Total pages in book: 134
Estimated words: 132464 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 662(@200wpm)___ 530(@250wpm)___ 442(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 132464 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 662(@200wpm)___ 530(@250wpm)___ 442(@300wpm)
Well, I see Henn and Hannah in the third row, sitting with their hands clasped tightly together. And there’s Uncle William’s longtime housekeeper (and longtime lover?), Katya, sitting next to my uncle’s vacant chair. I see a handful of familiar faces from Faraday & Sons—the CFO, Jonas’ assistant and her husband, a few people on Jonas’ team. There’s Sarah’s mom Gloria in the front row wearing a corsage and Jonas’ friend Georgia with her boyfriend and son Trey, all of whom I met last night at the rehearsal dinner.
My eyes lock onto T-Rod in the back, standing in front of a mammoth wall of white flowers, talking to a woman in black holding a clipboard. I smile to myself. Six years ago, when I decided to dive headfirst into launching the L.A. branch of Faraday & Sons, I hired Theresa through a temp agency, thinking I was gonna need someone a few hours a week (at most) to organize my life and possibly run a few errands for me. I never in a million years thought, six years later, Theresa would be my faithful ‘woman behind the curtain’ for the Wise and Powerful Oz.
Holy shit. There’s Miss Westbrook—Mrs. Santorini now—sitting with three kids, including a teenage boy who must be her son Jonas, the one she named after my brother. I smile to myself. Sarah Fucking Cruz is a force to be reckoned with, I swear to God. Apparently, she’s hell-bent on “healing” my brother’s tattered soul, through any means (and people) necessary, God love her.
My eyes continue drifting over the faces in the crowd and finally lock onto Kat’s parents, seated in the farthest row. Kat’s mom is in the process of whispering something into her husband’s ear and he’s smiling and nodding. Man, they’re a handsome couple. Especially Kat’s mom. Damn. She’s a knockout, even at fifty-something, especially in that sparkling gold dress. Holy shit, it blows me away how much Kat looks like her mother. It’s like Louise is a crystal ball, showing me exactly what her hot twenty-something-year-old daughter’s gonna look like thirty years from now: a hot fifty-something-year-old.
As I’m spying on her, Louise rests her cheek lovingly on her husband’s shoulder—the exact same move Kat always uses on me—and all of a sudden, I feel the world warp and buckle around me, like I’ve slipped through a gap in the space-time-continuum. Suddenly, I’m no longer looking at Kat’s parents awaiting Jonas and Sarah’s wedding, I’m seeing Kat and me, awaiting our son or daughter’s wedding, thirty years from now.
Whoa.
I quickly shut the door, my heart pounding in my ears, and turn around.
Uncle William’s just finishing tying the knot on Jonas’ tie.
“There we go,” he says, patting Jonas’ chest. He grabs Jonas’ shoulders and turns him toward me like he’s a preschooler on picture day. “I used a Windsor knot the second time. Does that meet with your approval, Master Joshua?”
I survey my brother from head to toe. “Yeah, he looks absolutely perfect now. Good job.”
Jonas beams a huge smile at me. “I’m right here—you can compliment me directly.”
“You look absolutely perfect, Jonas.”
“Thank you.”
“I’m gonna take my seat now,” Uncle William says. He hugs Jonas and pats him on the cheek. “I’m happy for you, son. Sarah’s a great girl. Be good to her.”
“I will. Always.”
“I know you will. You’re an exceptionally kind-hearted person, Jonas. Always have been.” He pats the side of Jonas’ neck. “She’s a lucky girl.”
“I’m the lucky one.”
“Be happy, Jonas,” Uncle William says softly, emotion warping his voice. “That’s all I’ve ever wished for you, son.” His voice cracks.
Jonas swallows hard. “I will be. I already am.”
The emotion on Uncle William’s face is making my eyes water—I’ve never seen him look quite like this before.
Uncle William turns to go.
“Hey, Uncle William?” Jonas says.
Uncle William stops and turns around.
“Thank you for letting Sarah wear Sadie’s necklace. It means a lot to me that you did that for her. Sarah was absolutely thrilled. Thank you.”
“Oh, I’m glad you mentioned that,” Uncle William says. “When I gave the necklace to Sarah last night, she seemed so excited to make it both her ‘something old’ and her ‘something borrowed’ for the big day, I didn’t have the heart to tell her I was giving her the necklace and not just loaning it to her.” He chuckles. “I figured I’d tell her after the ceremony. So when I drink way too much Scotch at the reception and forget to tell Sarah the necklace is hers, will you make sure to tell her for me?”
“Oh, wow,” Jonas says. He looks at me, astonished—but since I’ve never seen the necklace they’re talking about, I can’t return his expression. “Sarah’s gonna be shocked as hell. Are you sure? She’s not expecting that at all.”
“Of course. It’s my wedding gift to Sarah—my way of welcoming her into our family.” He looks wistful. “Sarah reminds me of Sadie, you know. Same spirit. Sadie would have been thrilled to know her favorite necklace will be worn again, especially by someone as beautiful as Sarah, rather than sitting and collecting dust in a vault for another thirty years.”