Page 111 of Wild Love
“Oh, good.”
“Good?”
He chuckles. “I didn’t tell Rauthruss either, so if you told her I was about to get an earful.”
“Yeah, probably better we don’t tell anyone. None of our friends can keep secrets from each other. It’ll be around the group faster than you can say holy elopement.”
“Holy elopement,” he says, grinning. “I know we’re supposed to keep things on the low, but can I convince you to be my date tomorrow night? Rauthruss wants to take Sienna to some fancy-ass restaurant downtown. I had to make a call to get us in.”
“Throwing your name around in this town, huh?”
“Just for a good cause.”
“I think it’s sweet. And yes, but three feet rule.” I look at the small space between us. “Scooch.”
“Yes, wifey,” he whispers and moves down the wooden bench.
* * *
The next nightwe’re led through an elegant restaurant where the sound of wine being poured into glasses overpowers that of the polite conversation around us. I feel like I need to whisper. As usual, Johnny fits right in. He stands behind me as I take my seat and then takes the chair beside me.
He looks too good to be true. He skipped the suit jacket and wears gray dress pants and a black dress shirt that’s open at the collar and rolled up over his forearms.
Rhett looks nice too, but his nervous expression tells me he isn’t as comfortable in this place.
Johnny orders a bottle of champagne which makes me laugh. Yeah, he fits in just fine here.
“I hear congrats are in order,” I tell Rhett after we have drinks in front of us.
His eyes widen, and he looks from Johnny to me. I feel like I’m missing something.
I try again. “Sienna told me that your hockey camps this summer were fully booked, and you already have a waiting list for next year. That’s so exciting.”
“Oh, that. Yeah, it went really well.”
“I guess having a national champ running it is good for business,” Johnny says and lifts his glass. “Congrats, buddy.”
The food is terrific, and we go through an entire bottle of champagne, then order another with dessert. I’m feeling happy and frustrated that Johnny is so far away, and I can’t touch him in here. Times like this where we’re not hiding, and we’re out doing things other couples do, I can see it. I can picture us doing this for real. But I don’t know what that would look like with us a thousand miles apart.
He catches me staring at him and lifts a brow. “See something you like?”
“Maybe.” I inch my chair closer.
He smirks. “Tsk. Tsk. Three feet.”
“Two and a half,” I say and slide my foot under the table so our legs touch. He drops a hand to my knee and grazes his fingers across my smooth skin.
I’m lost in his touch when Rhett clears his throat and Johnny’s hand on my leg stills and then squeezes in warning. He rushes to get his phone and aims it across the table. I look up in time to see Rhett get down on one knee. Sienna brings both hands to her mouth in a gasp, her eyes full of tears.
Rhett’s words are sweet, though I hear little of them because I’m too stuck in my own head thinkingI want that. All of that. To date, fall in love, move in together, get engaged. We’ve done things all wrong, Johnny and me, and there’s no taking it back. Can I really go back to Valley as his girlfriend after this summer? It all feels too messy.
“Yes!” Sienna shouts and frames his face with her hands. “Yes, I’ll marry you.” There’s polite applause around the restaurant.
Rhett slides the big diamond on Sienna’s finger, and then they go back to kissing. I run my thumb along the elastic on my finger. It isn’t about the diamond. It’s about the thought that went into it. Rhett probably spent weeks planning this moment. He was sure about his decision before he acted. It wasn’t a drunken whim.
“Congratulations!” Johnny refills our glasses with champagne, and we toast to the happy couple. I feel sick to my stomach, but I plaster on a smile for my friends.
We leave soon after. Johnny invites them to hang out with us and continue the celebration, but when we get to the apartment, they’re so lost in each other I’m not surprised when they decide to spend the rest of the night alone.
