I admit to missing the beginning bits where the officiant said a bunch of crap about love, family, and commitment. I had an important job to do, and my brother was counting on me. So since it was a short ceremony, I missed most of it.

“…and I could be that woman, because you believed in her. Because you believed in me,” Andi said, smiling nervously. She glanced at the officiant, who nodded. “Sooo, I promise to always love, respect, and occasionally obey you. But only when I feel like it and you say ‘please.’”

She waited until everybody was done laughing. “Your turn.”

Hayden took a deep breath. “Anyone who knows me at all knows I worked on my vows for the last six weeks and memorized every word until I could recite them in my sleep. But at this very moment, in front of you and the people we care about, I seem to have forgotten what I’d planned to say.”

Oh shit. Was it in my job description to whisper his lines in his ear if he forgot them? Clear as day, I could see those index cards, resting in one neat pile on the coffee table back in the room. I worked out the math—speed x distance x panic. It would take me about three minutes to sprint there, grab the cards, and run back.

But Hayden wasn’t done talking. “And I don’t think there’s a more apropos way to start my life with you than having to wing it.”

Andi ducked her head and laughed quietly.

“Andi?” Hayden reached out and gently lifted her chin. “I’ve spent my whole life priding myself on being able to handle anything that came at me, logically, rationally, without fear. But then you appeared, and I wasn’t prepared for it. There was nothing logical, or even rational, in how I felt about you. And it terrified me. But something in me, the intuition I’d never really trusted, wouldn’t stop screaming, ‘She’s worth it.’”

Andi’s lip trembled as he spoke honestly, without pride or arrogance. With more vulnerability than I thought my brother capable of. As if they were the only two people talking. As if they were the only two people on this island.

“You knocked me out of a life I was barely living, Andi, and showed me what was possible. Convinced me that not always being in control, or knowing what would happen, was a gift. Every day since then has been more than I ever imagined it could be, and I’ll spend the rest of my life making sure you feel the same way.” My brother sounded so calm, so sure, I knew if I looked at anyone else, they’d be crying.

I only heard bits and pieces of the rest of the vows Hayden and Andi had written for each other. I should’ve at least been paying attention so I didn’t miss my cue, but all I could focus on was my girl.

Lane hadn’t looked at me once, entirely focused on the couple we were here to celebrate. But when Hayden cleared his throat, she blinked away some tears, and I finally caught her eye. We stared at each other, a sense of peace falling over me as I realized this was it. This was everything.

I swear, I felt so much damn gooeyness, if I took a step, I’d leave a snail trail of goodwill behind me.

Shit, I even loved my family right then. Granted, it would only last until I actually spoke to one of them again, but still…

Life could never be better than this.

With my eyes still locked onto her, I started imagining this was our wedding day and the officiant was talking directly to us. Any second he’d say, “Do you, Carson, take this woman—?”

“Hell, yes.” Fuuuuuuck. That was out loud.

Everyone looked at me confused, annoyed, or both. I tried to remember what they’d been saying, what I’d agreed to. Oh shit, what if it was the if-anyone-has-a-problem-with-these-two-people-getting-hitched part?

Hayden was standing there, holding out his hand. “Great. Then how ‘bout you give it to me?”

Lane looked exasperated. She was frantically mouthing something to me in a language that couldn’t possibly be English, because I had no idea what she was trying to tell me. Then she drew a circle in the air.

“What does that mean?”

“The ring, Carson,” Hayden said quietly. “You need to give me the ring now.”

“Oh! Yeah. Hell, yeah.” Relieved, I fumbled to find it, checking my pants first, then remembering I’d put it into the inside pocket of my jacket. “Got it!” I held it up in the air proudly like a kid who’d lost their first tooth.

Good thing Hayden’s default reaction to calamity was calm. Good thing that was his default reaction to everything I did. Although today, he was rightfully nervous too, which affected his patience with his little brother.

“Now, Carson.”

I carefully set the ring in his hand, knowing the only thing that could make this moment worse was if I dropped it, then accidentally stepped on it while trying to pick it up, and had to shovel into the sand to find it again. Of course, those kinds of things only happened to people in movies… and to me. And usually it would crack me up, but times had changed. I wasn’t the only person I cared about anymore.

They did the whole “with this ring” bit, and it was time for them to kiss. My consistently controlled and subdued brother turned into someone with a wild side. He didn’t grab her and shove his tongue in her mouth or anything. Nah, this kiss was slow, sensual, full of a lot more passion than I was comfortable seeing, at least when the guy was my brother.

It was the kind of kiss women turned away from to give the couple a little privacy and men watched out of their peripheral vision.

I stared at my feet until I heard everybody clapping and a few catcalls.

Hallelujah! I made it—we made it—through the whole ceremony without any fainting or disaster. And all the tears shed were from happiness and sentimentality, even from Renee.

Friends and family attacked the couple before they’d gotten a few steps down the aisle, turning Andi and Hayden in every direction for a kiss on the cheek or a hug or a handshake.

Lane walked around the group to stand next to me and slip her arm around my waist.

“Did I see you cry?” she whispered to me.

I didn’t think so, but I checked my lower eyes lashes anyway. Anything could’ve happened while I was in fantasy land. “Maybe—men always cry when we lose another good one.”

Luckily, my lashes were dry. But hers weren’t.

“Same thing with women, huh?” When I slowly brought my thumb to her eye, she closed them for me so I could wipe away the tears that hadn’t already dried on her cheeks.

“Something like that.” She gave me a quick kiss then waded into the crowd to congratulate the bride and groom. I decided I’d do it later, once I figured out why they deserved congratulations to begin with. Saying some nice things and signing a piece of paper wasn’t exactly as impressive as running a marathon or winning the Nobel Peace Prize. Although, maybe that was the point—marriage was like running a marathon for forty, fifty years and you’d never make it that long unless you’d figured out how to keep the peace.