Chapter 103

We took Emma back to her house and dropped her off. Before she opened the back door, she leaned forward to talk to us through the gap in the seats.

“Guys, I’d like you to come in for a bit, if you don’t mind. I have some stuff that’d I’d like to discuss with you both,” Emma said.

We followed her in and she asked us to make ourselves comfortable on the couch.

“So, “ she began. “You are both aware that I am now an engaged woman,” she said, holding up her engagement ring clad hand.

“I don’t know if we’ve said it,” Jess said, “but Brent is an amazing guy. You really lucked out with him!” I nodded in agreement next to her.

“Thank you, I really love him,” she said. “Anyway, I have a lot of important wedding-type decisions to make now. And one of them is my choice for Maid-of-honor. And, of course, that person is going to be responsible for helping me with all of the wedding planning and handling the wedding chaos.”

Jess was positively giddy with anticipation on the side of me. I felt her leg bouncing nervously.

“It is a very big job,” Emma continued, “and one that I feel needs to be shared with two people.”.

Jess slumped a bit at that but tried hard not to show her disappointment. I think she mostly failed.

“That’s perfectly reasonable,” Jess said. I took her hand and held it in mine.

“So, I want you,” - Emma nodded to Jess - “to be my first maid-of-honor, if you’ll be it.”

“Yes!” Jess said immediately, “Absolutely! The other, I assume, is Liz?”

“Oh, actually, no,” Emma said, surprising us both. “Liz and I are friends, but not really close in the way I am with you guys. We don’t really talk or anything outside of work. She’s a great person, but we don’t really have a lot in common.”

“Oh, ok, so who?” Jess asked, confused. Emma nodded toward me.

“Aaron,” Emma said flatly.

“Huh?” Jess and I said in unison.

“You have both been amazing friends to me and amazingly supportive. And I want both of you to be there for me for my wedding,” Emma said.

“Em,” I said, “I am, uh, flattered and all, but you know I’m, like, a guy? I mean, I’m pretty sure you’ve seen, and played with, the proof.”

Emma waved off my objection. “So we’ll call it the ‘dude-of-honor’, if you will. I think that’s the twenty-first century term for it. But I’m serious about this. I want both of you involved in every aspect, side by side.”

Jess answered for me. “Aaron will do it. How could he ever refuse you?”

“But-” I started to object again but Emma cut me off.

“Great! That makes me feel so much better, guys!” Emma said, excited and clasping her hands together.

“The dude-of-honor,” she said, continuing, “is going to have one additional job as well.” We both waited for her to finish. I dreaded what else I might be in for.

“As you are both aware,” she said, “my parents are both deceased and I have no siblings. So, Aaron, as dude-of-honor (she was really getting into that phrase), I want you to walk me down the aisle and give me away at the wedding. Will you do that for me?”

I was speechless for a rare moment. That was totally not what I was expecting.

“Of course, Em,” I said softly, “I’d be honored.”

Emma stood up and came over to us. She knelt down on the floor in front of us and threw her arms around us both.

“I love both you guys so much,” she said.

“We love you too, Em,” I said for both of us. “But just so we are clear, I am NOT wearing a brides maid dress.”

Jess and Emma both laughed. Emma leaned in close to me.

“I’ll bet you’d wear one if I ordered you to,” she said into my ear.

“I’ll bet you’re right, I would, but I’m gambling that you won’t,” I said back.

“Well, you’re right,” Emma replied rubbing her hand on my crotch. “I won’t. But don’t worry, I’ll get you into a sexy dress another time.”

Jess clapped her hands together.

“Ok, clothing settled, we need to move on to more important issues. Namely, the dude-of-honor and I have to start planning a bachelorette party!”