“Alex?” Miller asks.

“Huh?” I’ve zoned out. I need to stop being so self-centered. The world doesn’t actually revolve around me.

“So you’ll stand in the wedding party? I mean, it’s gonna be a small thing—I think, anyway. Close friends and family probably, the same as what Violet wants.

“Yeah, of course,” I say absently, then finally clue in to what he’s said. “Wait, you want me to stand in the wedding party?”

“Well, yeah. You’re Vi’s fiancé—husband by then. And of course Sunny’s gonna ask Vi, but if she’s not cool with it, that’s fine. Vi’s got some wedding hang-ups, as I’m sure you’re aware.”

“That’s great. I mean, not the hang-ups part, but about Sunny asking Violet. I’m sure she’ll want to be part of things.”

“Maybe. We’ll see.” Miller doesn’t look quite so convinced.

“Was it really that bad?” I hate to have to ask, but I have a feeling Violet’s given me the abridged version of the events.

Miller regards me dubiously. “You mean she still hasn’t told you?”

“She’s told me. But I think I have the watered-down version.”

“For fuck’s sake.” Miller shakes his head. “What did she say?”

“That she ruined the cake and messed up her speech, and that there was an issue with her dress. But she was a teenager, so I can’t imagine it was that bad. Maybe if I have the full story, I can explain better to my mom why Violet doesn’t want the entire world at our wedding.”

“Maybe if she saw my dad and Skye’s wedding video she’d get it.” Miller snorts.

“There’s a video?” I drop my weight on the mat with a low thud.

Miller pauses in the middle of a dip. “Fuck. You didn’t know about the video?”

“Violet never said anything about video.”

Miller sits back down beside me. “That’s probably because she doesn’t want you to see. We had the whole wardrobe malfunction bit edited out, but I have an original copy. It’s pretty fucking epic.”

“Epic how?”

“Like, she’d probably win that home video show if we submitted it. Which I would never do,” he tacks on at the end.

“Does Violet have a copy?”

“Maybe? If she does I’m sure it’s locked away somewhere.”

“Can I see the one you have?”

Miller chews on the inside of his cheek. “I probably shouldn’t. Vi’ll be super pissed at me if she finds out.”

“I won’t tell her.”

He rubs his head a few times and heaves a heavy sigh. “Come to the condo after we’re done here.”

“Thanks, man.”

Normally I wouldn’t go behind Vi’s back on something like this, but if it helps get my mom to calm the fuck down, I guess I can do it this once.

Miller stands. “I gotta do suicides. I’ll see you in a bit.”

I spend the next hour with my physical therapist, working on strengthening the muscles around my healing shoulder.

I hit the hot tub afterward and then the sauna before I shower.

Back outside, I toss my bag in Darren’s trunk and drop into the passenger seat. “We gotta stop at Miller’s before we go home.”

“Everything okay?” Darren asks.

“Yeah. He’s got a copy of Sidney and Skye’s wedding video.”

“Marriage is a complicated beast,” Darren says.

“Seems that way. Violet’s who I want, though, so I need to figure out how to make this easier for her.”

“Yeah. You two are good for each other. Sometimes people get tied to the wrong person, and then they can’t figure out how to get free again.”

“Is that why you and Charlene aren’t getting more serious?”

I know they see each other a lot, but Darren keeps most people at a distance. I’ve met his parents once in all the time I’ve known him. Icy is a good way to describe them.

“My parents have been married for thirty years, and they hate each other. They have bedrooms on different floors of the house. I don’t see the point in changing things when it’s working fine. Plus, Charlene has her own stuff, so we’re good the way we are.”

He pulls up to Miller’s condo building and lets the valet park the car. Neither of us says anything more about it. The guy at the front desk buzzes us in, and we take the elevator to Miller’s.

Boxes line the wall in neat rows with Sunny’s flowery printing on them, indicating the contents. On the coffee table are several magazines, most are hockey, but there are new ones with babies on the front as well. And there’s a parenting book with little Post-it notes hanging out like tiny pink tongues.

“Sorry about the mess. You know how it is. You guys want a beer or something?”

“Sure, thanks.”

Miller grabs beers, and we join Lance and Randy in the living room. Lance is setting up the Xbox, and Randy is sending texts while smirking. I’ll bet my left nut it’s Lily getting the messages.

“You two gonna play?” Lance works on untangling the controllers.

Darren checks his phone. “Nah. We’re not staying long.”

“We’re just having a quick game. Then I gotta go home and get ready for a date,” Lance says.

“A date?” Randy sounds as shocked as the rest of us look.