“As for her third marriage attempt, now this one will last. Elijah,” he said holding his glass towards him, “I have never seen a man so in love, so taken with a woman as much as I have seen you with my little girl. You are the light in her day, the contentment in her night. You have given her so much joy and happiness, and anyone who can make my little girl smile the way you do, well that’s the only thing a father can wish for his daughter. So, to a lifetime of happiness. Please raise a toast to the newly wedded couple.”
My mother, an absolute wreck, had probably gone through a box of tissues. I had to admit it was a pretty good speech. My father hugged my sister tight before leaning over to give Elijah a quick man-hug. It was Elijah’s turn to speak next; slightly nervous, he drank an entire glass of champagne in one gulp.
“First of all, I would like to thank you all for attending this very special day of ours. Each one of you in this room holds a special place in our hearts and it has brought us joy to be able to share this with you… I want to take a moment to thank my mother. Momma, you have sacrificed so much for me, you gave me the strength to follow my dreams. Your love and support will forever be the reason why I am the man I am today. To my poppa, I know you are looking down on us and as we take a moment to look up at you, just know that I love you and can feel your presence with us. You didn’t miss out, poppa...you’re right here.” His voice slightly quivered and the majority of the bridal party and crowd were in tears. Rocky was no exception. I caught Nikki passing him a tissue which he blew his nose into.
“To Andrew and Emily, you have done nothing but welcome me into your home and your family since the first time I met you. You have been with me through my darkest moments, given me the ray of hope that I needed. And now you have given me the greatest gift, the pleasure of marrying your daughter. I promise to spend my lifetime making your daughter the happiest woman alive, but only if you promise to stop nagging about grandkids for a few years.” The crowd laughed.
“To my newly crowned brother-in-law, Lex, I just want to say that I never had any siblings growing up, but had I been given that gift, I would have wished for someone like you. You are the strongest, most determined person I know. Without knowing it you have touched so many peoples’ lives and have never let me down. In fact, the only reason why I am standing here today cancer-free is because of you.” Okay, now the sobbing became louder and of course I was touched by what he said. I didn’t cry but, damn, what a speech, and it left me feeling somewhat vulnerable.
“To my beautiful wife, Adriana, my best friend and the future mother of our children, you have shown me how to love, shown me how to better myself and most importantly you are my reason for taking each breath. I love you, Adriana. A toast to the wonderful journey we are about to embark upon.” He lowered his face to meet hers and kissed the tears that had fallen down her cheeks before kissing her on the lips. The applause in the room echoed, and there wasn’t one person that didn’t have a smile on their face.
I panicked for a moment; how the hell was I going to top that or was I not supposed to top that? I cleared my throat when my name was called, the MC handed me the microphone, fuck, my palms were sweating. Why did I feel like I was the giant elephant in the room but the only person watching was Charlotte? It’s now or never, Edwards, I told myself. I straightened my posture. It was show-time.
“They say love is a noble act of self-giving, offering trust, faith, and loyalty. The more you love, the more you lose a part of yourself, yet you don’t become less of who you are; you end up being complete with your loved one.”
Chapter 13
Charlie
Lex stood up and was handed the microphone. He was a natural, almost like he was born to address a crowd. He was confident, his posture was comfortable and I was supposed to focus on him because everyone else was, but at least now I had an excuse to ogle him. He looked like his old self, the beard gone… Thank God. His hair was slightly shorter and for once it was styled neatly. He looked like an Adonis. I could stare at him all day, but my focus laid heavily on his words now.
“They say love is a noble act of self-giving, offering trust, faith, and loyalty. The more you love, the more you lose a part of yourself, yet you don’t become less of who you are; you end up being complete with your loved one. This couldn’t ring any more true, as I tell you the story of how I watched their love for one another unfold.
“The first time I met Elijah was when I came home from college, seven years ago. Adriana had this habit of waiting for me on the porch steps every time I left home, something she had done from the moment she could walk. On this particular day she hadn’t, something I thought she had outgrown, which saddened me somewhat. As I walked into the house, there was only one sound I could hear, the laughter of my sister, this unique laugh that I had never heard before, almost like there was nothing involved, just something that made her happy. I had never heard Adriana so carefree, and as I made my way to where the sounds came from I saw Adriana with this scrawny-looking blond boy who reminded me of Beetlejuice with his scruffy hair. She was sitting there intently, listening to a story that Elijah was telling her about his horses when he grew up. Now, for anyone who knows Adriana, sitting still and being quiet were skills she never displayed; in fact, it’s almost like she repelled them. However, she sat there, perfectly still, listening intently. I had never seen this side of her. After a quick cough on my end, she saw me. She wasn’t afraid, neither was Elijah. She simply introduced him as a very good friend of hers.