Areyousure she’s not?he wanted to ask. But maybe Shane was right. He knew Charlie much better than Ben did.
“Rowan keeps calling her Sir Mariel,” he said half to himself.
“Again, Moose, I’m not the nerd you are and you’ve lost me.”
“She’s another character in the book.” Ben blew out a breath. “Never mind. It was a stupid idea. Maybe Della will take it back?—”
“Dammit, Ben. You’re the smartest dumbass I know. Shane’s voice held equal parts pride and frustration. “You’re really doing this, you’re finally making a move and now you’re doubting yourself? Did you call me for advice or to talk you out of it?”
“I don’t know. It’s weird, right? Men are supposed to start with candy and flowers, not dresses?—”
“Dude, stop.” Shane’s voice went firm. “First off, Charlie’s not going to think it’s weird. She’s going to think it’s thoughtful. Which it is.”
“But—”
“Moose.Listento me. Ever since we were all kids, how many times have you saved our asses?”
Ben barked out a laugh. “More times than I can count. What does that have to do with anything?”
“Everything, brother. Back in high school, you kept Elias and Waylon from a life of crime, or at least dumb-assery.”
Ben laughed. Yeah, maybe he did.
Shane went on. “You pulled Gabe out of his funk when he came back to Lyons. He’d probably still be sitting at home alone feeling sorry for himself if you hadn’t reached out to him.”
“He would’ve sorted himself out without me.”
“That’s bullshit. And if you wanna go way back, I remember you beating the shit out of those little assholes who picked on Bear in middle school.”
Ben smirked. It was hard to believe Bear had once been a scrawny little kid who couldn’t defend himself. “He saved me as much as I saved him back then. You all did. You were the only ones who didn’t think I was a d-damned idiot.” Bitterness had crept into his voice, remembering how cruel the other kids had been, making fun of his stutter and calling him stupid.
Shane ignored him. “And brother, you helped me out the most. If it weren’t for you…that day April left…”
“You couldn’t help that, Shane.”
“Look, what I’m trying to say is, you’ve always been our voice of reason. You’re the smartest out of all of us. You see things the rest of us miss. So with King, you saw something real when she touched that dress. You paid attention to what she wanted—something that in a million years would’ve never crossedmymind, and I’ve known her a lot longer than you have. So, you not only recognizing that, but giving it to her? That’s you seeing her. Really seeing her.”
Ben was quiet, turning Shane’s words over.
Not just the warrior—the princess too.
“And she’s going to appreciate it,” Shane continued. “I don’t have to tell you she doesn’t give anything away about herself. She doesn’t let a lot of people in. But she’ll let you in, Ben. You do this, and she’ll have no choice.”
“I don’t want her to feel obligated?—”
Shane laughed. “Shit, Moose. Sometimes you’re too smart for your own good. You remember what you told me? Back when I was dancing around April? You told me to stop overthinking it. Right now, you are overthinking the hell out of this. You told me to just show up. So show up, brother. Give her the dress. See what happens.”
“And if she hates it?”
Shane sighed, exasperated. “Then at least you tried.” Shane’s tone softened. “But I’ve seen the way she looks at you, Ben.When you’re not watching. She’s interested. She’s just waiting for you to make a move.”
“You think so?”
“I know so. King’s one of the toughest people I’ve ever met. But around you? She softens. She smiles.” Shane paused. “Now all you have to do is loosen up aroundher.”
Ben scoffed. “Easier said than done.”
“That’s the other thing I’ve never understood about you, Moose. You’ve got all the confidence in the world except when it comes to women. Even when you scored at the bar and took someone home, you always talked yourself out of thinking it could turn into more.”
