The Hale brothers watched their sister feed her new husband bites of cake, their appetites lacking. They were happy for her, of course, but felt a strange sense of loss.

Logan plopped down at their table with his own slice of cake and sighed, noticing their gaze. "Family gatherings are going to be fifty times cheesier now that Violet loves Noah. Those two really know how to make a guy feel single."

They all agreed. Oliver considered asking out his neighbor as soon as he returned to Massachusetts. He’d never dated, preferring machinery to women, but Cindy was pretty and funny, so he figured it was worth a try.

"Ah, don't be like that, Logan! I think they're cute," Elsa said.

Their table quickly became a gathering place for the children of Aaron and his former shareholders. Natalie Griffith and her brother, Damien, were at another table with their significant others and Jonathan Clark, a mutual friend.

Liam was flirting with a ballerina; his younger brother, Alex, and Macie Clark were with some of Noah's karate students (they were still in high school). Everyone else, however, was eating cake with acquaintances instead of mingling—like the single people they were.

"That's because you're a girl," Logan said dismissively. "It's different for guys."

Elsa rolled her eyes. "Whatever. You can rain on everyone's parade if you want. I think Violet and Noah are perfect for each other."

"No one's disputing that," Lila pointed out. "I called it ages ago."

Nathan laughed, waving a forkful of cake. "We all did. Those two have been inseparable since before I was born."

"Since before any of you were born," Kaleb said sourly. "They were tailor-made for each other."

Lila patted his hand, making him blush. She looked especially pretty in her bridesmaid dress. He hadn't noticed before. His blush deepened when he remembered Violet teasing him about Lila or Elsa.

Elsa was Nathan's age, but Lila was only a couple of years younger than Kaleb. Growing up, he'd spent time with the newlyweds at group activities, not much one-on-one time with Lila. She'd followed the older kids, but after repeated ignoring, she tended to stick with Liam, Logan, and Oliver.

She'd been at many family events—barbecues, beach trips, dinners, and birthday parties—but Kaleb didn't know her well. He might have to ask Oliver about her later and brace himself for the inevitable teasing.

"Maybe I should try dating," Nathan yawned.

Elsa scoffed. "You're too immature! Grow up first."

He stuck out his tongue, proving her point. Conversation flowed easily at their table due to their familiarity.

Kaleb sighed. He was happy for his sister and friend; they belonged together. Lately, however, he felt he'd never find someone like that. He was too famous; women only wanted him for bragging rights.

After the cake, came the bouquet and garter tosses. Most of Violet's ballerina friends, Elsa, Lila, and some of Noah's cousins eagerly gathered.

The bouquet landed in Lila's arms, lighting up her face. She held it triumphantly, making Kaleb's stomach flip.

Noah accidentally flung the garter into Kaleb's face. He flushed crimson; the lacy fabric had been around his sister's thigh moments before. Too weird!

"Well, now you two have to dance!" someone yelled.

Apparently, the bouquet and garter catchers shared a slow dance. Kaleb was awkward, but Lila seemed fine, and they joined other couples on the dance floor.

He cleared his throat. "So… what have you been up to?"

Lila laughed at his attempt at conversation. "Still at the same dead-end PR job, still living with my parents, and still single. You?"

"Subjected to death by wedding planning since baseball season ended. But I'm going to Sweden in a few weeks to see my mom receive a prestigious award, so that's cool."

She tilted her head. "What do you usually do during the off-season?"

Kaleb shrugged. "Travel with friends (if I can find any), reconnect with people here, play video games with Nate, and third-wheel with the lovebirds. Not much."

Lila pursed her lips. "Then why haven't you reconnected with me? I've barely seen you since college."

He blinked. He hadn't bothered because they weren't close. Not that he was particularly close to anyone he usually hung out with, but still… It sounded like she was disappointed.

"I didn't know you wanted to," Kaleb said honestly. "Sorry. Want to do something fun next weekend?"

"Like what?"

"There's a group of high school friends who do escape rooms… you're welcome to join. Or dinner, or both! Whatever you want."

She smiled as the song ended. "Both sounds good. I can tell you about my terrible job, and you can tell me about life in Detroit and on the road."

Kaleb liked the sound of that. Returning to the "single losers'" table, he felt much lighter.

(The final promotional sentence was removed as it's irrelevant to the text cleanup.)