My Brother's Best Friend: a Josh Richards FanFiction -complete-

Part 21: Wedding Bells

Josh and I went through the motions of a typical day, neither one of us mentioning everything that had happened that morning. We stopped by Nessa's house, and Josh took the pictures that Sean had settled on. Before we knew it, it was time to head back to Sway for the dinner.
"Hi, guys!" Amelie greeted us as we walked in the door. I hugged her, heading into the dining room where the rest of our friends were already sitting. After a chorus of hellos, we all sat to eat. Cooking wasn't really anyone's strong suit, so Bryce and Addison had catered the dinner from some restaurant. I didn't recognize any of the food, so it obviously wasn't a restaurant that we visited frequently. 
"Guys, we want to ask you something," Bryce said, standing up. We all looked at him expectantly. 
"We love you guys. You all know that," Addison said, standing as well. 
"Get on with it!" Quinton yelled. The table erupted in laughter.
"We want you guys to be in the wedding," Bryce said, finally able to control his laughter.

-one year later-
"Addi, you look beautiful," I said, zipping up her dress.
I could see her looking at me in the mirror. "Bailey, I'm so nervous."
"Hey, don't be. You know that Bryce loves you, and you love him," I said, moving to stand in front of her. 
She wrapped me in a hug. "Since we met, I've always thought of you as a sister, but I'm so glad that I get to make it official today."
I smiled at her. "Me, too."
The other girls piled into the room. The sea of lavender was a beautiful sight, and I found myself getting even more excited for two of the people that I loved the most. 
"We're ready," Josh said, peeking his head into the room. "You look great, Addi."

We walked out of the room and paired up as Addison hugged Monty. Josh whispered to me. "You look great."
"You're not so bad yourself," I whispered back.
We waited as the other couples entered the chapel. As we walked in, I could see the nerves on Bryce's face. I think that this was the only time that I had truly seen Bryce nervous. I stood across from him, and we all turned to watch Addison. 
While everyone watched her, my eyes drifted to my older brother. I watched him, my best friend, my rock, as he watched the love of his life walk towards him. My heart exploded as I watched the pure happiness cross his face. 

Addison handed me her bouquet, and I found myself zoning out. I knew that I needed to focus, but I couldn't stop myself from imagining their children calling me Aunt Bailey and playing with my own children. I imagined family dinners where Bryce, Addison, Josh, and I would sit around the table, laughing as we watched our kids run around. 
I brought myself back to the present day, watching with happy tears in my eyes as Bryce articulated the love that he held for her. I made eye contact with Josh over Bryce's shoulder, and I began to imagine what our own wedding would look like. A year ago, I had been terrified at the mere thought of getting married, but now, I was almost looking forward to it. 
"By the power vested in me by the state of California, I now pronounce you man and wife," the priest said. "You may kiss the bride."
There was an eruption of applause as Addison and Bryce kissed. We followed them out of the chapel, and Josh and I followed them into the receiving line, with the other members of the bridal party heading outside. Monty and Sheri headed the line, with my mom standing next to them. Addison and Bryce were next, and Josh and I brought up the end of the line. I bumped my shoulder into Bryce's as we stood next to one another. 
"I'm happy for you," I whispered, shaking the hand of one of Addison's relatives.
"Thanks for being a part of it," Bryce whispered back, wrapping one of our great aunts in a hug. 

As the last of the guests trickled out the door, I hugged Addison and Bryce. "Congratulations, you guys. I'm so happy for you."
They headed out of the chapel, and Josh and I followed closely behind. When we got in the limo, the other members of the bridal party were already inside. 
"Congratulations!" Jaden yelled, popping open a bottle of champagne. I shared a look with Josh, knowing that most of them would be drunk pretty quickly. We had opted to stay sober, mostly to make sure that Bryce didn't make any stupid choices. 
When we arrived at the reception venue, we piled out of the limo and headed inside where the photographer was waiting for us. We lined up, taking what felt like a million pictures. As we finished up, we lined back up to enter the ballroom. 

The reception proceeded, and Josh and I talked about the things that we were witnessing. Griffin appeared to be hitting it off with one of Addison's cousins. Charli and Chase wore smiles, but they looked forced. Quinton and Cynthia were talking at the dessert table. Addison and Bryce danced with each other as if they didn't have a care in the world. My mom made her way over to Josh and me. 
"Hey, kids. How's it going?"
"It's going really well, Ms. Hall. How are you doing?" Josh replied, wrapping an arm around my shoulder. 
"Oh, it's going fine, dear. It's a beautiful wedding, isn't it?" she replied, sitting down and looking around the room. 
"It is, Mom."
She nodded. "The next wedding that I'll be going to is yours."
I was in shock, but Josh replied. "We won't make you wait too long." 
She stood up, patting the hand that Josh had on my shoulder. "I hope not, dear." Before I could even think about what had happened, she walked away, heading back to her table with Addison's parents.
"Um, what just happened?" I asked.
Josh shrugged. "Don't worry about it." 

I let myself enjoy the rest of the reception, cheering loudly as we sent Bryce and Addison off on their honeymoon. Exhausted, I let Josh carry me to the car. He set me in the passenger seat, but he didn't shut the door, and instead, stood outside of the car nervously.
"What are you doing?" I asked, completely lost. 
Josh sighed. "Trying to muster up some courage. Can you hold on a second?" I wasn't any less confused, but I shut my mouth and let him stand there. "Bailey," he murmured breathlessly, not appearing to be any less nervous.
"Yes?"
"I've waited to do this. I've wanted to since probably the first time that I met you. Two years ago, we made the best decision and started dating."
He paused, and I interrupted. "We have been together for two years. That's crazy."
"What's crazy is how I feel about you. You are the only thing that keeps me going, Bailey, and I never, ever want to let you go." As he got down on one knee, it finally clicked what he was doing. "Will you make me the happiest man alive, Bailey Marie, and marry me?"
Tears filled my eyes as I whispered the only word that I could think of. "Yes."