Pride & Precedents (The Park Brothers #2)

31. Epilogue

Henry

Two weeks later…

I should've broken these shoes in more. My feet are killing me. I grin through my discomfort and survey the lavish surroundings. Though we're in the middle of the city with skyscrapers looming over us, the manicured gardens, reflecting pool, and fountains on the rooftop of 620 Loft you can hardly tell he's still hungover from our booze cruise down the Hudson River two days ago.

Across the aisle, the bridesmaids wear royal blue strapless gowns with corsages of blue and white flowers that match our boutonnieres. Mom and Dad wear blue too, and both have flowers to match the rest of the wedding party. The blue is an homage to our Korean heritage: blue signifies the balance of yin and yang, two forces that complement and attract each other.

I scan the row behind Mom and Dad until I meet familiar brown eyes and my breath catches. Camila is literally breathtaking. She's wearing blue too, though not the same shade as the wedding party. I surprised her with a couture gown from Marchesa that hugs her voluptuous hips and accentuates her full breasts. I can't wait to get her out of it later.

She catches me staring and blows me a kiss. I pretend to catch it and put it in my pocket and she giggles. It feels so good to have someone to be silly with. Before I can continue flirting, she discreetly points to the aisle just as the harpist switches to Wagner's Bridal Chorus.

The crowd turns to watch Maya's grand entrance. She's a vision in white. Her dress reminds me of Cinderella's, with a full skirt and a train over ten feet long, though her neckline's showing far more cleavage than any Disney movie would allow. Our baby brother did well!

Maya's eyes are shining with happy tears and glued to the head of the aisle. I follow her gaze to find Adam looking completely awestruck. The love arching between them can be felt by everyone in attendance, and it makes the love I feel for Camila swell even bigger in my chest. It's not hard to imagine she and I tying the knot, and I look for her to find her already looking at me. The love is so clear on her face, she may as well have hearts in her eyes.

Once the I do's are done, we move inside to the elegantly appointed banquet hall. I have to sit at the head table with the rest of the wedding party, but luckily, Maya managed to squeeze Camila into a table up front, where we can stare at each other until the dance floor finally opens.

Dings from a knife against a water glass get everyone's attention and Maya's father stands from a table at the front of the room. He's a formidable man at over six feet, and almost a dead ringer for Blade. Like my father, he keeps himself up, but he's much more fashionable, sporting a navy, three-piece suit with a steel gray cravat. I met him for the first time at the rehearsal dinner last night, and I was more than a little intimidated.

"Good evening, everyone," he says with a voice so smooth and deep, he could give James Earl Jones a run for his money. He hardly even needs the mic. All remaining chatter in the room ceases.

"On behalf of the bride and groom, thank you for coming to celebrate this momentous occasion. For those that don't know, I'm Michael Davis, father of the bride." In the center of the head table, Maya is glowing with pride for her father.

"We'll get a chance to cut a rug later, but, for now, it's time for the speeches." Michael takes a paper out of his breast pocket and clears his throat.

"When Adam came to visit Evelyn and I—" He points to a regal woman that could be the queen from "Coming to America". "Evelyn is my lovely wife and Maya's mother. Anyway, when Adam came to meet with us to ask for Maya's hand, we were a little skeptical. He and Maya hadn't been dating for very long, and they met through the internet, although thank God it wasn't a dating app!" Laughter spreads through the audience and Maya covers her face in embarrassment.

"Dad!" More laughter from the crowd.

"We weren't sure if they really knew what they were getting into, and not just because of how fast they wanted to get married." His face turns serious.

"I look around this room and can guess that almost everyone has experienced the harsh judgments of those with different backgrounds and different viewpoints." Mutterings of agreement come from the crowd. "Those judgments can become almost overwhelming when two people such as Maya and Adam come together."

I look at the happy couple and they are staring into each other's eyes, hands clasped together.

"But even though there's no way a mother or father can protect their daughter from life's sometimes cruel treatment, we knew after talking to him and looking into his eyes that Adam is a truly good man. He loves our daughter and will do everything in his power to protect her. Together, they will weather any storm. A father couldn't wish for anything more in a son-in-law."

There's not a dry eye in the room, and even Cory is blinking back tears.

"So raise your glasses," he says. Everywhere around us, glasses are raised high in the air. "To Maya and Adam! May their marriage be long and healthy, and may the skies always be clear!"

Everyone drinks and cheers. Adam and Maya embrace, sharing a loving kiss. Evelyn pats her husband on the back. I look at Camila and find her dabbing her eyes with a dinner napkin. Dancing can't come soon enough.

The speeches conclude, dinner is served, the cake is cut, and finally, finally , my duties as a groomsman are done. I scoot behind my brothers' chairs to the dance floor and weave between other guests to stand in front of Camila. She's currently trapped talking to my chattiest relative, Aunt Soo Yun.

"A lawyer? Really?," Aunt Soo Yun coos. Outside of her line of sight, Mila begs me to rescue her with her eyes. I chuckle under my breath.

"Auntie, how are you?!" I lean down to give her a kiss on the cheek. "You look lovely. Do you have your eye on any lucky bachelors tonight?"

She playfully swats my arm for being fresh, but preens under my compliment, nonetheless.

"Oh, Henry. You always were incorrigible." I wink at her and gesture towards my date for the night.

"Do you mind if I steal Ms. Sanchez from you? After making her wait through the ceremony, I owe her a dance." Aunt Soo Yun smiles slyly.

"Of course!" She urges Camila out of her seat and into my arms. On the way out to the dance floor, I call back over my shoulder.

"Don't break too many hearts tonight, Auntie!" She laughs and shoos me away like I'm being ridiculous.

The DJ has perfect timing, putting on a slow song as soon as we find a place on the dance floor. I pull Mila tighter into my arms, one hand on the small of her back and the other holding her hand.

"Have I told you how ravishing you look tonight?" She giggles as I lead her into a twirl.

"Ravishing? Did we suddenly teleport into a Jane Austen novel?"

"Jane Austen's characters never did half the things we did last night," I say with a devilish smirk. Her cheeks turn the most charming pink and I can't help but give her a quick kiss.

"Have I told you 'thank you' for being my date tonight?"

"Yes," she murmurs against my chest, snuggling deeper into my arms. "Once last night, when we were…" She trails off and blushes again. "And once when I got here, before you were whisked off to join the wedding party.

I take a deep breath. Here comes the moment of truth.

"And have I told you I love you?" I ask. My heart is pounding, and Camila stops swaying to the music, eyes wide. "It's pretty obvious. I've hardly been hiding it, but I wanted to say the words."

Her face lights up into a smile that reaches ear to ear, and she stands on her tippy toes to kiss me.

"I love you too, Henry!" she says, her voice breathless. My heart resumes beating.

"Oh, thank God!" I sigh, and we both laugh, relieved to have everything out in the open.

"Since we're official—"

"And officially in love!" Mila interrupts, still smiling wide.

"Yes, love," I say, giving her another small kiss. "Since we're officially in love, would you like to meet my family?" Her shoulders tense the tiniest bit, and I pull her even tighter against me. "Don't worry. They're going to love you as much as I do. I promise."

I don't wait for an answer, but instead pull her towards the nearest free relatives: Mom and Dad. Mom spots us as we approach and stands with her arms outstretched.

"You must be the illustrious Camila! I was hoping I'd get to meet you!" She pulls Camila in for a hug and I laugh at her nervous expression.

"Hello, Mrs. Park," she says once Mom releases her. "It's a pleasure to meet you. The wedding is truly stunning." Mom pats her arm.

"Thank you, dear, and please, call me Marie. I had a small hand in the planning—Adam is our youngest, you know—but the vision was all Maya's." She looks wistfully out at the room.

"Well, it might be the fanciest wedding I've ever been to," Camila answers, some of the nervousness leaving her voice. From behind Mom, Dad steps forward and takes Mila's hand.

"I'm so glad to meet you, Ms. Sanchez. I hear you're going to be a lawyer?" Mila looks down before grinning shyly.

"Fingers crossed," she says, and I squeeze her hand. "I just took the bar two weeks ago."

"And she aced it," I add adamantly. Mom and Dad look between us and smile knowingly.

"Well, if you have my son Junior here's stamp of approval," he roughly shakes my shoulders in a masculine display of camaraderie, "you must have a helluva legal mind on those shoulders." Camila blushes at the compliment.

Before we can turn to leave, Noah, Damon and Cory join us at the table.

"Is this Camila?" Damon asks, stealing shrimp from Mom's plate. He's the giant of the family and he's always hungry. I'm so glad he could make it home for the wedding. I almost laugh at Camila's stunned expression.

"Uh, yes? Are you Henry's other brothers?" she asks? Damon smiles and motions first to himself, then to Cory.

"In the flesh. I'm Damon, the one who plays ball overseas. And this is our ne'er-do-well brother, Cory. He makes his money trading crypto and schmoozing with Finance bros all day. I think you already know Noah."

Noah lifts his glass in Mila's direction and Cory glares at Damon before reaching out to shake Camila's hand.

"Good to meet you, Camila. My jock brother has clearly been hit too many times by foul balls. I trade options , not crypto. I work for Banks Ripley, the hedge fund." Camila smiles blankly, clearly overwhelmed by all the Park brothers surrounding her. I pull her closer to my side.

"It looks like you have the girl surrounded," Maya laughs, coming up to the table with Adam to make it a full family affair. Camila's eyes almost bug out of her head.

"Wow. Hi Maya! Thank you so much for letting me come to your wedding. I was just telling Mrs. Park—" Camila catches herself. "Well, I guess you're Mrs. Park now, too." Adam squeezes Maya around the waist as she beams.

"I was just telling your mother-in-law how beautiful the ceremony was. This venue is amazing. I'll probably have a courthouse wedding, myself," Camila jokes, and Mom gasps.

"You wouldn't dare ! Henry is my eldest. You wouldn't deny a mother her right to spoil her eldest son on his wedding day, would you?"

Mila opens and closes her mouth like a fish while Noah tries to cover his laugh with a cough. I just smile, aware Mom's not too far off base. I'll convince Camila soon enough.

"Thanks for introducing yourselves and simultaneously scaring the shit out of Camila, everyone," I jokingly scold. My brothers smirk but Dad has a stern expression.

"Language, son."

"Sorry, Dad," I apologize. "If you'll excuse us, we're headed back to the dance floor."

Mila waves as I lead her away, looking like she's just been through a whirlwind.

"You'll get used to them," I say warmly, loving the feel of her supple curves against me. Is it rude for a groomsman to leave early? Maya waves me off like I'm being ridiculous.

"They're great, Henry," she says, and I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. "Your family is just so much bigger than my little trio with Rory and Gabe. It was a tad overwhelming all at once."

"There are a lot of us, but we're very close. After a few family dinners, you'll be making fun of Cory and Damon along with the rest of us." She sighs dreamily and the thought of her joining our family melts my heart.

"I can't wait," she whispers.