“Where are you sitting, at the head table?”
“No, the head table is Nathaniel and Stevie, plus both their parents on either side. I’m at table—” I stopped when I saw my name card on the table next to Logan’s. “Well, it’s here. She must have put me here after I told her I knew you all, since I know no one else.”
“Gwen, are you sitting with us?” Logan spoke up, his mother on his arm and a cocktail in his hand. He was dressed up just like his brother, bow tie and everything.
I had to admit, they were quite a pair. “Good evening, Dr. Davenport, and it’s nice to see you again, Logan. Yes, apparently I am sitting with you all, if that's all right?”
“Of course, and you look absolutely stunning, my dear.” She pulled me into a small hug.
“Stunning? Gwen, you're smokin’.” Logan grinned, hugging me as well with one arm.
“You're not bad yourself.” I laughed when he came around and pulled out my chair as Eli pulled out his mother's. “What gentlemen.”
“I know, it makes me so proud. If only they could always be like this.”
And, like sons, they both groaned under her gaze.
It was funny to watch the three of them.
“How long have you known Stephanie, Gwen?” Logan questioned.
“Since I was six. We met when—well, you'll hear all about that. I’m doing part of their toast, so I’ll save our story until then. Hopefully I don’t panic.”
“Why would you panic?” Eli asked.
I met his eyes across the candlelit table covered in rose petals. “I get nervous when I talk to big groups of people.”
“You did fine when we were at the university.”
“The university?” his mother asked, looking between us.
I nodded. “We basically fought over which is the better career path: art or the sciences. I won.” I grinned.
He scoffed. “If anything, it was a tie, but that is only because you brought up the 'you need me and I need you' argument. I’m pretty sure I got at least a few of them to see reason and come over to my side. Remember how kinda cool I am?”
I clapped slowly for him. “I tell you that you are a decent doctor one time and—”
“It sounded more like amazing to my ears.” He drank his water.
“And it goes to your big, egotistical head. Sorry, Mrs. Davenport,” I said to her. After all, the fathead was her son.
“No.” She smiled, looking between the two of us. “It actually reminds me of when I met his father. The man could praise himself. 'Meryl, you should have seen me today, I’m telling you there is no better doctor than me in this state. Meryl, did you see how fast I laid that stitch?' Oh, gosh. I didn’t call him egotistical, I called him Dr. Brainiac.”
I thought about it for a second. “Isn’t that a super-villain in the DC comics?”
“That’s why it annoyed him so much.” She giggled.
So did I. I didn’t know why it was that funny, but just seeing her laugh so happily at her memories felt nice. Wasn’t that what was normally supposed to happen at weddings?
“What did he call you back?” Eli asked softly, watching her as he drank his scotch.
Leaning over, she put her hand on his arm. “You know, I never found out. I’m sure he called me something in his head, but no matter what, when he was cross he would just say Meryl, like I exhausted him and he couldn’t even put up any more of a fight.”
“My father just makes faces.” I ran my hand over the rim of my water glass. “My mother would get upset about something he either forgot to do, or something he totally messed up, and he would just sit in his chair and watch her as she tried to fix it, which made my mom angrier, and then he would look to me and start making faces. He could even guess what her next words were. When I was a teenager, I would wonder, 'Why is he just sitting there? Mom's gonna lose it.’ Then I realized he just knew her too well. My mother likes things to be done a particular way. The best help he can offer is to keep his hands off and wait until she actually gives him directions.”
“Where are your parents now?” Mrs. Davenport questioned.
“Cypress, Alaska,” Eli said in a strange voice.
“Is that a real place?” Logan asked beside me.
“It’s the home of the best wild salmon in the country,” Eli and I said at the same time, though he was a lot less serious than I was. I could only give him a look from across the table.
He shrugged.
“Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Mr. and Mrs. Nathaniel Van Allan,” the announcer said, and we all stood, clapping.
I clapped as loudly as possible, not caring who saw me.
Logan joined in, raising his glass.
Eli