Just as I thought it would, time flies.
Mia and Thorne's wedding approaches faster with every day that passes, and it's time for the rehearsal dinner before I know it. I get ready for the event at my father's house, as my family has been invited to the wedding, and I'm a groomsman as well.
Unfortunately, the rehearsal requires wearing formal attire. In other words, I'm sticking having to wear a suit. I study my reflection in the mirror as I linger in my old room, frowning at myself as I tug on the collar of my dress shirt.
I adjust the cuffs of my sleeves before adding the cufflinks, then I reach for the tie that hangs over the back of my desk chair. I stand in front of the mirror for what feels like eternity trying to tie the damn thing, which proves to be near impossible. I give up after a few minutes, frustrated.
I sigh as I grab my suit jacket, exiting my room to join my family downstairs. Bounding down the steps, I enter the living room to find Charlotte sitting on the rug, dressed upon a frilly pink dress, a matching headband holding back her blond hair.
"Look at you!" I exclaim as I scoop Charlotte into my arms, careful not to wrinkle her dress as I tickle her sides, smiling as she giggles.
"No-no!" Charlotte squeals in delight, cracking me up as she struggles to say my name. No-no has become my official nickname around the house, as Charlotte struggles to say "Noah".
"I had to run upstairs for a moment," Caroline tells me as she enters the room, an earring dangling in her hand as she raises it to her ear. Sheepishly, she admits, "I was only wearing one earring."
I can't help but laugh at Caroline's tendency to be scatterbrained. I set Charlotte back down and she immediately takes to entertaining herself by untying my shoelaces. Caroline approaches me with a knowing smile tugging at her red-painted lips, eyeing my undone tie.
"You look handsome," Caroline says as she takes the ends of my tie in her hands without having to be asked, somehow managing to perfect the knot on the first try.
"Thank you," I tell her. "And thanks for fixing the tie too."
"You're a lot more similar to your father than you first thought you were," Caroline teases. "Reed men have no idea what to do with ties."
"I don't know," Dad argues as he enters the room after descending the stairs, "I think I did pretty good this time."
I have to hold back my laughter as I glance at my father's messy tie. Caroline unashamedly cracks up as she wanders over to my father to fix the monstrosity.
"Thanks, Care," Dad murmurs. He kisses her cheek gratefully.
Caroline smiles as she bends over to grab Charlotte, who quickly amuses herself by tugging on the straps of Caroline's blue dress. Caroline, distracted by trying to remove Charlotte's pudgy hands from her dress straps, turns to my father and I to ask, "Shall we go?"
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a/n: idk but i love updating so much. noah and blake are hands-down my favorite characters i have ever created.