Page 2 of Holiday Star
“Welcome to the family, Seth. Welcome also to his sister, Marjorie, and her family.” I tip my glass toward the other side of the room, where Marjorie sits.
Marjorie beams, pleased to be the center of attention, just as I knew she would. I’ve only met Seth’s sister a couple of times, but she struck me as shallow and pretentious. I figured she’d like having everyone’s eyes on her and on the man sitting next to her, her son, mega-superstar Caleb Lawson. Her husband, Ben, sits meekly behind his wife and child.
“I’ll end with a toast to my mother and Seth. I’m so happy that you found each other. Here’s to a life filled with endless love. Cheers!”
I raise my glass high above my head and bring it to my lips, taking a sip of white wine. The alcohol washes away any remaining nerves.
Polite applause follows me back to my seat next to Mom.
She leans over and gives me a soft, perfumed kiss on the cheek. “That was wonderful, honey. Thank you.”
I nod, knowing it’s a compliment that she askedme, out of her three children, to give the speech. But really, I’m the obvious choice. Compared to my brothers, Brandon and Teddy, I’m the most stable. The most likely not to be overly stiff and formal like Brandon and not to be too informal and make inappropriate jokes like Teddy.
I glance at the place card in front of my mother’s seat. It reads,Mr. and Mrs. Peterson. Now we don’t even share a last name, my mother and me. It’s official. She’s moved on, and I’m still here. Stuck. Ever since her engagement, I worry that she’ll keep moving on and leave me behind. That I’ll lose her, too.
As best man, Caleb is up next to speak. His presence tonight has added an extra sense of excitement to the wedding. The guests have spent as much time gawking at his table as they have looking at the bride and groom.
The crowd hushes, watching him saunter up to the stage. Every eye is trained on him, reverent.
Most celebrities are disappointing when you see them in real life. You realize they aren’t as tall as you expected or that they’ve been photoshopped on the magazine covers.
Not Caleb Lawson.
He’s just as handsome in person as he is on the movie screen. He has every attractive feature you can think of: piercing blue eyes, chiseled cheekbones, a full pouty mouth. His hair is the color of sunshine. Like the hazy kind that warms your skin on a tropical beach. Not to mention the muscles. Good grief, those sculpted muscles.
It’s all a bit ridiculous, really. That one person should get such a bounty of hotness. Not fair to the rest of us mere mortals.
Microphone in hand, Caleb smiles easily, brilliantly. His teeth are unnaturally white and straight. He’s hard to look away from. Something shines out of him beyond his unbelievable good looks. You can see it on the screen when he acts, and it’s even more apparent here, when he stands before us. A real-life flesh and blood star.
I’m not the only one who feels it. Women fan themselves in the crowd, and men sit up straighter, smoothing their hair over to the left, just like Caleb’s.
I resist the urge to roll my eyes. I’ve never believed in the idea of celebrity adoration. As far as I’m concerned, movie stars put their pants on one leg at a time, same as the rest of us.
“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen,” Caleb begins, voice low and husky. He pauses, runs his hand through his hair, and swallows. Then his smile widens, and he cracks a joke. “I know it’s been an emotional day. The cake is already in tiers.”
The crowd laughs uproariously, like he’s on a stand-up comedy special.
Which he’s not.
“My name is Caleb. Seth is my uncle and godfather. But he’s more than that. Seth is my mentor, cheerleader, and conscience. I’m honored that he chose me to stand beside him on this momentous day. The day that he marries his best friend.”
The guests all sigh out an “aww,” and Caleb glances around the room, smiling sweetly, as if their response is unexpected and charming.
I scoff internally, not understanding why I’m the only one who sees it. That every word out of Caleb’s mouth, every quirk of his eyebrow, every gesture of his long-fingered hand is calculated to bring out the most emotional reaction from his audience.
The man is a multi-award-winning actor, for Christ’s sakes. Standing in front of a crowd, selling a story, acting. This is what he was raised to do since he was five years old.
Caleb continues. “Preparing this speech has gotten me thinking a lot about love. True love. What does it look like? What does it feel like? Now, I’m obviously no expert, as the tabloids have shown repeatedly.” He lets out a small, self-deprecating laugh, and the crowd laughs along with him.
“After some thought, what I came up with is that true love is when someone loves you, even on the days that they don’t like you. It’s when someone is willing to stand by your side when you are on the top of the world and when the world has crushed you under its heel.”
“It’s someone who will be there with you for the big things—weddings, birthdays, funerals—and the small things too, taking out the trash, remembering if you prefer tea or coffee. Someone who will take care of you when you are sick or when your feelings are hurt. Someone to kiss away all those casual cruelties that happen in everyday life. Someone who shines a light into your darkness, and you do the same for them. That’s what I think about when I say true love.”
“Almost a year ago, when Seth first told me that he had found true love, I’m going to be honest with you, I was skeptical. I mean, the man is in his late forties and has never been married. Talk about a red flag!”
More laughter.
“But once I saw them together, Seth and Melinda. Once I saw the way they complement each other’s personalities. Well, I don’t need to tell you all, because it’s apparent from the way they look at each other.”
