"And Meri doesn't want to see him," I realized, thinking quickly. "I don't think Meri needs to come, though."
He gave me a strange look. "Are you mad at her?"
"What? No!" I reached out for his hand, then pulled him a little closer. "Rymar, Meri doesn't understand Dragon things yet. She's learning, butIdon't understand all of them either, so how can she? I also know she'd be worried for me. She'd think this was like marriage, and after Gideon?"
"Yeah, I can see that," he said, moving his other hand to my waist and shifting even closer. "So should we hide it from her?"
"No, I'll tell her on my own," I promised. "I'll have Lessa help. Then, it won't be just my word about it - because she'd think you three lied to me. Lessa will probably say something about stinging Zasen, and that would be the reassurance Meri needs." But I paused. "Oh no."
"What?" he asked.
"Ididsteal Lessa's guy! I need to apologize to her!"
And he laughed, shaking his head. "No, she knows. Zasen went to the market to get that, and she ran into him. They had a talk, and it seems Lessa's realized Zasen was never hers. She liked the idea of them being angry together, but your friend Meri? She's teaching Lessa how to finally be happy, Ayla."
"I think Lessa likes Meri."
His mouth dropped open dramatically. "You're not supposed to notice that!"
"She said she likes women like that!" I huffed. "And when Meri had the baby? She was as worried as you were for Kanik! How could Imissthat?"
"Okay, fair point," he said. "What would you think about Meri liking Lessa?"
I paused for a moment. "I think Lessa's perfect for Meri. She's loud, and beautiful, and strong. She's everything Meri liked about Gideon, back when he was being nice, but Lessaisnice. Well, mean too, but mean like Zasen is."
"Mean how?" he pressed.
"Mean to help. Mean because someone has to be. The kind of mean that's good, even if you don't want it directed at you. The sort of mean that yells at me to help Meri, or yells at Zasen to help me." I paused, knowing I wasn't explaining it well, but then the right word popped into my head. "Protective."
"Yeah, she is that," he agreed. "But I was wondering, would it be okay if my parents come?Allof them?"
"Yes!"
"My mother will ask you about children," he reminded me. "She wants grandbabies."
I flicked a finger toward the living room. "I have a dog. She's enough work."
"Good answer," he praised. "And Kanik will want you to finally meet his family, if that's okay? They might ask the same thing."
"And I will tell them the same," I assured him.
"Good," he said, letting his eyes drop to my lips. "I have one more question."
"Hm?"
"How do I know when it's okay to kiss you? I want to all the time, ever since we went swimming, but I promised you I'd be a friend first. Ayla, I don't want to mess this up, so I'm asking. I thought it might be a thing the four of us can make ours."
"Asking?"
He nodded. "Yeah, so I won't worry if I'm moving too fast, or if you don't think of me like that."
My teeth had clamped down on my lower lip when his words sank in. Those looks, that was what they'd meant. He wanted to kiss me, or hold me - or more. He liked me the same way Kanik did, and he wasn't just being nice.
"How do I know when it's okay to kiss you?" I asked.
"Any single time you want to," he breathed, the words coming out a little deeper than normal.
"Good. I like that. Me too," I said, and then stepped in and stretched up, reaching for his mouth with mine. The hand on my hip pulled, tugging my hips against his. The other caught the side of my face, and this time, Rymar didn't stand quietly while I kissed him.
