“Fraaank!”
The sound of Jess’s panicked voice froze the three of us brothers where we were waiting in the pastor’s office for the wedding to start.
Nick reacted first, heading for the door at the same time that Jess burst through it. “What’s the matter? What’s wrong?” he asked as he reached for her.
She moved out of his grasp, clearly in a hurry. “Nothing, maybe. I just need to show Frank something and see if he freaks out.”
I cast a quick glance at my older brother, who looked just as confused as the rest of us.
“Read this.” She shoved a small notecard into his hands.
Nick and I huddled around Frank, trying to read it over his shoulder but failing. It looked like a welcome announcement of some kind from Frank and Claudia, and I assumed they were being handed out to the wedding guests upon their arrival this morning at the church.
“What am I looking for here, Jess?” He handed the notecard back to her, and she shook her head with a satisfied smile.
“I knew it. I knew you wouldn’t even see it. Most people read things too fast, and their brain fixes the mistake instead of registering it.”
“What mistake?” I took the paper and started laughing immediately. “Farnk? They spelled your name F-A-R-N-K! Oh, this is too much.”
Nick ripped it from my grasp and cracked up. “Farnk Fisher.”
“This isn’t funny, assholes!” Jess told us, and we immediately tried to stop laughing. “Claudia’s freaking out. She thinks Frank is going to be pissed.”
Frank pushed back from his chair and stood to his full height, towering over Jess. “Jess, please go tell my fiancée that I’m not pissed, or upset, or anything else she’s worried about. I couldn’t care less about this stupid piece of paper.”
He stopped short and held up a hand. “Maybe don’t tell her that part. Just tell her I want to marry her, and that’s all that matters.”
Jess breathed out a sigh of relief. “I told her you wouldn’t care, that guys don’t give two shits about this kind of stuff, but she wasn’t convinced.”
“Go calm her down for me, please.” He leaned over to give Jess a quick peck on the side of the head, and I swore I heard Nick growl. We Fishers are a possessive bunch.
“Okay. I’ll see you guys in a bit.” She turned to leave but then stopped and gave Nick a hard kiss. “You all look really fucking hot, by the way,” she said, waving her hand at us in our formalwear, then rushed out the door the same way she’d come in.
“So, Farn—” I started to call Frank by his new nickname, and he took a menacing step toward me, shutting me up.
“Don’t start. I told Jess I didn’t care so that she’d calm Claudia down. But who the hell messes up the groom’s name on a welcome card? The printers had one job to do. One!”
“It will be a funny memory?” Nick sounded so unconvinced, it came out like a question.
“I swear to God, I’ll punch you both in the face if you start calling me that.”
I scoffed. “You can’t give us black eyes. It’ll ruin your wedding pictures, Farnk.”
Nick tried to hold back a laugh, but failed miserably. Frank clenched his hands into fists, and I raised my palms in surrender.
“Kidding. Kidding. I won’t say it anymore.” When his hands unclenched, I mumbled, “To your face.”
“Let’s have a drink.” Nick raised one of the shot glasses I’d brought for us with a bottle of tequila, and set it on the table in a damn good distraction tactic.
“Great idea. Here. Drink this.” I poured a shot of tequila in front of Frank and waited for him to pick up the glass. “It will help calm the nerves.”
“I’m not nervous.” He glared at me but took the drink anyway.
“I wouldn’t be either,” Nick lied, pouring himself a shot and downing it.
“Fine. None of us are nervous.” I poured another round for us. “Drink up.”
“Why are we drinking?” Frank growled as he adjusted his tie.