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“Yeah.” She just stood there for a moment, beset by the strange cloud of awkwardness that had settled over her. One that she had never experienced before. It was upsetting, to say the least.
“I need to call Byron. I’ll feel better.”
Lachlan drew back, one brow lifted. “Oh. Yeah. Of course.”
“Right. Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow probably.”
“Yeah.” She turned away. “So,” Lachlan said. “You think he’s going to get you a ring?”
“Do I... I haven’t thought of it.”
“You’ve been engaged for a long time. With no ring. And no wedding date. That’s all I’m saying.”
“Are you questioning his commitment to me?”
“No. Not at all.”
“Because it doesn’t matter to me. I don’t care. And if I did care I would say something.”
“I know. So I guess I’m not really questioning his commitment to you. I’m more questioning your commitment to him.”
Anger fired through her veins, because how dare he? What had she done to become the focus of his nonsense? And what did he know about anything? He was having one group date with a woman, and he felt like he had the right to comment on her years-long association with a man who fully intended to marry her?
“I don’t want to get in a fight with you,” she said.
“We’ve never had a fight ever,” Lachlan said.
“Well, you’re edging very close into fight territory, Lachlan McCloud. Because you’re being... You are being... Anasshole.”
He started. Probably because he had never heard her say such a thing. And in truth,shewas a little surprised that she had.
“How?” he asked.
“You don’t have any right to comment on my relationship. None at all. I didn’t ask for your input, and it’s not fair of you to undermine that. Especially not now. I lost my dad, and everything feels awful, and scary and sad. And you’re supposed to be my friend, and you are one of the good things in my life. Picking at the other good thing in my life is just... Well, it makes me question your usefulness.”
“Well,” Lachlan said. “God forbid my usefulness be called into question. I do live to be useful to you, Charity.”
“You infuriate me,” she said, and she got into her car, breathing heavily.
He took a couple of steps toward her; then she decided to pull out anyway and drive toward home.
As she did, the silence in the car seemed to settle heavy around her, and she had no idea what in the hell was happening. Why was she this upset? Why had he made her so angry? Because normally he could make whatever comments he wanted and it wouldn’t matter. She would just sit comfortable in the knowledge that she knew the truth about her life, and he could merrily go about not understanding Byron all he wanted.
But it was because... Because she wasn’t sure. That was the problem.
She wasn’t sure.
Not about herself, not about him, not about anything. And it just felt... It felt extra awful to have her friend doubt her in the middle of all that.
Or maybe it just felt extra awful to know that she was losing him.
Because that was the stark truth of it. If Fia Sullivan ended up with him, if she sat at his right side for all the rest of the poker games ever, then Charity didn’t really have her place anymore.
You aren’t supposed to. You’re also getting married. You’re doing your thing. He’s doing his. It’s good.
But it didn’t feel good. When she pulled into the driveway, she realized she hadn’t left the porch light on again. And she leaned her head against the steering wheel and cried.
CHAPTER NINE
