Grayson said a bad word.
"We don't have time to go back, we're staying over twenty minutes away," I fretted.
"What, so they just have no wedding rings?" he asked, his own face now a pale shade.
I clamped my hands to my head. "I don't know!" I whispered. "There's got to a replacement."
"A replacement?"
"Yeah. But no one just has two nice rings lying around," I bemoaned. "Nina and Kylie aren't ring types of girls, I don't wear any, and as cool as Tay is, I doubt he wears any. Nevermind two of them."
Grayson was quiet for a long time before saying, "I...have two rings."
I frowned. He'd never worn rings when we'd been married. It would've seemed unprofessional. Yet he slipped a hand into the inside of his jacket and pulled out a small satin pouch. My eyes went wide as he poured the contents into his palm.
Our matching rose wedding rings.
"You...kept them," I said carefully. I'd given Grayson back my wedding ring in the divorce, since he had been the one to pay for it.
"Yes," he said, not meeting my eyes.
"And you brought them to a wedding on the other side of the continent," I added.
He cringed further. "Yeah...I sort of bring them with me a lot?" It sounded more like a question than a statement.
I sighed. "You realize this is horrible bad luck for their wedding, right?"
"Do we have any other options?" he countered weakly.
Unfortunately, we didn't. Gosh, we were a horrible best man and maid of honor. I nodded grimly, saying, "I'll let Kylie know I screwed up."
"You didn't screw up. You've been running around all day trying to make things perfect. I mean, you just drove in from Arlington this morning. No one can blame you for forgetting one thing," Grayson said gently.
Kindness from him still didn't feel quite right. So I mumbled my gratitude and rushed back to the room, knocking.
"Go!" Kylie called. "You and Grayson are up first, we're running behind."
"Are you sure? You're ready?" I asked doubtfully.
"Mostly!" Nina yelled. "Promise we'll be on time!"
I shook my head, hoping they were telling the truth and not just trying to reassure me that things were okay. I joined Grayson and Tay on the back deck. Clay was already down by the water, looking anxious even from a hundred feet away. He looked very handsome, dressed in crisp pants and a black vest, his bare arms tucked behind his back.
"Kylie said that we're going ahead," I told Grayson quietly, looking out at the small crowd of guests. "Tay, you're going to wait for Nina. She should be here any second."
"I am wonderful at waiting," he confirmed.
Grayson, forever a true gentleman, offered me his arm. I took it with a dry mouth, trying not to feel so dizzy. If I fell in the ocean and drowned on my best friend's wedding day...
I focused on my bare feet in the sand as we walked, trying not to look directly down. Once upon a time, Grayson and I had walked together arm in arm, best of companions and most caring of friends. Now it was like being attached to a stranger. Like being put together with gift wrap tape instead of being linked by an iron chain.
For music, Kylie and Clay had chosen a musician friend of Clay's to play piano for the ceremony. It sounded lovely, a tinkling melody blending into the crash of the ocean waves. I tried following the tune, but I was too out of it to really focus.
Grayson escorted me to my place under the crystal archway before walking over to Clay. They hugged, Grayson holding on tight for an extra moment. I couldn't imagine what it was like to see your little brother get married. They were especially close; Grayson had practically raised him. For a moment, my eyes watered, unable to handle the emotional moment. Grayson whispered something in his brother's ear, which made Clay nod firmly as Grayson stepped back.
Nina and Tay walked out together, both of them grinning. That is, Nina grinned until she reached Clay, at which point she narrowed her eyes at him in a silent death threat. He nodded, entirely aware of the mutual agreement they had that he would take care of Kylie in exchange for not dying. It was a very fair agreement.
"How is Kylie?" I murmured.
"She looks amazing," Nina promised. "Look, there."
I looked at the end of the aisle, my heart swelling. That was my best friend. The girl I'd known for so long that she felt like family. It was Kylie in every way, yet not Kylie at all. She looked beautiful, literally sparkling in the glow of the setting sun. Her gown was perfect, a short white dress covered in iridescent, plastic butterflies that moved with her, fluttering. That's when I realized that Clay hadn't known what her dress looked like when he'd given her the butterfly anklet. He'd just given it to her because...
She gives him butterflies.
And her dress...
He gives her butterflies.
Oh my gosh.
Soulmates.