Jordy wasn’t against seeing wedding photos, even ones taken during a batshit elopement, but he had to ask. “You’re ordained?”
Dante shrugged. “I did one of those online courses a couple of years back.”
Jordy waited for further explanation. None came. “Why?”
“Short answer? I was bored, stuck at home on IR.” Jordy let out a bark of laughter. “Long answer? Yorkie and Jenna ran into some issues trying to fast-track things, and I always thought it would be cool to perform a wedding.”
“So,” Jordy summed up, “you were high on pain meds and got ordained to perform marriages on the off chance it would someday be useful.”
“Totally worth it.” Dante grinned and tipped his head at the others. “I swear Kersh is finally back to looking his age today, and Ryan’s walking on air.” He wiped away a fake tear. “Young love. So beautiful.”
Jordy had to admit that Nico did look looser and happier this evening. Since he didn’t know the kid, Jordy hadn’t noticed how tense he was on that first day.
“To young love,” Jordy agreed. “Though this has to be the weirdest wedding reception I’ve ever attended.”
“And also the drunkest?” Baller guessed. He lowered his voice. “Yeah. I think Ryan’s drinking to drown the anxiety of what Nico’s mom’s going to do to him for eloping with her baby.”
“Ah.” Jordy winced. He could imagine his own mother’s reaction, and he wasn’t even the youngest. She’d barely forgiven Sanna for divorcing him, and that had been mutual. “If hedoesn’t slow down, they’re not going to have much of a wedding night.”
Rowan elbowed him. “Aw, let them get drunk together. They have the rest of their lives to fuck each other stupid.” He looked over Jordy’s shoulder; Jordy followed his gaze. “But maybe we should switch to something softer. Shouldn’t we be drinking champagne anyway?”
“And there should definitely be food,” Jordy added, partly because however grateful he was that Yorkie had taken Kaira tonight, tomorrow held no such guarantees. Besides, it was a travel day. That was a big no on the hangover.
“Smart.” Baller nodded. “You order bubbly, I’ll order pizza.”
Rowan looked back and forth between them and nodded. “Teamwork,” he said. “I get it.”
The rest of the evening was conspicuously more chill. The champagne smoothed some of Ryan’s rougher edges, or maybe it just soothed his nerves. By the time the pizza arrived, Nico was more or less sitting in his lap and Jordy started to feel… unnecessary.
“They know they can start the honeymoon anytime, right?” Rowan asked in a murmur, right in Jordy’s ear. Jordy shivered involuntarily at what had to be the accidental brush of lips against his skin. “Um. Unless there’s some weird hockey exhibition initiation thing I’m not privy to.”
“No,” Jordy said automatically. Then he realized there might be and turned wide eyes on Baller. “There’s not, right?”
“I knew you had the group chat muted.” Baller shook his head in disappointment.
“That’s not an answer.”
Off to the side, Ryan and Nico seemed to have forgotten their presence entirely. They were holding their ringed hands together; Ryan wore his on the left, but Nico’s was on the right,so the bands lined up. They had their heads leaned against each other too, and they practically glowed with contentment.
Jordy looked away, rubbing his chest.
Baller followed his eyeline for a moment and then shook himself. “And on that note, I need to excuse myself to call my husband and gush about how much I love him. Sorry. I think it’s contagious.” He paused. “If they start taking each other’s clothes off, just pour them in a taxi.”
Don’t leave us alone with them!Jordy wanted to shout, but it was too late. Could you be a third wheel when there was also a fourth wheel? Because that was what this felt like.
The door had barely closed behind Baller when Rowan thankfully budged over just a bit, tapped his fingers on the base of his champagne glass, and said, “We could probably make a run for it. I don’t think they even know we’re here.”
“I think they might be too stupid to leave unsupervised.” Could you get arrested for that in New York?
Rowan smiled, not wry at all, just uncomplicated and happy. “It’s good, though, right? I mean that they get to stay together. I didn’t know sports worked like that.”
With one final glance to make sure Ryan and Nico were well and truly occupied staring deeply into each other’s eyes, Jordy said, “It doesn’t.”
Rowan blinked. “What?”
“Itdoesn’twork like that. Nico has a no-movement clause, I think, but that mostly means he gets to pick where they’d trade him. Ryan can be dealt at any time if Orcas management feels like it.” Jordy tore his gaze away from the happy couple. “They just… got married anyway.” They chose each other, even though they knew they might be separated.
“Shit.” Rowan looked from Jordy to the newlyweds and back again. “Wait, so does that mean you…?”
