4
"And one, two, tree, four."
Maisy counted the beat out loud as she practiced her stretches she learned at class and from Sawyer.
"Do we have to do this? I'm not a four year old girl." Miles tried to follow along with Maisy, but tripped over his own foot as he attempted it.
Amber continued with Maisy though, looking amazingly graceful compared to her boyfriend.
"Boys can do ballet too, Miles." Amber adjusted her feet as Maisy counted to the next step and moved her feet into second position.
"Only if they want to." He had somehow gotten roped into doing this with them, and he had no idea how.
"I'm sorry darling, is stretching slightly hurting your ego?" Amber said it in a mocking-housewife kind of voice as she smirked at him, still practicing with Maisy.
Miles didn't have a comeback so he just kind of scrunched his nose at her.
"Are you guys ready to go?" Beau came in with his phone slightly away from his mouth, but near his ear-meaning he's on a phone call.
"Almost Beauy, do you wanna do stretches with us?" Maisy sounded hopeful, she's gotten Beau to do some stretches with her once-but he did not like stretching. Beau isn't that flexible.
"Not right now honey, maybe later. Have you guys seen Eric?" Beau was in his suit, with a navy tie that Maisy picked out for him earlier.
They're going to a wedding today, to be more specific-Beau's old friend Tyler is getting married to a woman named Lauren.
They were all invited, so now Beau's trying to round everyone up. Maisy's already dressed, in her flowy purple dress.
Cassidy was finishing getting ready in her room with Sawyer, putting in earrings and grabbing the right shoes before they leave.
"We haven't seen him, did you check his room?" Miles stood up, completely giving up on Maisy's techniques.
Beau hung up the phone, and shook his head. "He wasn't in there, but we've gotta go so will you find him?"
Beau's the best man because Tyler and him used to be good friends in high school and early college, and apparently Tyler doesn't have the best relationship with his brothers.
Beau left the room before they could say anything else, and Maisy loudly sighed before standing up straight-giving up on practicing for right now.
"You're very dramatic Mi-mi." Maisy gave him a quick nickname as she walked out of the room with Teddy in her arms, he's wearing one of Beau's ties.
Amber smirked at Miles before following Maisy out. "Yeah, Mi-mi."
•. •. •.
At the reception, the family found their way mostly together again.
"This is my sister, Maisy. Mais, this is Tyler." Tyler smiled at Maisy and knelt down so he was at her level, holding out his hand for her to shake.
"Hey Maisy, it's nice to meet you." Tyler gave Maisy a warm smile, and she looked back at Beau getting a little shy.
"Go on."
Beau encouraged her to say hi, knowing that as soon as she warms up to him she'll be back to her normal chatty self.
"Hi." Maisy grabbed Tyler's hand and he pretended to be hurt. "Oof, that's a firm handshake little girl. If you were in the business world I'd just have to offer you a job."
Maisy giggled and glanced at Tyler's suit, he was wearing a boutonnière with a piece of lavender attached to it.
After Tyler and Maisy were introduced, Beau and Tyler started talking again, leaving her bored of their long grownup talks.
Sawyer and Cassidy went to hit the open bar, Miles and Amber went for a quick walk around the building before they ate and danced.
Eric went to go find their table, leaving Beau with Maisy.
Eventually, the conversation got so boring to Maisy, that she started to twirl around to make her dress floof out around her.
Her dress was a nice light purple, and she felt pure joy when she saw it spread out in a little cone around her.
Maisy couldn't help but spin a little faster and change directions so the twirl would twist. She got so carried away, that she twirled backwards and went crashing into a little boy.
"Ow!"
Maisy got off the little boy and brushed off her dress, he looked about her age. He was wearing a small suit with a boutonnière that matched Tyler's earlier.
"M' sorry, I didn't mean to." Maisy tried to sound as genuine as possible, she's used to giving fake apologies for something that she did to her brothers, but this time it was an accident.
"It's okay, are you alright?" The boy looked her up and down with pure concern in his face, thinking that he hurt her-even though she ran into him.
"I'm okay, are you?" Maisy looked up from her dress and back at the boy, but couldn't take her eye off his little flower he got to wear.
"Yeah, I'm okay...My name's Henry." Henry smoothed out his suit, being careful not to wreck the delicate little purple flower.
"I'm Maisy-"
Maisy was about to say more but Beau grabbed her hand and started to lead her away. "Bye Henry!"
She called out to him as Beau dragged her away and over to their table. "Hurry up Mais, we've gotta sit down and eat now."
•. •. •.
Eric checked the small card on the plate to make sure it was the right name, none of the rest of his family wanted to find the table first.
As he sat, a girl came over and sat in a chair across from him.
"...Hello?"
The girl looked up and then checked the card before laughing. "Sorry, my tables one over. I'm Alyssa, not...Cassidy."
She read the little card on it before getting up. "Wait, I'm Eric."
She seemed nice enough, she had on a shorter dusty rose dress, and long curled black hair.
"Can I sit?"
She gestured to the empty chair directly next to Eric, what's supposed to be Beau's seat.
"Of course."
•. •. •.
"Alright Maisy, you're gonna have chicken tenders okay?" Maisy nodded and walked alongside Beau.
They had to leave Teddy in her bag so he didn't get lost, she was allowed to have him during the ceremony, but after that back in the bag he went.
As they approached the table though, they saw a girl leaving. Alyssa.
"Who was that?" Beau offered Eric a small smile as he lifted Maisy up onto the chair beside him.
"Who was who?" The rest of them gathered to the table as the time to eat came, and they all sat around wondering who Beau was asking about.
"That was Alyssa."
Maisy made a little 'Oooh' noise like the child she is, the sad part was that Miles did it at the same time as her. The four year old. And the twenty three year old.
"Eric has a girlfrienddd." Maisy sang out as she chomped into a breadstick. Eric rolled his eyes and ignored them, but they weren't done teasing him.
"Ooh Maisy, I bet they kissed." Miles smirked at Eric, getting back at him for wearing his dress shoes.
"Shush, foods here!"
Beau stopped them before the could make fun of Eric anymore.
•. •. •.
"You wanna dance Soy Sauce?"
Cassidy held her hand out to Sawyer, nodding towards the dance floor.
They had finished eating dinner, and the cake that came after it. After some heart felt speeches, and the first dance, it's all party now. Mostly on the dance floor.
"Hell's yeah, Casserole."
Cassidy and Sawyer linked their hands and started to dance over to the dance floor. Eric was already out there with Alyssa, and Miles was out there with Amber.
Leaving Beau and Maisy still at the table. Beau was finishing the last pieces of his cake, Maisy had already finished hers but sat swinging her legs wishing Adeline and Brynlee were here.
"Excuse me."
Maisy and Beau turned at the sound of a small voice, and saw little Henry standing there with his hands behind his back.
"Would you care to dance?" Beau raised his eyebrows at Henry, but Maisy smiled and bobbed her head as she slid off the chair.
When she was on the ground, Henry handed her a small piece of lavender, the one from his boutonnière.
They danced for a while after that, twirling around and jumping over in the corner of the dance floor.
"What the hell is that?" Miles and Amber sat back down at the table with champagne in their hands.
Beau nodded towards Maisy, giggling and having the time of her life. "That's Maisy dancing with Henry. The ring bearer."
Miles narrowed his eyes at the little boy. "If that wasn't my sister I would respect that little dude so hard."
Amber rolled her eyes at him before whispering something in his ear and nodding at the extra pieces of cake.
As they ran off to go eat more cake, Beau smiled at their little family. The songs switched to a slower loving vibe, and he could see each of his siblings having their romantic moments.
Cassidy and Sawyer slow dancing with their foreheads pressed together, Maisy and Henry having their first slow dance, and Amber and Miles messily feeding each other cake with huge grins.
What a life.
____________________________
Finally came up with an idea for a chapter
[EDIT: This isn't the last chapter! Sorry for any confusion]
I'm also writing a new book, so that's a whole thing.
Stay safe, thanks for reading!
💛