Page 1 of More For Me

Bodhi

“Ithink this might be the happiest day of my life.”

My best friend doesn’t even pretend like he’s not rolling his eyes. “You do know that it’smywedding day, right?” he asks, fiddling with a cufflink.

“Yes, Leo. Since I planned the majority of this event, I think it’s safe to say I know it’s your wedding day.”

He shoots me a familiar look—the kind that tells me he thinks I’m being ridiculous. It’s pretty much his go-to expression when it comes to me. “Maybe you should save the happiest day of your life bullshit for your own wedding, Bodhi.”

I roll my eyes. “It’s the happiest day of my lifeso far.” I know that Leo thinks I’m exaggerating, and I don’t blame him. I can admit that exaggeration is one of my most reliable personality traits. But I’m really not overstating things when I tell him how happy I am right now. My best friend is marrying the perfect girl for him—why wouldn’t I be thrilled?

“Oh my God,” he mutters. “Please tell me you aren’t going to start crying.”

Again, fair assumption. I’m the type of guy who cries on occasion and I’m man enough not to apologize for it. And if ever there were a time for waterworks, it would be now.

“I just can’t believe this is actually happening! I never in a million years would have thought you’d get a girl like Rose Ransome to marry you. I mean, Leo.” I fix him with a look. “She’sincrediblyout of your league.”

“I appreciate your support,” he says drily. “Isn’t the best man supposed to say nice shit about me on my wedding day?” He throws his hand up, scowling. “What the hell is wrong with this damn thing?”

I grab his wrist and get the cufflink into place. His scowl deepens. “I don’t know why I need to wear these anyhow,” he grumbles. “Why aren’t there just normal buttons?”

“Because it’s classier this way,” I tell him, getting the other cufflink set. “Stop bitching—this suit is Armani and it’s amazing.” I turn his shoulders to face the mirror, standing next to him to see our images reflected back. We really couldn’t look less alike. Leo is tall, with sandy brown hair and a broad chest. My height doesn’t quite match his, my stature leaner. And my coloring is darker, with my brown skin and black hair.

One thing we do have in common—we’re killing these suits. “Look at us, man. We are two good looking bastards.”

“That’s the first nice thing you’ve said to me all day.”

I turn away from the mirror so I can straighten his tie. “All I’m saying is, this day would have seemed impossible a few years ago.”

He shakes his head, expression softening. “You have a point there.”

“I mean, before you met Rose you were completely closed off. Emotionally stunted. Kind of an asshole, really.”

Leo stares at me, like he’s trying to decide whether to laugh or punch me. He goes with laughter, just like I knew he would.

“You’re a dick,” he says.

“But I’m not wrong.”

“You’re not entirely wrong, no.” He gets that look on his face, the one that only comes out for Rose Ransome. “She made everything different.”

I push his chest. “You tell me not to cry and then you say shit like that!”

I’m giving him a hard time, but there’s a lot of truth to his words. Leo has been my best friend since our first day of freshman year—not that he would have agreed with the characterization offriendsat the time. He was under the misapprehension that if he was a jerk to me, I’d back off.

Clearly, he didn’t have any experience with my particular brand of tenacity. It was painfully obvious from that first meeting that the guy needed a friend. Lucky for him, I just so happen to be an amazing friend.

Leo Malone was a moody bastard when I got my hands on him. To the casual observer, it might seem like I haven’t made much improvement since then, but I can guarantee that he’s way more chill than he used to be. I take full credit for that.

Well, maybe seventy-five percent of the credit. Rose did help to soften him up at the end there. But I like to think he wouldn’t have been ready to open himself up to that kind of relationship without the years I’d put into making him a functioning human with a modicum of emotions.

“How’s she doing, anyhow?” he asks, turning back to the mirror and adjusting his already straight tie. He’s nervous. He might be hiding it behind a mask of grumpy stoicism, but I know him too well.

“Good. She was surrounded by cousins and aunts the last time I went in there.”

He grins. Unlike Leo, Rose has a huge family, and it seems like every Ransome in the state wanted to be in the room to see her put on her wedding dress. The party going on in the bridal suite puts our little two-man gathering to shame.

“And everything else is handled?” he asks, messing with the tie some more. “The caterer is getting set up? Flowers taken care of?”