Perfect Alignment (Thorne and Dash 3)

“If I tell Marc he no longer needs to keep things quiet, and you tell Kathryn and Lauren, and I tell Susan, we won’t need to do more. They’ll take care of it.”

Thorne laughed. “You’re too right.”

“As usual.”

Thorne slapped his ass as he walked past on his way to get his briefcase. Yes, he was doing the right thing.

***

When Thorne tapped Kathryn’s name in his contacts, his heart pounded against his ribs. Why was he nervous? Kathryn had wanted him to propose, and she would love to be his…best woman? Or whatever they decided to call it. But she’d also have lots of advice, most of which he’d hate, and she’d side with Riley about fucking everything. The two of them together were scary.

“Hi, Thorne, what’s up?”

“I proposed to Riley when we were at the lake.”

“I thought you would,” she said, voice utterly calm.

“But—”

“After we talked, I was sure of it. I’d been wondering when you were going to tell me.”

She’d been a step ahead of him their entire lives. “You’re fucking insufferable.”

“Pot. Kettle.”

Thorne shrugged, though she couldn’t see him. “Fair enough.”

“So was he surprised?”

“Yes, at least I think so.”

“You’d have known if he was faking it.” Kathryn’s tone said she was certain about this proclamation.

“Probably. So, um…”

“Yes?”

“I want you to be my…”

“Best man?” She laughed.

“Yes, that.”

“I’d be honored.” At least now she sounded a little surprised.

“Really?”

“Yes, Thorne. It means so much to me that you’d ask. Did you set a date?”

“The third Saturday in December.”

“Oh, a Christmas wedding.” And now she sounded really excited. Damn it. “Just a sec. Let me check my calendar.”

“I don’t care what committee meeting you have, we’re not changing the date.”

“Thornwell Shipton, I’m looking to see what I might need to cancel and to block out the day of and the day before.”

“Okay, I had to be sure.”

“Of course you did. Now tell me everything,” she insisted.

“Everything? The extent of my knowledge of the world? I doubt I have time for that. I have a meeting in thirty minutes.”

“Asshole. Everything about the proposal.”

Thorne frowned at the phone. “Why?”

“Because I’m fucking curious that’s why.”

She’d hear it from Riley if he didn’t tell her. “Fine. I woke up and knew I had to ask him that morning or I might chicken out, so I left him a note that I was going to get coffee, and I went into the village.”

“Yes?” Thorne could hear the anticipation in her voice, and he was certain he was about to disappoint her.

“I couldn’t find a ring.”

“You thought you’d find a ring early in the morning by the lake? Where? At the fairy tale jewelry store that opens only when there is great need?”

“Now who’s an ass?”

She laughed. “Go on.”

“I…fuck. I’d probably lost my mind, but I ended up getting one at the grocery store.”

“A ring?”

“A Spiderman one from the toy-machine thing.”

“Oh, Thorne. You proposed with a plastic kids’ ring?”

It sounded even worse when she said it. “Ridiculous, huh?”

“No, it’s adorable.”

“Ugh. That’s worse. Riley insists on continuing to wear it. He never takes it off except when he’s baking something messy.”

Kathryn sighed, and he could tell she was holding back a full-on squee. “I absolutely love it. Thorne, that man is so good for you. Whatever he wants, just say yes.”

“You mean like when he wants a big Christmas wedding with all the trimmings, and I want to elope, but I give in because he gives me that look like he’s so fucking in love and so eager and so full of dreams he believes can come true?”

“Yes, exactly that. Wait. You can’t seriously tell me you were going to elope?”

“I thought we’d take a trip and get married while we were away. I wasn’t planning to keep it a secret or anything.”

“You do realize Susan and I would have thrown you a big party as soon as you got back, right?”

“I suppose so, but it sounded good at the time.”

“It’s not good. It’s terrible, and what would Mama say?”

Thorne leaned his head against his office window and gazed out at the city. “She’s not going to come to my gay wedding.”

Kathryn was silent for a few seconds. “I actually think she will.”

“Not if she or Dad are going to fuck it up. I don’t want any tension that day, for Riley’s sake, if not for mine.”

“Let me be the one to talk to her,” Kathryn said.

“You don’t think I should tell her?”

“No, I don’t. You don’t deserve to have to deal with that. They haven’t earned it from you.”

Thorne sighed. “I love you.”

“I love you too, and this is going to be fine. Tell Riley to call me.”

“Why?” Thorne knew the answer, but he had to ask anyway.

“So we can talk about plans. I know you’re not interested. If it was up to you, you’d foist it off on Lauren.”