Epilogue
“I think that was the best wedding I’ve ever been too.” Colton sounds sentimental. It’s weird to hear. I always support him acting like a human being instead of a man-child, so I support him.
“Me too. It was beautiful.” It really was. And I hate weddings like I can’t even describe. But this is one of my best friends and brothers, so everything looked beautiful to me. The world is looking beautiful to me right now. So much has happened over the last two months that I don’t even know what I’m the most happy for. Signing with a publishing company, seeing my book in bookstores next to authors I’ve read my entire life, or falling madly in love with the woman of my dreams. The last one—it’s not even a contest. A career on the rise is great, but there are a million writing opportunities, but only one Rowan. She’s what I’m most happy for.
“Dude, seeing all of our boys in suits is weird. Even North. He looks so. . .”
“Uncomfortable?” I ask.
“Exactly. Like wearing that thing is itching him.”
“I’m sure he’ll be in his converse, jeans, tee shirt, and hat in no time. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if he showed up to the reception in his normal clothes.”
“Me either. That would be a very North thing to do.”
“And look at G!” I say, pointing in his direction. “The dude looks like he’s about to burst out of his suit. Muscles for days on that guy.”
“You’re right. It’s almost like he bought the suit before he started lifting, and now it barely fits his new body.”
The ceremony ended about ten minutes ago, and now me, Colton, Harley and Rowan are all doing the cocktail hour for not an hour at all. Knight and Ev wanted some time for themselves to spend as husband and wife, then we’re all going to take some wedding photos together. After Everleigh saw the shots of Colton and Harley in Central Park she fired the photographer they’d hired and gave the job to G. I see him getting ready to go set up, so I know we only have a few minutes left to shove shrimp cocktail down our throats.
Harley and Rowan are across the way a little, so it’s just me and Colton, standing around the reminiscing as we’re surrounded by people we’ve never seen before in our lives. Colton is feeling philosophical. “You think this was always going to happen?”
“What’s that?” I ask.
“This,” he says, motioning his hands around. “All of it. The signing, the wedding, all the success we’ve had. Was this always going to happen?”
“Absolutely not. No fucking way.”
“As long as you’ve considered it from all angles, Gray.”
“I don’t need to,” I say seriously. “Nothing was promised to us, Colt. Mike finally got a three book deal. Your books are all getting tagged left and right on Amazon. We’re living the dream, man. But this could have gone wrong. . .scratch that. This did go wrong many times along the way.”
“Yeah it did. You’re right. But you know what go us through it?”
“What’s that?”
“Them.” Colton points to Harley and Rowan, who are on their third glass of champagne already. It’s going to be a long night. “And this, right here.” Then he moves his finger back and forth between the two of us. “All the people we love. They got us here. They held us up when we were down. If we’d tried any of this shit alone we would have failed years ago.”
“You’re right about that, brother.”
I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket. I pull it out and stare at the screen, confused. Almost everyone that I know is here right now, so I’m not sure who’s calling me right now. It’s just a number with no name. “Hello?” Even though I don’t recognize the 212 number, I hear a familiar voice on the other end. “Oh, hey Charles. What’s going on, buddy?”
“I’m sorry to bother you at Michael’s wedding.”
“It’s no problem. We’re about to head off and take some photos. What’s up? Everything alright?”
“Alright?” He asks. “Alright, Grayson. Clearly you haven’t heard the news.”
“What news?”
“And I’m guessing you haven’t seen the paper, either.”
“Charles, I love you, but you’re gonna have to spit it out right now.”
“Gladly,” he tells me. “Your book, Her Story, just hit the New York Times Bestseller lists. I know it’s Knight’s day, but I needed to call to congratulate you, Grayson. We did it.”
I don’t say anything to Charles. I don’t respond. I pause, silent, for about five seconds. The look on my face must be alarming because Colton looks at me and says, “You alright, man, who is that? Are you having a heart attack?”
And then I scream. I don’t mean an excited little yell. I mean a full fledged, all out, crazy-person howl that lasts about five full seconds. Everyone turns and looks at me. Colton stares and puts his hand on my shoulder and asks if I’m okay again, and I see Harley and Rowan running over to see if I’m alright. “I’m alright. I need to tell you something. Where’s Mike?”
“He’s with his new. . .oh, wait. There he is.”
I look in the same direction as Colton to see Mike and Everleigh turning the corner. They’re coming over to me also. Everything thinks that something is wrong, so I wave my hand to let everyone know that I’m not having a heart attack right here in front of the shrimp cocktail. “Sorry, everyone, I’m okay. Sorry to alarm you.”
Mike and Ev are over here now. “Jesus Christ, what the fuck? You scared the hell out of us.”
“Sorry, dude. Really sorry. I just got some news.”
“Is everything alright?” Colton asks.
“Can we go somewhere?”
“Yeah,” Mike says. “Follow us. G is setting up on the lawn, anyhow, so why don’t we go over there.”
“Fine.”
The whole wedding party—Wordsmiths, girlfriends, and wife all head over to the lawn. I can see G setting up in the distance, and I’m still in disbelief. I take my phone as we walk and quickly check the bestseller lists on my New York Times app. There I am! Holy mother of God, I can’t believe it. I’m a New York Times bestselling author.
“You gonna tell us why you screamed like someone had just killed your dog, or you like keeping us in suspense?”
I don’t know what to say, so I just let it out. “My book made the New York Times Bestseller list this morning. I just heard from Charles!”
“What?” Mike asks.
“Are you kidding, man?”
“No,” I say, even though it’s still sinking in. “I just looked. It’s legit. I made the list” I don’t feel my feet leave the ground, but once I’m up in the air I realize what’s happening. I look down at the ground and realize that Colton lifted me up to celebrate, and he’s holding me in the air yelling louder than I did before. Mike is literally jumping up and down, and so are the girls. When he puts me down I look at Mike and Everleigh. “Guys, I’m sorry. I didn’t want to overshadow this, today isn’t about me.”
“Grayson,” Everleigh says. “Don’t you dare take away from what you accomplished. This is amazing!”
When Colt puts me down Rowan runs into my arms. I feel her lips against me, and I close my eyes. I feel like I’m
That’s who we are.
Three Friends
Three Brothers.
We’re the Wordsmiths, and we’ve got so many more stories to tell.
Just then we hear roar of engines in the distance, but not that far away. They’re close enough to be really loud
The End. . . for now.