“And her ability to watch her language,” Ryan adds.

That gets another chuckle from the crowd.

Bishop shrugs and thumbs toward Ryan. “I told them I’m not the best at this whole speech thing. I failed it back when I was in middle school, probably because I ad-libbed with swear words. Anyway, as you all know by now, I’m the best man and Ryan’s best friend. We’ve known each other for a lot of years. When we were teens, we played for the same team when we were in the minors. Ryan is basically the reason I stayed out of trouble, not because I was particularly good at following rules, but when you’re like me, and you have the personality of a rabid porcupine, not a lot of people will put up with you.”

“You’re more like a declawed panther, Shippy!” Stevie heckles.

He gives her a look and shakes his head. “I’m coming for you later, bae.” He brings his attention back to the guests. “She’s such a beautiful distraction, isn’t she?” He runs his hand nervously over his tie. “Anyway, where was I?”

“You were talking about your winning personality and your bromance,” Rook reminds him.

“Right. Yeah. So Ryan, being the stand-up guy he is, decided I was worth all the headaches. And an unlikely friendship began. Sort of like a bunny befriending a grizzly bear.” Bishop pulls some paper out of his pocket. It’s lined school paper. He unfolds it and sets it on the podium. “Anyway, I wrote a bunch of shit—I mean stuff—down, mostly jot notes and things I wanted to touch on.” He clears his throat and smooths a hand over his tie, then takes a sip of his drink.

“For those of you who don’t know King very well, I can tell you, he’s the most responsible guy I’ve ever met in my life. He drives like a ninety-year-old on Sunday afternoon. Sorry if there are any ninety-year-olds out there, but man, you better not be in a rush to get anywhere if you’re riding with King. Aside from his excessive caution when driving, he’s a pretty great guy. And loyal. You’ve never let me down, buddy, except for that time you let Rook take shots at me.”

The head table chuckles, and a few people look around at each other, not understanding the reference. “You see, this guy right here is the reason I’m married to Stevie. If it weren’t for his advice, and his patience, I don’t think I would have gotten my head out of my butt long enough to figure out how to get her to date me. Man, I’m rambling, aren’t I?” He tugs at his tie again, his face starting to turn red, possibly from embarrassment.

“Back to King. He’s a rule follower, through and through, but when he met Queenie, well . . .” He waggles his brows and smirks. “Let’s just say, for the first time in all the years I’ve known him, I watched him struggle to follow those rules he likes so much.”

He takes another sip of his drink. “I wanted to talk about the way these two actually met, because everyone believes that was when Queenie started working for the team, but their first introduction came six weeks before the start of the season.”

I glance down the table at Ryan, whose cheeks are on fire. Queenie’s cheeks have gone pink as well, but she’s hiding a grin behind her hand. She whispers something to Ryan, who arches a brow and calls out, “You might want to move this along unless you’re planning to relinquish your best friend status.”

That gets us another round of giggles.

Bishop smirks. “Don’t worry, King, I won’t give up all your best secrets. Anyway, I can tell you that Queenie must have left a lasting impression, because King is the most even-keeled guy in the universe. Not much ruffles his feathers, but Queenie lit a fire under his a—butt.” He smiles, and it’s no longer a smirk, but something softer. “Queenie, you came into King’s life at exactly the right time. He needed someone to shake things up, and you did that in just the way he needed. You made a great guy an even better man. If there were ever two people who are meant for each other, apart from my bae and me, it’s the two of you.”

Queenie hugs Ryan’s arm and mouths thank you to Bishop.

“You took my milk-drinking, khaki-wearing, straight arrow of a best friend and you pushed him outside his comfort zone. So thanks for that.” Bishop lifts his drink, which is mostly empty, and toasts the couple.

More speeches follow, and when it’s my turn to speak, I freeze and only manage to say how happy I am for Ryan and Queenie and how they’re made for each other. It feels slightly disingenuous to talk about my relationship with Ryan as my brother, even though that’s how most of our lives have been spent. Jake and my parents are the last to speak before Queenie and Ryan.

Jake takes his place at the podium and sets his glass of water to the side. He takes a deep breath and shakes his head. “I don’t think I’m going to make it through this without a few voice cracks.” He clears his throat. “King, you are such a lucky man to get to love my daughter.”

Ryan smiles and kisses Queenie’s temple.

“Queenie, what a phenomenal woman you’ve become. I’m always so impressed by your resilience, your compassion, your zeal for life. From the moment you were born, I knew you were destined for great things. You have this light, this way of making people fall in love with you.” He pulls a tissue from his pocket and clears his throat. “There were times when I wasn’t sure if I was doing this whole parenting thing right, Queenie, and I feel like we learned a lot by trial and error, especially when it came to things like hiding all the Sharpies and only leaving the Crayola markers lying around. That was a rough lesson.”

“For you, not for me,” Queenie quips.

Everyone laughs.

“We’ve been through a lot together, you and I. Lots of up and downs. Every boo-boo we put a Band-Aid on was a life lesson for me. I couldn’t protect you from the world, no matter how hard I tried, so I did my best to make sure you always knew I was going to be there to help you up when you fell. You’ve become a strong, independent woman, and I’m so damn proud of you. And you’ve picked such a great partner.” His gaze shifts to Ryan and he blows out a breath. “King, I know you’re going to love my daughter the way she deserves to be loved, without reservations or conditions. You make her happy in a way no one else ever has. It’s been a joy to watch you two grow together.” He raises a glass. “To a love that knows no boundaries.”

Glasses clink and then my parents get up to speak.

“Ryan, you were such an unexpected surprise, and we’re so glad you came into our lives when you did. You were exactly what our family needed. Your kindness and your gentle soul enriched all of our lives so much.” My mother dabs at her eyes. “Raising you was an honor and delight, and it’s so humbling to see what a wonderful man you’ve become. You’ve made us so very proud. I have faith that you will be a dedicated husband, and eventually a father, exactly the way you are in every other part of your life.”

It’s a real battle to keep my emotions in check as my mother continues to talk about all of Ryan’s accomplishments.

And I know that without their support and their guidance I would never have had the opportunities I did, and neither would Ryan. It’s a bitter pill to swallow, knowing that if it had even been a few years later, I would have been able to raise him instead of handing over the reins to my parents.