“Yes.” Her voice cracks, but she managed to get it out. “Yes, I will. I love you. And this family.”
Ridge slides the ring onto her finger, and then they embrace for a long moment. We all clap and whistle, and then we hoot as they kiss. Tater is put on alert by all the noise and begins running around in circles and barking at all of us.
As Ridge and Darcy giggle and whisper to each other, I look over at Lyric. She’s staring at them with a fondness in her expression. Her eyes are wet, lip quivering. She never really struck me as a happily-ever-after girl, but seeing her filled with so much emotion now has me thinkin’ otherwise.
As if she can sense my gaze, Lyric looks over at me, our eyes connecting in the fire’s light. She presses her lips together in a line like she’s trying to bite back her emotions on my behalf. The look in her eye is eerily similar to that first night we shared when everything went wrong. Raw emotion—the kind that burns. The type that’s hard to bite back no matter how hard you try. It’s pure and powerful.
It’s that look right there that scared the shit out of me. I swallow back the urge to look away. She’s feeling this for her friends this time, not me. Because the look I’m talking about isn’t sexual or romantic. And it’s because this is about them that I keep my cool.
I wink and smile. She rolls her eyes and turns her attention back to them. When there’s an opportunity, I excuse myselfwith promises of champagne to celebrate and slide inside. It’s true, I will get the champagne. But I just needed a minute away from the group… and her.
After retrieving the glasses from the cabinet and the bottle of bubbly from the fridge, I turn to the faucet and splash a little cold water on my face. My eyes are still closed when I suddenly hear footfalls near me.
“What the hell did I just see?” Killian asks.
I tilt my head. “Uh, our friend got engaged.”
Killian crosses his arms over his chest and waits, like if he looks at me hard enough I’ll know what the fuck he’s talking about. I shrug at him to drive home my point.
“That little moment between you and Lyric. I saw it,” Killian says.
I gasp dramatically. “You mean when we made eye contact for like ten seconds? Oh no! Alert the town elders.”
“Listen, smartass, we both know it wasn’t nothing.”
I turn the faucet back on and splash my face again just to avoid confirming what he already knows.
“Oh, you guys definitely fucked.” He’s nodding his head vigorously, and his mind won’t be changed.
“Just stay in your lane, dude,” I say, tone slightly biting. “You got enough going on in your own love life. You don’t need to be poking around in my nonexistent one.”
“Trust me, man, I know. She’s my neighbor and she just kicked her loser boyfriend out, and I saw her throwingup, so I’m pretty sure she’s pregnant,” Killian says. This is his third recap saying the same thing. He’s got it bad.
He makes this part-laugh, part-sigh sound, and it’s pretty pitiful. I know he’s liked her from a distance for a little while now, and I know he kept his distance from her because of the previously mentioned loser boyfriend. According to Killian, he couldn’t keep a job and drained her savings account. I guess they’ve been having hallway talks in passing and she’s an over-sharer. But he sure is one smitten kitten.
“How about you don’t mention that Lyric and I are enjoying theconvenienceof the situation, and I won’t give you shit about being all drooly for a chick who’s literally in no position at all to start dating someone new? Deal?”
Killian nods slowly, relenting. “Here, let me get some of the glasses.”
“Yes, that’s the spirit. Do something useful and help me get the champagne out to the newly engaged couple, you fuck.”
“Fuck you. Fuck, there’s going to be a wedding.”
“Yes, that’s usually what happens next.”
“Do you think he’s going to make us wear suits and all that?”
“Maybe not him,” I say, tilting my head back and forth. “He’d marry that girl wearing a potato sack if that’s what she wanted. But I’m guessing she has higher standards than that for the wedding party.”
Killian looks positively pained at the thought. But all I can think about is how Lyric is going to look in whatever maid of honor dress Darcy puts her in. Sure, she hasn’t asked herofficially, but we all know that’s who it will be. I’m personally hoping it’s something silky that shows off her décolletage. I always liked that word, and I rarely have an opportunity to use it. Playing that Pals and Words game on my phone against Darcy has really sharpened my vocabulary.
We return fireside with the champagne and offer glasses all around. When everyone has theirs, I lift mine up.
“To Ridge and Darcy!” I shout.
Everyone shouts back in unison, and we all take a sip. When everything settles back down, I catch sight of Lou playing with Tater off to the side, so I walk over and sit right down in the grass alongside her.
“Hey there, Lou Lou.”
