“Just wanted to tell you congrats, man,” Arthur said. “If you hate your present, I’m sorry in advance, money’s a little tight right now. But if you love it, you’re welcome.”
“No worries. Your presence is enough of a present,” Tristan said.
“Good, I’ll return the spoon, then.”
Tristan laughed.
“Seriously, you picked a great day to get married. It was beautiful.”
“Every day is a great day, Arthur. You know what I always say? It’s not just another day…it’s To-day.”
Tristan slugged him in the arm playfully and walked off, ready to continue making the rounds. When Arthur finally turned and saw Wren, he immediately adopted an over-the-top lovestruck look on his face and a cartoonish twinkle in his eye, as if he’d just drunk some witch’s bubbly pink love potion in a children’s film.
“Why’s your face like that?” she asked. “I know it’s hard not to get caught up in the romance, but tone it down a little. There are people around.”
“Can’t help it. It’s a beautiful night, I’m happy, I’m in love. Why not smile? Here, got you a mocktail.” He handed her a cloudy orange drink in something resembling a wineglass. She took a test sip, face twitching from the soury-sweetness of it, and the heartburn was almost instant.
“Should we get to our seats?” he said. “I think they’ll be serving dinner soon.”
“I know. My skin tingles when my body knows red meat is nearby.”
He laughed.
“But not just yet,” she said. “You up for a walk?”
Truth be told, she felt like hell. The indigestion was still climbing up her throat, she felt just a bit clammy and nauseous, and the exhaustion of a long day was beginning to settle in. She didn’t know if she was going to make it to dinner. But she was ready. It was time.
“OK,” he said, and they strolled. Past the deep-sea freaks like the sea dragons, poky, gangly little things that had clearly been penciled in at the very end when God had run out of ideas. Past the jellyfish and sea nettles, which were far more stunning when safely behind glass. “But if you want to leave, it’s OK, I promise.”
“No, I’m OK. Let’s just walk.” She just had to stick it out for Charlie and Tristan’s big entrance to the reception, then for the toasts, and then for the first dance and the cake cutting. She could hold it together for a few more hours. And if the baby decided to try any shenanigans, she would have to hold that in, too.
“Hey, you showed up, you saw your best friend get married. That meant the world to Charlie and I know for a fact she would want you to go home now and get some rest.”
Damn it, he was right. Wren was notorious for powering through in the name of a good time. Had one too many drinks but not ready to go home yet? Have two too many! Deal with the fallout later. That was always her motto. Being beholden to this child inside her, having agreater purpose, was inexplicably causing her to make better decisions. It was starting already.
“OK, fine. I’ll go say goodbye, but will you meet me by the sharks? I really want to see them before we go.”
Arthur’s face went stone white. Wren could almost see the memory replaying behind his eyes. “Oh. I don’t know…”
“Please?” She touched his hand. “For me?”
“OK,” he agreed. “See you there in a minute?”
Wren was just able to grab Charlie before she and Tristan were set to make their grand entrance to the reception.
“Little busy, Wren,” Charlie said, air-rehearsing some multistep dance routine, hidden away behind a tank ofFinding Nemoclownfish a few dozen feet away from the reception.
“I know. I just wanted to catch you before we left.”
“You’re leaving?!” Charlie came to a stop mid-thrust.
“It’s for the best. There are so many ways I could ruin the rest of the night for you. I could go into violent, screaming labor; I could puke all over whoever’s sitting next to me at dinner.”
“I think it’s just my least favorite sister. I’d be fine with that.”
Wren briefly considered telling her friend about what she was planning to do. She always told Charlie every single thing she was thinking or considering, and even a lot of things she wasn’t. That’s how deeply psychic their connection was. But she didn’t tell her this. Charlie wouldn’t have been upset. Wren and Arthur weren’t going to make a scene and steal the spotlight. They’d just steal a quiet moment or two in a quiet hallway and that would be that. There were some things, now that she and Arthur were a family, that were going to have to stay between them. That was one way her relationship with Charlie was going to have to change. And that led her to say:
“I think you’re right, by the way.”