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“I’m glad to hear you say that.” Declan looks at Aubrey, who glances in my direction from the corner of her eye.
My stomach sinks.
“Why?” Rylan asks.
“My wife-to-be told me the other night how much she misses the four of us hanging out.”
Oh god.
“And we’re sick of this whole ‘I’m on your side, she’s on yours’ thing. We all used to be best friends,” he continues.
A strangled groan erupts out of me.
“So, we’d like it if for the next three weeks, we push all the shit between you two aside.”
“We’re fine.” Rylan looks to me for confirmation.
“Yeah, we’re… great.” My voice is a little too upbeat, and if anyone knows I’m lying, it’s the two people sitting across the table from us.
“Let’s face facts here. We’re gonna have a kid someday and guess who the godparents are going to be? You.” He points at the two of us with the pinkie and pointer finger of his right hand. “Another event where you’ll have to stand next to one another. This isn’t the last time you’ll be thrown together because of us.” His hand disappears under the table, and I’d bet money it’s on Aubrey’s leg. Oh, how I miss the feel of Rylan’s hand on my knee. “We can’t all walk on fucking eggshells the whole time.”
“So you’re ambushing us?” I ask Aubrey more than Declan because it’s not like her.
“We didn’t ambush you, we just… we miss us and Declan’s right, this isn’t going to be the last time you guys are thrown together because of us. We thought it would be best to get it all out there.”
Declan pushes a hand through his hair. “Aubrey’s stressing so much, she’s up in the middle of the night because she can’t sleep and she’s skipping meals.”
My gaze meets Aubrey’s for clarification. She nods. My chest squeezes painfully.
“But we’ve been fine together,” I say. I’m not exactly sure what they want from us.
“You tolerate one another,” Declan says. “I don’t want to argue about this. We want you both to be a part of this day, so we’d like you to attend the tasting for the meal as well as the cake, as well as picking out the songs for the DJ and any other stuff that comes up.”
Rylan leans back in his booth. “You’re kidding me. No other maid of honor and best man do that stuff, do they?”
God knows he’s been a part of enough weddings with his nine siblings that he’d know.
“Some do,” Aubrey says.
Rylan stares at her for a beat, then sets his gaze back on Declan. “Are you two trying to get us back together?” I’m glad he asked, because it was on the tip of my tongue. “Because I’m here to tell you that we’re not not together for lack of trying.”
Rylan putting a finality on our future coats me like a thick layer of paint. I know we want two very different things out of our lives, but I guess I never truly considered the door locked and bolted. It sounds like he has.
“Hell no.” Declan puts his arm around Aubrey. “We would never want you together again. We just want you two to be able to coexist. One day you’re each going to have your own partner, and if you guys are already friends again by then, it’ll make it less weird when there’s six of us hanging out.”
I look toward the counter hopefully for that server and the pitcher of beer.
“I’m not trying to be an asshole here, Ry, but you haven’t really been involved in much as far as the wedding goes. C’mon, this is my big day.”
Rylan sighs beside me. “I was playing, man.”
“I know, but you had some days off, you could’ve flown home. We specifically scheduled the couple shower and engagement party around your schedule, and you missed them.” Rylan opens his mouth to speak, but Declan puts his hand up to stop him. “I know you had an injury the team had to see to, and you couldn’t leave Chicago. It’s just… you’re my best friend, and this is an important time in my life and I want you to be a part of it.”
Rylan slouches in the booth, his head thrown back. Declan has a point. When Rylan’s in season, the rest of his life is shut off. He has tunnel vision. I see the guilt Rylan’s expression. He’s always combative when he feels guilty. So I’m pretty sure he’ll be anywhere they need him to be from this point forward.
“Fine,” he says. “You have me whenever you want me.”
“Man, imagine the ladies who would be jealous hearing you say that,” Declan says.
