“Two hours ago, the two women in my life were ecstatic. One of them shining so bright she rivaled the sun.”
“And now?”
“Now I’m preparing to give Poppy away.”
“What’s the problem with that?”
“Not my place to say.”
I turn to him. “Man, in a short while, you are walking my bride down the aisle and acting as my best man. You got something to say, now is the fucking time to say it.”
He rolls his lip between his teeth and stares upward.
“You object to this. Are you gonna mess it up?”
His face flings to me. “Fuck no.”
“Then now’s the time to unload.”
He glowers, his eyes darting across my face. “You think I’m gay.”
“It’s none of my business.”
“I swing both ways with men and women.”
“Good for you.”
“I love Poppy.”
My stomach churns, and I blow out a breath. “Shit.”
“Not like you think. The moment I laid eyes on her at that audition, my first thought was she was the one to move the pendulum. But then she bested me in an improv and things changed. She came over afterward and sat with me, asked me to join her for a workshop. The woman wiped the floor with me and she wanted me to teach with her. I knew then, she was pure and beautiful. She was special in a way few are. Her future as a performer was guaranteed, but there was so much more.”
I can picture it clearly in my mind. “I’m not taking her from her dreams.”
“No, because you are her dream.”
His words sink in and hit me in the gut. “What’s the problem?”
“I looked into you.”
I rock on my heels and wait for him to go on.
“The custom-fit suits, the financial stereotype, the lifelong bachelor, none of the traits I’d picture her with. But the family man that invests in a bakery to give his sister a chance for love in her life, a successful businessman with clients waiting years to work with, the young academic that worked with his professor to restructure scholarship requirements for the less fortunate and took no credit—that is the man I’d put her with.”
Fuck, this guy had to dig deep to find that last piece of information.
“You research her family?”
“Yes,” I admit and a burn slides through me. “She knows this.”
“You know they carried on, accomplished their goals, and threw her under the bus?”
“Yeah.” The burn flares.
“She didn’t follow that. When she was done, she was done. Ryanne and I decided long ago to watch in case she ever became a focus.”
“Appreciate that, but what does it have to do with tonight?”
“You love her.” He dodges my question.
“I do.”
“Twenty-three days isn’t long.”
“That’s rich coming from a man who just admitted one look at her could swing you straight.”
This earns me a grin. “Touché.”
“Is that why you’re pissed? Because I’m moving fast?”
“No. Even if this was a year down the road, it’s exactly what she’d want. I also respect a man who knows a good thing and isn’t willing to waste time.”
“I’m getting fucking tired of the guessing game, Dante. A few weeks ago, you put me to the test, wanting to know if I had staying power, and here I fucking am about to marry her, promising to love her for the rest of my life. What is your goddamned problem?”
“If I didn’t believe you, we would not be standing here. It would crush Poppy’s heart if she knew how I felt, but so be it. Regardless of what I know about you and the way you make her happy, you’re not good enough for her.”
I lurch back, staring at him, then roar in hilarity.
His expression goes hard and his mouth forms a tight line.
“You think I don’t know that? I’m not stupid. I’ll consider myself the luckiest motherfucker on the planet if I get her down the aisle before she figures it out. Then it will be my lifelong job to keep her in the dark that she’s hitched herself to a bum.”
He studies me, his mood shifting. “Not sure I’d consider a millionaire a bum, but same concept.”
Then I realize he really looked into me.
“I love her, Dante, and support her in every way. I’m relying on you more. Shuffling across the country isn’t a problem for me, but it’s not possible for her. Your role in her life isn’t changing.”
“I always will take care of my Pips.”
“Now that we got that out of the way, you think you can drop the scowl and enjoy what’s happening? I’d hate for my children to look at wedding pictures and see you looking like you want to murder someone.”
He cracks, his body relaxing. “Yeah, I can do that.”
“We need to go in and pick out the flowers.”
“You know what she likes.”
“I do, but it will mean more to know you were a part of it.”
He blows out a breath, nodding. “In a little while, you’ll get the understanding that Poppy doesn’t need to be kept in the dark on anything. She’s all in on this.”