy wafting off him.

I’ve never seen him look so damned happy before.

Hell, I don’t know if I’ve ever seen Jonas look happy at all before Sarah came along.

Maybe every smile and laugh before Sarah was nothing but a dress rehearsal, a dry run preparing him for true happiness .

“You ready?” I ask my brother.

“I’ve never been more ready for anything in my entire life,” Jonas replies.

I hug Jonas and kiss his cheek, and as I do, my eyes tear up. I pull back from our embrace, wiping my eyes, intending to turn my back on him, but Jonas grabs my neck and forces me to stay put.

“Josh,” Jonas says softly, his palm on my neck, his forehead against mine. “You’re the best brother a guy could ask for. I thank God for you every single day.”

My body twitches with the emotion I’m stuffing down. What the fuck is happening to me? I’m a fucking wreck. I swallow hard, successfully forcing down the huge lump in my throat.

A woman with a clipboard pokes her head into the room and saves me from myself. “You gentlemen ready?” she asks.

Jonas nods. “Just give us a minute.”

“Okay. Take your positions in the courtyard whenever you’re ready. We’ll cue off you.”

“Thanks.” Jonas takes a deep breath and smiles at me. “You need a minute?”

I nod.

“Take your time, Josh,” my brother says, grinning. “They can’t start this shindig without me.”

I look up at the ceiling for a moment, and once I’ve got complete control of my emotions again, I fix my eyes on Jonas’ face.

“Jonas, I’d be lost without you,” I say quietly.

I rest my palm on his broad shoulder and take a big gulp of air.

“Seeing you happy is the best thing that’s ever happened to me. ” I swallow hard. “I love you.”

Jonas’ lip trembles and his face contorts like he’s trying to keep himself from crying. But it’s no use. His eyes fill with water. “Fuck, Josh,” Jonas says, sounding pissed. He wipes his eyes. “What are you trying to do to me, motherfucker?”

“Sorry.”

“I was fully prepared to cry like a baby at the sight of Sarah walking down the aisle—that’s to be expected—but I wasn’t prepared to cry with you , just standing here, talking about our fucking feelings, for Chrissakes. Come on, man, leave me a shred of dignity on my wedding day, would you?”

“Sorry, bro. How’s this? ‘Hey, fucker. Congrats on bagging an awesome babe. Hope you have a fucking awesome life, you cocksucker—now fuck off.’”

“That’s much better. Jesus. You scared me. For a minute there, I thought you were going soft on me.”

“No chance of that,” I say. “I’m the emotionally stunted asshole of the two of us—you know that.”

Jonas grins, his eyes sparkling.

“Okay, motherfucker,” I say warmly. “Time to bag yourself a wife and me a sister.”

“Fuck yeah, it is.”

“Fuck yeah.”

We smile at each other.

“I’m so happy for you, Jonas,” I say softly.

“I’m so happy for me, too,” he says. He takes a deep breath. “Okay. Enough yapping—it’s time for me to get married to the divine original form of woman-ness, the goddess and the muse, the magnificent Sarah Cruz.”