This was it.
I had to confront him. He had to know how I felt.
I slipped away from the table.
Then someone handed Lindsey a microphone. She grabbed my wrist before I escaped.
“Everyone…” My sister pouted until she had everyone’s undivided attention. “I want to thank you all for coming on this special day.”
The guests applauded. A few people tapped their glasses with their spoons, and Lindsey grabbed Bryce by the collar to haul him in for a kiss. It earned another round of cheers.
“I know traditionally everyone is supposed to toast me…”
Reflexively, the bridesmaids and I clamored over the table to find anything to raise in her honor. Carmen spilled her water, grabbed a candle, and set the tablecloth on fire. I lifted both my drink and Rick’s, which, coincidentally, helped to put out the flames.
Lindsey took the drink from Bryce’s hand and continued.
“But I’d like to make my own toast,” she said. “There is one person I want to thank more than anyone in this world. The one who stood by me. Indulged my every request. Told me when I was being unreasonable but still tried to please me. The one who put me first before anything else.”
Bryce grinned, but Lindsey turned to me.
“My sister is the greatest friend anyone could have. Thank you, Mandy. None of this could have happened without you.”
Well, I couldn’t run away now.
I hugged my sister. Lindsey relished the applause, but she pulled back and crinkled her nose.
“Now hurry up with your toast. You have to help me go to the bathroom.”
Oh, great.
Lindsey and Bryce held hands as I delivered a much abbreviated speech, wishing Lindsey a lifetime of happiness and Bryce all the luck in the world. Rick stood, keeping his short.
“To the newlyweds—we’ve been friends our whole lives, and nothing makes me happier than seeing everyone together. I wish us all the best in our new relationships. We are very fortunate that our group is so strong, passionate, and above all else, protective…even to a fault.”
Rick touched his cheek. Bryce laughed and earned a smack from Lindsey.
“But that just means we love each other as friends, sisters, brothers, and, finally, couples. Let’s never forget that.”
Glasses clinked, and Rick pulled me into a warm hug. I peeked over his shoulder. Nate waited at the bar, arms crossed. He had helped to tap the keg and serve the initial drinks, but now he was free.
And so was I.
This was really it.
I made it two steps before Lindsey dragged me to the bathroom.
Goddamn it. This wasn’t happening. Why couldn’t I get two seconds alone with the father of my unborn child?
Lindsey stuffed herself in the bathroom, walking sideways to fit her dress through the door. I held out the precut garbage bag, hoping the trick we found on Pinterest would work.
All she had to do was step inside and peel the garbage bag up to gather the layers of the dress. Then she could do her deed quickly and effectively.
The guests might not have had alcohol yet, but my sister sure had.
Lindsey stumbled and pierced the plastic with her heel. She ripped the bag over her waist. I groaned, but she shredded it above her head with a roar.
“Mandy! I gotta pee!”
Flashbacks of the bachelorette party blinked into my mind like images of ‘Nam. This was exactly what motherhood was going to be like…except I probably shouldn’t trap my kid inside a plastic bag.
“Hold on, I have to find another—”
“No! I have to go now!”
Oh lord. This was one of those moments that would redefine our relationship.
Lindsey didn’t have to beg. Hopefully she’d drink enough tonight that she wouldn’t remember it in the morning.
We both struggled into the stall, and Lindsey pranced while I gathered the folds of her dress. I looked away and let her grab a little too high on the back of my leg to steady herself. The door couldn’t close, and my sister’s giggling fit wouldn’t make this go any quicker or neater.
“We’re never talking about this again,” I said.
Lindsey patted my ass. “Deal. Did you find Nate yet?”
Oh lord, this so wasn’t the time.
“Why? You think he’d do a better job at helping you pee than I am?”
“Ha, ha, very funny.” Lindsey wobbled, but she hadn’t fallen yet. I gathered more of her dress to keep her steady. “You know what your problem is?”
“That I’m sharing a bathroom stall with you?”
“Well, that’s a big one.”
She finished and cleared her throat. Apparently her new wedding ring was too heavy to reach for the toilet paper herself. I grappled with the dispenser and imagined this would be good, billable time for the therapist who’d make a fortune off of my family.