The lobby had emptied in the minutes they were outside, with a random hotel guest or a guest from one of the weddings still wandering the space. As they walked back to the ballroom, Caroline came out, holding her dress.
“Where were you?” Caroline asked frantically.
“We took a little break outside,” Zoey said. “Is there something wrong?”
“Derek just challenged my grandpa to a wrestling match,” Caroline said.
“Wait, he’s back?” Jonathan asked. Caroline’s brows scrunched.
“Derek was being obnoxious, so Addison took him back to the room so he could sober up,” Zoey said quickly.
“Well, someone should stop it,” Jonathan said, lunging toward the reception space.
“Not necessarily,” Zoey said, holding up one finger.
“My grandpa was Army Special Forces and a world-class wrestler. He’s made out of steel. Derek is going to get the shit beat out of him, and I thought you might like to see it,” Caroline said. “I don’t think Grandpa will drastically hurt him but…”
Zoey and Jonathan said nothing as they beelined to the reception. The music was eerily low as Grandpa Dale and Derek faced off against each other. Most of the wedding guests crowded around the impending match. Derek teetered on his feet, even drunker than the last time they saw him.
Zoey looked around the room and spotted Addison by the window, holding her fist to her face. Zoey walked to her and leaned in. “What is going on?”
“Grandpa Dale tried to stop Derek from drinking anymore, and Derek went ballistic,” Addison said tonelessly. “He thought it would be a good idea to come back to the wedding and immediately wrestle a seventy-two-year-old war veteran.”
“Are we going to stop this? Call hotel security?” Zoey asked.
“No,” Addison said. “I’m tired of constantly making excuses for him. Let him get a black eye.”
“I am done with you giving me shit and telling me how to act in my relationship. Take this, old man!” Derek exclaimed. They watched as Derek made the first move, wrapping his arms around Grandpa Dale’s barrel of a chest. Grandpa Dale swung around and jabbed him in the nose. Derek’s hands flew to his nose with a cry of pain. Grandpa Dale then flipped Derek onto his back and jammed a boot to his throat.
“It’s a good day when I get to humble a millennial!” Grandpa Dale exclaimed. Jonathan, Brady, and Dan swarmed the dance floor and picked Derek up like he was a corpse on the battlefield and dragged him out as Derek spewed insults back at Grandpa Dale. Grandpa Dale did not respond, just slammed an abandoned whiskey neat and sat back down. A few people approached to check on him, but really, it was to be close to greatness. A few people clapped, including Aunt Lisa and Taylor, who whooped with a spinning fist.
“Thank God my mother isn’t here,” Addison said, putting her water down. “I’ve really fucked up this wedding.”
Zoey’s jaw dropped; Addison never cursed. Addison took her bouquet off the table and grabbed Zoey in a tight, rib-crushing hug. “I love you,” she said.
“I love you too,” Zoey said. Addison pulled away, wiping away tears. Zoey had tried in the past to talk her out of dating Derek, pointing out his flaws and the way he treated her, but Addison had always just smiled and nodded. She always wondered why Addison stayed with Derek, but Addison kept a lot of things to herself. While Zoey vomited emotions, Addison choked them down.
Taylor walked over and rubbed Addison’s shoulder. “You can sleep in my room. I only have one bed, so we’ll have to share. Or, I’ll sleep on the floor…”
“That would be great. Thank you, Taylor,” Addison said, her forehead crinkling. She took Taylor in for a hug, and Taylor rubbed her back.
“There’s something I have to do,” Addison said. She grabbed both of their hands and walked away, letting her hands drift away from theirs.
Taylor crossed her arms. “Do you think she’s going to do it?”
“God, I hope so.”
The guys still hadn’t returned after fifteen minutes. Zoey wandered out of the ballroom and noticed all of them sitting back, watching something on a collection of couches. When she saw Addison standing over Derek with her arms crossed, Zoey ducked behind a huge fake plant.
“Derek, you need help,” Zoey heard Addison say.
“I tried this weekend. I really did!” Derek shouted through the makeshift ice pack.
“The drinking is out of control,” Addison said. “You’re lucky my grandpa isn’t going to press charges.”
“I should press charges on him!” Through the leaves, Zoey saw Addison crouch down. Derek held the towel to his nose, and his eyes looked at the ground, not at Addison.
“We’ve been through a lot together. I love you,” Addison said, brushing his hair out of his eyes. “But I can’t do this anymore.”
“No, Addie, please don’t,” Derek said. He hunched over and full-on wailed. “I don’t know who I am without you.”
Addison leaned forward and kissed him on the forehead. “It’s time you find out. And I need to find out who I am as well. Promise me you’ll go to a meeting. Promise me you’ll get some help.”
He nodded. Zoey watched Addison stand up and nod. Dan walked over and whispered something in Addison’s ear, and she nodded. The three men pulled Derek up and carted him off to the elevator.
Suddenly, Addison stood in front of her, and Zoey looked up with a guilty smile.
“Hi,” Zoey said, waving.
“Why are you hiding in the bushes?” Addison asked.
“I’m nosy?”
Addison looked back at Derek, being escorted to the elevator bay. “Did I just break up with him?”
“I think you did.” Zoey stood up, and Addison walked into her arms. Addison cried, making Zoey’s shoulder slick with tears. Zoey saw Caroline over Addison’s shoulders and waved her to come over. Caroline wrapped her arms around Addison and connected linked arms with Zoey.
“I am so sorry I ruined this weekend,” Addison said to Caroline.
“You didn’t,” Caroline said, her arms still linked around Addison’s frame. “This is the best day of my life. I got married, our two best friends got back together, and you finally dumped that loser.”
Zoey felt a swell of emotion at Caroline proclaiming she and Jonathan were back together. She had no idea what they were. Jonathan and Brady appeared in front of them.
“Dan just handcuffed Derek to the bed with fuzzy handcuffs,” Brady said with his hands up. “Don’t any of you fucking mention my sister.”
Everyone stepped back.
“Dan will stay with Derek tonight to keep watch, and he offered to drive him back tomorrow.”
“Maybe I should date Dan,” Addison joked.
“Nooo,” Zoey said. “This feels incestuous enough. Just please don’t.”
“This is the craziest wedding I have ever been to,” Jonathan said as he walked back into the ballroom with her.
Just then, Aunt Lisa popped up from behind the DJ booth and snatched the microphone from the DJ. Lisa yelled into the microphone, “Who’s ready for some limbo?”