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“Then I’ll buy cases and cases of glasses for you to break every day you need to. It could be your workout routine.” There’s a hint of a smile on Ryan’s face, as if he’s waiting until he can joke about this with me. It makes me wonder how he’s figured me out so quickly.
I chuckle, imagining drinking my morning tea while working out by tossing glassware. “Careful what you promise.” I sink back down on the couch. “Tell me the good parts.”
“We’re never going to fall out of love, Charlie.”
My brow knits. “Who says I love you?”
“You can’t help it. It’s part of the true-mate attraction no matter how hard you fight.”
I cross my arms. “Sure.” But even as I deny that I love Ryan, I realize it’s not true. The rush of warmth in my heart every time I look at him or think about him betrays me.
Ryan places his hand on my knee, the heat of him seeping into my leg. “My love for you is so strong that I’d kill to protect you.”
“Even Kevin?” I joke.
He smiles. “Even Kevin.”
I find myself smiling back. “Excellent. We off him and then run off to Canada. Or Mexico.”
“And live happily ever after?”
“Exactly.” But I sigh as reality returns.
A knock sounds on my door just before it opens. “Whoa!” Val says as she gazes at the broken glass and the puddles of water and tea. “What happened here?” Then she waves her hand. “Stupid question.” She glares at me. “Why is it I had to find out from Abby you’re getting married tonight? Got to say, I’m surprised, but when it comes to love…”
She sighs dreamily then clutches her tote bag to her body and stretches her leg out to step as far over the shards of glass as she can. “We have so much to get done. Dress, hair, makeup.” She freezes in place and gasps. “You need a ring too.”
Then, as if she just noticed he was here, she says, “Hey, Ryan. I’m Val.” She continues walking to my coat closet and retrieves the broom I keep there.
“Hi,” Ryan says, an amused smile on his face.
He gets up and takes the broom from her, and she turns to me. “We don’t have time to shop, but I can work with your white sundress.” She clunks her tote bag down on the coffee table. “Short is so chic, and if anyone can pull it off, it’s you.”
Val pauses and puts her hands on her hips. “Why are you just sitting there? Go get your dress.”
I jump up, because when Val goes into mother mode, it’s wise to listen.
“Put the dress on and—” She stops, turning to the man in my apartment. “Ryan, you can’t see the dress before the wedding, so grab the trash and take it down to the garbage can behind this building. And don’t come back inside until I say you can.”
He raises his eyebrows at me and says, with a hint of laughter, “Will do.”
Then my crafty friend begins to pull things out of her bag. Lace, beaded trim, ribbons, and even small white-silk flowers. I would ask if she had all of this on hand, but I already know she did.
Val motions for me to stand on the coffee table and grabs the fabric of the sundress near my waist to pinch it tighter. “Tell me what’s really going on.”
“I’m getting married.”
“Uh-huh,” she mumbles with a straight pin between her lips. She removes it. “Why?”
“Isn’t that the whole point of the app?”
Val steps back and tilts her head to survey the makeshift darts she’s pinned then walks behind me. “Charlie, what is going on? What aren’t you and Abby telling me?”
“I—” As much as I want to tell my friend what is going on, I don’t need to find out there is some worse punishment Kevin can inflict on Ryan and me. Or that Val could be killed for knowing about the werewolves too. “I’m just nervous. This is a big step for me.”
“Uh-uh. There’s more to this, and I know it.”
I sigh from deep within my chest. “I’m trying to learn from my mistakes.”
