“A gravitational experiment?” Mark demanded, eyes wide.
Improbably enough, I found myself laughing out loud. “Kind of?” I really did not want to explain how the experiment had been designed for use on Mark himself. “He wanted to show me that—”
I paused, thinking back over all the things he’d said Wednesday, especially when he was angry.
Then over the things he’d said last weekend.
And over the entirety of my damn life.
“Holy shit.”
“What?” Mark prompted.
“He wanted to show me that friends could be more than friends. To show me love didn’t have to be instantaneous, it couldevolve.”
I instinctively looked to where Dare had been ordering coffee, but he wasn’t there and neither was Moira, so they must be out back with Cal and Ash.
Shit.
But no, this was good. This wasgood. I needed a minute to think…
I rubbed my hands on my thighs. “What if he wasn’t talking aboutme? What if he was just talking about hypotheticals? Dare knows I believe in fairy tale love. He knows how much I want a relationship. He hasnevershown any desire to play my Prince Charming.”
Mark squinted at me. “But you said he was supportive and reassuring and hot and what-the-fuck-ever.”
“Yes, but—”
“So he doesn’t need toplayyour Prince Charming, like you’re casting him in a role. Heisthe prince because he’s Dare and you love him.”
Oh. My. God. It was like everything Dare had been telling me for years finally made sense. My jaw dropped, and I stared across the table at Mark like he’d just cracked a code… because he fuckinghad.
This was no fairy tale. There were no package directions for assembling this castle. And there wasn’t a Prince Charming in sight—not Dare, and sure as fuck notme.
There was just flawed, work-in-progress Brian Carr and Darius Turner, my super sexy best friend, doing life together the way we always had, except… better.
Because when we were together,everythingwas just better.
“Here you go!” Moira sang, setting a pair of coffee cups down on the table along with two giant slices of chocolate cake. She shot me a wink. “Enjoy, guys. Dare already paid for you.”
Mark kicked my shin with zero subtlety whatsoever and nodded at Moira.
Yeah, no, he and I were definitely going to be friends.
“Hey, um, Moira? Where’d Dare go?” I demanded. “Out back with Ash?”
“Oh, no. Ash and Cal are hanging at the Bar and Grill already. They’re supposed to be working on their vows, but you know they’re not.” She rolled her eyes. “They’ve only had a year and a half to write them, right? Why start now? Ash said he’s winging his anyway.”
“ButDare,” I prompted. “Where is he?”
“He left, honey.” She sounded surprised. “Five minutes ago. He said you and Mark were talking, and he didn’t wanna interrupt.” She leaned over the table just a bit. “Between you and me, I think he had a hot date. He was doing a lot of swiping on his phone.”
She winked again, and it hit me like an arrow to the heart. I literally slumped in my seat, rubbing my chest. Ofcoursehe had a date. No way was Dare sitting around pining forme. Not when there were a million other guys out there to comfort him and enjoy him and probably not be blind idiots foryearsabout him.
Mark pushed back his chair and stood. “Can Brian take the cake to go, Moira?”
“Uh… sure thing,” she said, looking at me in confusion. “But why—”
“We’re in a little hurry,” Mark said in a tone that brooked no nonsense. “Brian has to make it to Dare’s place before he turns into a pumpkin.”
