Page 41 of Resistance Training
“No, you look so beautiful.” I dab beneath her eyes one more time. “This is how the kids are wearing eye makeup now, so as always, you are right and perfect.”
She inhales and sighs. “Yeah.”
Eric’s best man taps at his glass, so Aubrey and I take our seats.
I stare across two tables, at Bradley. Granny and her boyfriend are talking his ear off, and he’s nodding and laughing but smiling at me.
He’s doing that thing where I always feel like he’s with me, even though we have to sit at different tables during dinner.
He does make me feel so comfortable. We’re still in the blissful new part of dating, but since we knew each other for years when we were teenagers, despite all that time apart, it still feels very cozy when we’re alone together.
I even tooted once after eating a breakfast burrito a couple of Sundays ago, and instead of being mortified like I would have been around Jeremy for the entire two years we lived together, I thought of what Aubrey had said about being comfortable with Eric and I looked directly at Bradley and laughed.
He also laughed. So far he has not tooted around me, which makes me angry.
The good news is we know a lot of fun ways to work through our anger.
When the toasts are over and Aubrey is dancing with Dad to “Steal My Girl” by One Direction, because she didn’t want to cry, I get up to join Brad at his table.
As I pass by Jeremy’s end of the head table to get there, he nods at me again.
I nod back. This has been the extent of our conversations this weekend, and it’s really all we need to say to each other at this point.
Before I reach my destination, I feel a tap on my arm and turn to find Duckface looking at me.
I had only ever seen her in pictures before, and in every single one of them she was making a model-y duckface. Apparently that’s just her face. “Hi. I’m Langley.”
“I figured—hi. Nice to meet you.” I hold out my hand to shake hers, and she takes it.
Her hand is smooth and cold, as expected, but she seems nice enough.
In my peripheral vision I can see Brad sauntering over, slowly, staying slightly out of the way, just being nearby in case I need him. Or in case he decides I need him.
Langley keeps glancing over at him, because of course she does. But she says to me, “I just wanted to thank you for saying what you said in your speech. It was kind of you. I was really nervous about coming to this event. I almost didn’t.”
“Oh, well, I’m glad you did. I hope you’re having a good time.”
She scans my expression, because my tone suggested I wasn’t only asking about the wedding. Blinking, she lowers her chin and tucks her hair behind her ear and says, “Of course. Everything’s perfect.”
“Okay. Great. Well, enjoy the rest of your night.” I give her arm a little consoling rub, because I actually kind of feel sorry for the lying, cheating duckface.
Brad takes two strides and he’s by my side with his arm around my waist. “She definitely looked like she wanted to run away screaming.”
“Huh?”
“Because you’re so hot.”
“What are you talking about, you nutjob?” I wrap my arms around his neck and kiss his neck.
“You don’t remember?”
“Nuh-uh.”
“Your first day at the gym. I asked you for your motivation for getting in shape.” He leans in and whispers into my ear. “You said you wanted Jeremy to jizz in his pants and his fiancée to run away screaming because you’re so hot.”
My jaw drops. “I would never.”
“Oh, but you did, when pressed.”
“Isn’t it funny that I don’t even care? I guess being happy and in love is the best revenge.”
“Happy and in love and strong and hot.” He kisses the top of my head. “Fantastic maid-of-honor toast.”
“I know! I slayed.”
“You did… Oh, hang on.” He pulls his phone out from inside his suit jacket. It’s vibrating. “It’s Larry FaceTiming me. We should take this.”
“Oh no.” We hustle over to a corner of the tent, away from the speakers.
Larry and Cindy are checking on Bella and Hairy Styles while we’re out of town.
Both cats are staying at my place because we thought it would be better than leaving Bella alone for three days.
Brad accepts the video call, and as soon as I see Larry and Cindy’s faces, I say, “Are they okay?!”
“Oh, calm down, y’all, nobody died,” Cindy says, laughing at me.
“Phew! Are you at my house?”
“Yes, darlin’, we’re here, and would y’all look at this?! Turn the phone around, Larry!”
“I am. Gimme a minute, woman!” Larry turns the phone around, and eventually the lens finds two cats curled up together. My skinny black-and-white old man is wrapped around that little black kitty, and it’s so cute I want to cry.
“Did you get pictures?” Brad says, before I get a chance to.
“Yeah, we only took about a hundred—don’t worry,” Larry says.
“That little Bella is giving such Capricorn energy!” Cindy tells us off-camera. “I mean, not right this second, but she’s very bossy and independent.”
“That she is,” Brad concurs, a little rueful, but with pride.
“I tell you what, though, when a Cappy decides they can trust you, they are loyal for life.”
“I feel that,” I say, smiling at Brad.
“Well, you kids look absolutely gorgeous. You havin’ a good time up there?”
“He cleans up pretty good, doesn’t he?” I straighten Brad’s tie. “Yeah, we’re having a great time.”
“She just gave a real corker of a speech.”
“That’s my girl. Well, we’ll let you get back to the party. Bye, babies. We’ll take good care of your babies!” I see a flash of red hair, and then Larry ends the call before we say goodbye.
I look at Brad. “Well, that was promising.”
“That was the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.”
“That’s because you never saw yourself sleeping with Bella asleep on top of your head.”
“I will never forgive you for not having your phone with you.”
“It’ll happen again—I’m sure of it. Aww, and remember how scared you were of her that first day?”
He frowns at me as he leads me over to the edge of the dance floor so we can watch Eric and his mom. “I wasn’t scared.” He maneuvers me in front of him and then wraps his arms around me, like we’re posing for a prom photo.
It’s hard to believe there was ever a time when I didn’t know who I’d bring as a date to this wedding.
Even harder to believe there was ever a time when Brad and I weren’t talking to each other.
As I stand here, swaying to “What a Wonderful World,” in his arms, I find it hard to believe there will ever be a time when we aren’t together. I don’t think there will be.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Granny Sparks approaching, in her sequin dress and cardigan, and I say, laughing, “I swear to God, Granny, if you touch my boyfriend one more time, I will cut you.”