Cyrus' POV
Seeing TJ now gives me flashbacks to the first time I saw him in a suit. That was my thirteenth birthday, and I hardly spoke to him. I was too nervous. I remember feeling my breath catch in my chest for a moment when I saw him come up to me, and my pulse started racing. Back then, I thought there was no chance that he'd ever look at me the way I looked at him.
Now, 12 years later, he still makes my heart go wild, but now he's wearing a smoke grey suit with a tie I got him back when we were in post-secondary. He looks different but the same. A few strands of his blonde hair fall over his forehead, for he stopped gelling his hair back. His jaw is more defined, but his smile is still the same. And his eyes, by far my favorite part, still look at me with a certain softness only reserved for me, the way they did when we were thirteen.
Tonight, his vulnerable gaze is tinted with the excitement we both feel. The past twelve years have been anything but smooth, but everything that happened before, none of that even matters anymore, because we're hear now, listing to a classic rock song of TJ's choice, while our friends dance around us. My mom and step-dad have been up on their feet since the first song, and they show no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
TJ's sister is what breaks me out of my thoughts as she approaches TJ and I, pulling her girlfriend, Andi along by the hand. They're both dressed up formally, Amber in a puffy, pink cocktail dress, and Andi in a much simpler, yellow bodycon dress. Andi had told me that the two of them went out shopping the day TJ and I sent out the invitations.
"The food was fantastic," Amber tells her brother.
"And the cake: amazing," Andi agrees.
"The baby taters were a good choice," Amber says with a grin.
"It wouldn't be my wedding if there weren't baby taters," I respond.
TJ catches my eye with his and smiles, as though he'd forgotten why we were here and is happy to be reminded.
Behind the girls, I notice Buffy and Marty winding through the dancing people to get to us. They, too, are dressed up for the occasion, Buffy in a purple A-line dress, and Marty in a suit with a white bow tie. Right when they're almost where we are, Marty and Buffy get distracted by Marty's ringing cell phone, and Marty leaves to take the call while Buffy continues the rest of the way to us.
"Sorry about that," Buffy apologizes. "I feel like he's been on the phone all night, but his sister keeps calling. We were coming to tell yiu that your first dance was adorable."
"Thanks," I respond, blushing a little. "And don't worry about the phone calls. I know babysitting can be stressful sometimes."
"Marty's sister just worries so much," Buffy explains. "She calls for every little thing. Last week, she called us because she wasn't sure which lullaby to sing to Sabrina before bed."
Sabrina is their daughter and both Buffy's and Marty's first brush with the whole parenting thing. While pregnant, Buffy had been reading so many parenting books that she's now able to spew any and every theory on how to raise a kid. Marty, on the other hand, spent the nine months deciding which sports he was going to put her in once she becomes old enough to walk. At the moment, he's deciding between lacrosse, hockey and soccer.
"Well, if you ever need a babysitter, Cyrus and I would be happy to watch her every once in a while," TJ offers.
"Yeah," I agree.
"I might take you up on that," Buffy says.
Looking around at my circle of friends with me, I realize one is missing.
"Where's Jonah?" I ask to whoever knows.
"I saw him with Walker at the dessert table not long ago," Amber replies.
I take a step to the right to get a clear view of where Jonah and Walker still are, laughing and chatting together by the table of treats.
"I think I'm gonna head over there, too," Amber continues. "I haven't had any dessert yet. You guys want anything?"
Both TJ and I shake our heads, but Andi nods, replying, "I'll come with you."
As they leave, that's when Marty returns from his phone conversation.
"Is everything okay with Sabrina?" Buffy asks.
Marty nods. "Yeah. Abby just couldn't get her to stop crying, so I talked her through it."
Abby, Marty's sister, is fifteen and awfully inexperienced when it comes to taking care of kids. Marty's told me how she refused to babysit when she became old enough to, even when asked by the neighbours. She's only now babysitting because it's her niece, and she figured she could use the extra cash, but that definitely doesn't mean she's confident in her childcare skills.
All of a sudden, the song playing comes to an end, and the next one starts up. It's a slow song, one I recognize right away, and it was also our second choice for a first dance song: "All I Want Is You" by U2. It didn't take the top spot, but, for bringing back memories of dancing in the middle of the moonlit park after our high school graduation ceremony, it holds a special place in my heart.
Naturally, anyone who has a partner pairs off, while the single people and kids either leave the dance floor or find friends to sway to the beat with. TJ turns to me and holds out his hand, which I take simply on impulse, knowing that my hand is significantly better when it is interlinked with his. He then pulls me in, and my arms find their place on his shoulders, and his on my waist. TJ's eyes are on me, giving me butterflies the way they did when TJ first held my hand at Andi's party so long ago.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see all four of my parents watching me with my husband, smiles on their faces. Sometimes I forget how lucky I am to have parents like them, and having them here at my wedding is a blessing that not everyone is so lucky to have.
"TJ," I say as we rock slowly from side to side, "are you sad that your parents aren't here?"
He considers this for a moment before responding, "No. My parents haven't cared about me since Amber and I left when I was 17. I don't need people like that in my life."
"I care about you," I tell him as though those words have any ability to heal the hurt I know is burnt into him permanently.
"I know," he says. "That's why I married you."
He smiles and locks me in tighter against him. Then he brings his lips down to mine and kisses me softly, sending chills throughout my body. It's more intimate than kissing him in front of an audience after saying our vows. Even though I know people are still watching us now, it feels less like a show for the crowd and more like a game for just the two of us and nobody else.
When our lips part, I recall something that I thought about a lot leading up to today, but it hadn't crossed my mind during the wedding until this moment.
"Now I get to get my name changed on all my IDs," I say.
"I almost forgot about that," TJ responds. "You're not Cyrus Goodman anymore."
"Nope," I say. "It's Cyrus Kippen now."
TJ smiles so wide that his gums are showing. Neither of us seem to be very good at holding back the joy we're feeling, for I, too, am grinning uncontrollably.
"I think that name suits you perfectly," TJ tells me.
"So do I," I agree.
A/N: Hello! I just wanted to give y'all a sneak peak of my next book. I won't continue writing it until I'm finished with Last Names, though, so yeah. This is just to hype you guys up. I love y'all! Have a good day! I hope y'all stay safe climate striking tomorrow and have fun!