Page 95 of Big Stick Energy
“Maribel,” he begins, his voice steadier than I expected. “Before I met you, I had a poor idea of what love looked like. I thought it was supposed to be dramatic and all-consuming and possibly destructive.”
Oh.So Theohasbeen paying attention.
Theo glances at his notes, then back up at her. “But you taught me that real love is quiet mornings and shared values and someone who sees all your flaws and chooses to stay anyway. It isn’t about finding someone to complete you—it’s about finding someone who makes you want to be the best version of yourself.”
Beside me, Eric slips his hand into mine and squeezes.
My eyes get suddenly hot, and I force myself to swallow. Eric’s thumb caresses my palm, and I realize a huge flaw with this silly little plan. The problem with attending a family wedding with Eric Tremaine is that I actually have to sit through a family wedding with Eric Tremaine. My ideal man. While I bleed loneliness and confusion from every pore.
Then my brother’s voice cracks slightly. “I know you’ve been in love before, but I haven’t. Thank you for teaching me how it’s done. I’m honored to be the one who gets to hold your handwhen you’re scared, and celebrate with you when you’re happy, and build something new and wonderful with you.”
He folds the paper carefully. “I promise to love you exactly as you are and to grow old with you. I promise to always put hot sauce on your eggs the way you like them and to never judge you for crying at dog videos.”
Maribel laughs through her tears, and half the chapel chuckles with her.
“Most of all, I promise to never take your choice for granted. Out of all the possibilities in the world, you picked me to love. That’s the greatest gift I’ve ever received, and I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to be worthy of it.”
Oh, Theo.I hope you really do.
After the wedding, there’s a swirl of photographs. Eric and I wait dutifully on the sidelines until we’re each summoned for shots of the extended family. I watch the photographer compose a shot of Maribel with the three Tremaines, and all of them smile warmly when asked to saycheese.
No migraine for Eric today, seeing as his family is behaving. I’m counting it as a win.
And then there’s a Randolph picture, too. My father and his wife are at the center, their arms around their twins. And me on the fringes, like always.
After that, I end up standing beside my father while they compose a shot of Theo and his mother together, with Kandi straightening his bow tie.
“Is the pageantry wearing thin, or is it just me?” my father whispers. “I hope they’re feeding us soon.”
“I’m pretty sure they will,” I whisper back. “But I nibbled on the Diamond Member snacks as a fail-safe. Marcona almonds today. I always enjoy those.”
He grins at me. “I’m glad you take advantage of the Diamond Member perks. Just keep that to yourself. You’re the only one I’m willing to break the rules for.”
I play that sentence back in my head, not quite understanding. “What do you mean?”
“The Diamond thing,” he says, watching the photographer work. “Every year I go in and upgrade your account manually, or else it would knock you back a few tiers.”
I blink. “Wait, you do that?”
He turns to me with a look of confusion. “Of course. You’d need more hotel stays than Taylor Swift to hit Diamond otherwise. You won’t take actual cash from me, so this is just me trying to spoil you a little, when you let me.”
I lean against the chapel building, stunned. “I… I appreciate it.” Honestly, the concept of my father even remembering to do this for me once a year is sort of a shocker.
“Your college fund is also still sitting there, by the way,” he says, even as I’m trying to process our conversation. “Just earning interest.”
“My… college fund?”
“Yeah, it’s in savings bonds,” he repeats, “for the tax savings. But it’s just waiting there. Maybe you’ll end up using it to buy a house or something.”
Now I’m reeling. “Dad, I didn’t know. It’s just sitting there?”
“Of course.” He turns to me. “We both know your mother’s opinion about taking money from me. But you’re still my daughter. Every child support payment went into the trust. And thenyour tuition money. The statements might still go to your mother’s address, now that I think about it. But the entire trust fund is legally yours and unrestricted at this point.”
“Both of Theo’s parents now!” calls the photographer.
My father squeezes my shoulder and walks off to have his photo taken once again. And I watch him go, feeling deeply confused.
“You okay?” Eric asks, appearing at my shoulder. “I only heard part of that, but it sounded intense.”
