Page 51 of Brenna, Brat

Campbell put his head back down, and I saw his shoulders shake. Good, he was laughing.

“It was a lucky thing that I walked into the Alecta Alberne Gallery in January,” he said after a while.

“Yes, because if you’d waited much longer, it would have burned down and you couldn’t have gotten the present for your sister.”

He shook his head. “It was a lucky thing that I went in there and met you.”

“Really?”

“Some people run when there’s trouble, but you stuck around. In fact, you ran right to me,” he said. “You ran and pulled me out of the fire.”

“Well, we all had to get away from there.”

“You didn’t think twice. You never did—you never doubted me, and I needed that.”

“We’re friends,” I summarized, and he nodded.

Good. Good, I was glad, I told myself. I was glad that I’d decided to become indispensable, and I had enjoyed every second of that process. Along the way, it had turned into less of a “plan,” though, and more of…well, I needed this, too. And I wanted Campbell to be ok for real, not for any purposes of my own, but just because he deserved it.

“It doesn’t hurt me, either,” I pointed out. “I don’t mind you at all.”

He started to laugh again, and so did I.

Chapter 11

We all stood back and looked, and honestly, the sight was awe-inspiring.

“Well?” Juliet asked us. “Why isn’t anyone saying anything? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Nicola answered her. “You’re just…”

“You’re stunning,” Grace said, and we all nodded.

JuJu’s face lost its cast of anxiety. “Really?”

“Holy Mary, Juliet, yes,” Patrick told her. “I don’t know much about dresses, but that’s a good one.”

“No, it’s not the dress,” I said. “It’s you.”

“Thank you. You guys look great, too,” she told us. “So beautiful. And handsome,” she added to our brother. He did look nice in the suit I’d forced him into, along with the tie that coordinated with our bridesmaid gowns. Since we’d had a few issues with fit at Addie’s wedding (and a lot of complaints from Nicola about that), I’d been very careful to make sure thateveryone’s dress was exactly right. I’d been very careful to chose styles that suited them best…what was she doing?

“Grace, so help me, if you get peanut butter on yourself before the ceremony, I’ll kill you,” I told her, and she put down the jar.

We were all in Juliet and Beckett’s big bedroom in their big house, and the big tent outside was full of guests waiting for the ceremony. It was beautiful this afternoon, perfect weather for it. After they’d said their vows, we’d all go inside where the ballroom was decorated to be equally perfect for the reception. I had checked everything again and again, then again, just to make sure.

“I want to say a few words to my daughter,” our mother started to announce, and the atmosphere immediately tensed. But then Patrick stepped up to do his job: today he would prevent her behavior from going off the rails. He was on it until Juliet and Beckett took off in his grandfather’s Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud to stay at a hotel for the night, after which they would head to the airport the next morning. Both of them would temporarily block her until their return from their honeymoon.

“Mom, will you come downstairs with me?” my brother spoke up now. “I don’t remember where we’re supposed to stand and I’m nervous about it. I need your help.”

She beamed at him. “Of course, honey! Let’s go.” Without another look at the bride, she took his hand to lead him away. It had never been much of a secret that Patrick was her favorite, and as annoying as that was, it was sometimes amazing when we could use it to our advantage. I remembered sending himinto the kitchen to run interference when I’d come home drunk from a party, one of my first experiences with a failed date, and my mom hadn’t even noticed when I’d puked on the staircase. Nicola had helped me clean it up, and she’d been the one to yell at me. I should have worried more about distracting her.

And speaking of puking and of dates, I went to the window to look for signs that something was going wrong outside, and I looked for specific guests, too. But I didn’t see any problem that would make me vomit and I also didn’t see a particular person. I hadn’t seen him today at all, but he’d been texting a lot of encouragement, and when he’d arrived at this house, he’d written that he was amazed at what I’d done. “Holy shit, it’s incredible,” he’d said, and I looked at that message again. It would have been even better to hear his voice telling me that it was ok, and I could do it.

“Brenna, sit down and let me do your makeup,” Addie ordered, and I touched my face and realized that I’d forgotten that because I’d been busy supervising and scrutinizing everyone else’s. She and Nicola both started working on me as fast as they could, and as they were finishing, there was a knock on the bedroom door.

“Holy Mary,” our dad said when he opened it. His eyes were on Juliet, and she smiled back at him. “You’re a beautiful bride, JuJu. It’s time for pictures. Are you ready to go down?”

“I’m ready,” she said firmly.

---