Page 117 of Love or Leave

Ethan laughed along with the room and shook his head. "See what I've been dealing with?"

Everyone laughed again.

"This is how I know he's going to be the best dad a kid could ask for. He's been telling dad jokes since he was seven."

The vibe shifted in the room and the laughter melted into emotional aww's. Ethan looked at his parents and sister at the table across the room. His mom dabbed her eyes with her napkin.

"Growing up with Adam meant never being bored. He was always the loudest one in the room, the first to try something ridiculous. You honestly couldn't predict what he'd do next."

"But underneath the endless jokes, the wild energy, and the slightly unhinged karaoke performances, Adam is a great guy. He has the biggest heart of anyone I know. And watching him love Chelsea and Ben the way he does… it's something special."

He caught Natalie's eyes across the head table. She was sitting next to Chelsea with a soft smile and shining eyes.

Ethan knew how low she'd been feeling lately, given the struggles they'd had trying to conceive. He felt down, too.

He held her eyes and went off script.

"I've learned that love doesn't always show up the way you expect. Sometimes it starts in chaos. In uncertainty. With hard days and big decisions and terrifying hope."

Natalie pushed away tears, and he had to swallow the emotion that bubbled up.

"But if you're lucky—and I think all of us in this room are—you find someone to go through it all with. Someone who holds your hand on the good days and holds you up on the bad ones. Someone who says‘We've got this!’even when they're not totally sure. That's love. That's family."

He broke eye contact with Natalie and looked at Adam.

"I'm really glad I get to stand here beside you while you build your own family," he said and raised his glass. "To Adam and Chelsea. To family, to laughter, and to a lifetime of truly terrible dad jokes."

The crowd laughed and tapped their glasses.

Ethan switched the mic off, and before he could turn, Adam side tackled him with a hug.

"Thanks for keeping it PG," he said with a grin.

Ethan laughed and shook his head. "I didn’t have much material to work with."

The reception was in full swing. Upbeat music filled the air, and the fairy lights the decorators had strung on the ceiling glowed over the crowd of people on the dance floor. But Max's eyes were only on one person.

Willow.

She was dancing in a loose circle with Chelsea, Natalie, and Cara in the middle of the polished wood floor under a disco ball. Her cheeks were flushed, her hair was shining, and the silky dress she wore hugged her body all the way down to the floor.

She was stunning.

He fucking loved her.

He took a drink of his beer and let himself watch her, laughing and moving. He couldn't wait to get her home later.

The music shifted and Adam's uncle David came over the speakers announcing the bouquet toss. Suddenly, the dance floor cleared of men and filled with women.

A moment later, Chelsea stood at the front with flowers in her hand. She smiled, pointed to someone in the crowd, and mouthed, "You're next."

From where he was standing, it looked like she'd pointed at Willow, but it was hard to tell. He took a step closer to get a better view as Chelsea turned around and flung the bouquet over her head.

It soared through the air and landed directly in Willow's hands.

She blinked, looked down at the flowers, then immediately turned to him with wide, playful eyes.

Max's heart thudded in his chest so hard he thought for sure someone would hear it over the music. He smiled back at her. She looked happy about the idea of marrying him, which took an enormous weight off his shoulders.

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