Dan coughs on his sip of beer, wiping a hand over his mouth before answering. “What doesthatmean?”
“It means she wants me to wear the most ostentatious, uncomfortable, gaudy dress I’ve ever seen in my life.”
His brows furrow. “Um, Lark, I’m no expert, but isn’t the bride meant to choose her own dress?”
“Not when you’ve got someone like Cordelia in charge.” I grimace. “Honestly, it was easier to just let her get her way.”
“Listen, I don’t want to be rude or anything, but that doesn’t sound like the greatest attitude to have about planning your wedding,” he says, wincing. “Sorry.”
My sigh is long and drawn out. “You’re not wrong.” My laugh comes out a lot harsher than it probably should, but Dan doesn’t say anything.
He’s never come out and said he thinks I shouldn’t be with Baron, not like Willow has. Part of me wishes he would, because in the back of my mind, there’s always been a quiet voice questioning what if… What if I was single when I met Dan? Would something have happened? Even though he’s never once made a move outside of friendship, we’ve been mistaken for a couple before when we’ve gone out just the two of us for some reason.
He’s a catch, and I’ve always wondered why he’s single but never been brave enough to ask. I told myself I had no business asking since I was in a relationship.
And now? Now, I’m trying to figure out how I ended up here, engaged to a man I don’t actually love. Feeling trapped andknowing I let myself get to this point.
Torn between wanting to walk away from it all and being terrified of disappointing everyone if I do.
And beneath all of that, the voice continues to whisper. What if I walked away from it all…
Chapter five
Monty
“And then, Marcus said girls suck at baseball, and Sydney punched him the stomach. It was awesome.” Grayson pumps his fist in the air as he bounces beside me on the bench outside of the ice cream shop we stopped at after playing catch for an hour.
Whoever says you shouldn’t eat ice cream in November is wrong. There’s never a bad time for bubble gum ice cream. Yeah, I said bubble gum.
“You know he’s totally wrong, right?” I say seriously. “Girls are just as good at baseball as boys. Sometimes they play the game differently, and they call it softball, but that doesn’t mean it’s easier. They pitch fast and hit hard.”
“Yeah, I know. We had a girl on my team last season, and she hit a home run.” He slurps at his rocky road ice cream cone as I silently beam with pride. In the three years I’ve spent as Grayson’s Big Brother, he’s come a long way from the sullen boy he was at nine years old.
Growing up as an only child, all I ever wanted was a sibling. Someone to play with, to teach and help grow. I was overflowingwith affection and a desire to be friends with everyone around me. Sure, it made me popular in school, being the class clown, the fun guy to have around, but it wasn’t the same.
Which is why, as soon as I could, I signed up for the Big Brother program. It took a while to find a match, and even once Grayson and I connected, it took some time for us to actually bond. But now, my time every other week with him is something I look forward to.
It helps that he’s developed a love of baseball, and his mom doesn’t try to take advantage of my fame in any way. She’s just a single mom trying to do right by her kid, struggling with a low income in an expensive city.
It’s why I break the rules occasionally and hook them up with gear I can get from my sponsors. It’s also why I anonymously donate equipment to his baseball league. Because I know how powerful sports can be for kids.
“Can you come to my game this weekend? It’s the last one for the fall season.” Grayson turns his hopeful gaze on me. “Coach said you could help me warm up if you wanted.”
I hide my smile. I’m sure his coach would be more than happy to have a major league catcher warm up his pitcher. Truthfully, I don’t mind. I like hanging with Grayson, and being around other kids that love baseball is fun. Even if the coaches and parents get a little much sometimes.
“I’ll be there. You been working on those shoulder mobility exercises I showed you? Lark wanted to know how it’s going.”
“Yeah, I do them every night. I think it’s helping. Hey, can she come to the game, too?” Grayson’s voice cracks slightly, and once again, I’m biting back my grin. Dude’s got a little crush onLark. Not that I blame him, of course.
“I’ll ask her.”
“Cool.” His head tilts down as he stares at his ice cream. “Hey, Monty. Can I ask you something?”
“Of course. Anything, you know that. Open book, man.” I turn on the bench to face him slightly. “What’s up?”
“So, um. Like, there’s this girl at school.” He shifts in his seat, eats some ice cream, and darts his gaze up to me, then back down, his cheeks starting to colour.
Meanwhile, my palms start to feel sweaty. And for a guy that relies on steady hands and quick reflexes, sweaty palms are a rare occurrence. But he wants to talk about girls? Oh shit.
