With a shake of his head, he said, “I noticed your dad’s car out front. He’s onboard with this … insanity?”
“Took some doing to get him there,” I confessed. “He worries incessantly, even though he pretends he doesn’t. Still … Kyle, he likes Dane, despite not wanting to because he thinks he’s too extravagant, too … advanced … for me.” I rolled my eyes. I couldn’t exactly dispute the logic and said, “I don’t blame him. I don’t blame you for thinking the same. It’s just that—”
“Wait,” he interjected, holding up a hand. “That’s not what I think. I’m concerned about what happened to you just a couple of months ago, Ari. You were kidnapped and got the shit beat out of you. How am I supposed to condone that?”
“You’re not,” I said matter-of-factly. “And I appreciate that you were offended for me, upset, all that. But don’t, for a second, believe that Dane condoned it or that he wasn’t devastated by it. You saw him afterward, Kyle. You know he was as wrecked as I was. You can’t deny it. You saw him!”
Kyle’s teeth ground for a moment.
“Kyle. I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know.”
He combed a hand through his hair, the short strands falling back into their tousled place.
“You’re right,” he reluctantly said. “I just keep hoping you’ll get a little smarter about this.”
“I swear I’m of sound mind.”
He took a bit more time to pull himself together, then sarcastically said, “Think he’s worried I’m actually talking you out of this harebrained idea?”
I smiled again. “He anticipated the attempt on your part.”
“And still invited me.”
“He’s that confid
ent.”
“Arrogant,” Kyle corrected with a scowl.
“Yes. I’ll give you that one. But I do love him. And I want to marry him. Sometime this evening would be preferable.”
Kyle gave me a long look. “Why can’t I resist you—refuse you anything?”
“Because you want me to be happy.”
“That still doesn’t mean I’ll give up.”
I sighed. “You are just too much.”
We stared at each other, at an impasse of sorts, though he didn’t let me down. Eventually, he offered his arm and asked, “Shall we?”
Returning to the great room, I gestured toward the doors that led to the patio. “The ceremony’s just beyond the terrace.”
“Can’t believe I have to stomach all of this,” he said as he took in the enormous room and everything surrounding it. I knew he thought beyond the house to having to stomach me marrying Dane.
“You’ll get used to it,” I assured him.
My dad waited for us just outside, away from the others. Kyle squeezed my hand and said, “At least you didn’t keep this from me.”
“Still best friends?”
He nodded. “Doesn’t mean I agree with what you’re doing.” That razor edge to his voice, from two days before, emphasized his words and his disgruntlement. He paused contemplatively and asked once more, “You sure you know what you’re doing? This is a pretty serious step, Ari.”
“I’m sure of how I feel about Dane. How he feels about me. I want us legitimately bound to each other. It’s something I can’t escape.”
“It could be a huge mistake.”
“It won’t be.”