“Thank you. So do you, handsome.”
I take a sip of my red wine and look around the restaurant. It’s an upscale outdoor restaurant that’s nestled among plants, trees, and vibrant flowers that creates privacy for each table. You can still get a salty smell from the ocean every once in a while, when the breeze hits just right.
“Have you put any thought about when you want the big day to be?” Liam asks.
We all spent the day at the beach. It was a good day. I didn’t feel so tense around Kai and Liam. It felt nice to finally relax.Then, Liam asked if I wanted to go to dinner, just the two of us. I said yes, knowing he would bring up the wedding. Why wouldn’t he?
“Well, I’ve always wanted a summer wedding, and since summer is almost over, I was thinking next year.” I have always wanted a summer wedding, but at least by next summer, I’ll have my shit together. “When were you thinking?”
“I would marry you right now if you’d let me,” he says with a wink and a small grin.
I can’t help but feel like such a bitch, feeling this way while I have a great man sitting in front of me, loving me. Is it just me who’s scared? Am I the one with cold feet and fears because of what Kai said? I need to take a step back, breathe, and start planning my dream wedding. That’s what I need to do to help me move forward and put an end to all this second-guessing.
“Have you ever thought about how you want your wedding to be?” I ask curiously as I lean in closer.
Liam pauses, his brow furrowing slightly. “Honestly, I haven’t spent too much time on it,” he admits. “I imagine it being somewhere outdoors—maybe a beautiful garden or right on the beach. I want it to feel relaxed, you know? Just a celebration of us.”
I can’t help but smile at his vision. “That sounds perfect. I’ve always dreamed of lots of flowers and fairy lights hanging from the trees. I want it to feel magical.”
“Magical sounds good,” he agrees. “I don’t need anything extravagant, just the people who matter most to us.”
I nod, feeling a warmth spread through me as we talk about it. “Well, I have a few ideas floating around in my head, but I want your input, too. It’s our day, after all.”
“Sure,” he replies. “I want to be involved. We’ll make it a day we both love.”
As we keep talking about our future together, the weight of my earlier doubts starts to fade. This is exactly what I needed.
The poundingin my head jolts me awake. Glancing around, I see it’s still dark out. Liam’s chest rises and falls steadily beside me. I sit up slowly, immediately regretting all the wine I had at dinner. I always forget how bad wine headaches are until I overdo it. Wincing from the pain, I slip out of bed and head to the kitchen for a glass of water.
The only light in the kitchen comes from the moon, shining high and bright through the windows. Not wanting to wake anyone, I leave the lights off. Suddenly, the sound of someone clearing their throat startles me. I spin around, and there, in the shadows, is Kai, sitting at the dining table in the dark with a bowl of ice cream in front of him.
I let out a small gasp, my heart racing. “What are you doing here in the dark?”
Kai grins, completely unfazed as he licks his spoon. “Ice cream. Why are you awake?”
I lean against the counter, taking a gulp of water, trying to calm both the pounding in my head—and now the pounding in my chest. “I couldn’t sleep. Too much wine.”
He raises an eyebrow. “Dinner must’ve been good, huh? Or are you drinking to forget about me?”
I roll my eyes, though a smirk tugs at the corner of my lips. “It was good. And no, I couldn’t forget you even if I tried.”
“You sure about that?” he says, leaning back in his chair, his gaze fixed on me with that familiar grin he always has on his face when we’re together.
I can’t help but laugh softly, shaking my head. “You’re impossible, you know that?”
“And you love it,” he shoots back, taking another spoonful of ice cream. His eyes never leave mine, the air between us thick with the tension from what was said the other night.
“Maybe I used to,” I mutter, glancing away to avoid his gaze. But even as I say it, heat creeps into my cheeks. What am I doing? I haven’t flirted with Kai since I’ve been with Liam. We’ve always had this type of innocent flirty going on, but I stopped that once I got with Liam. It’s like the conversation I had about my wedding earlier flew out the window now that Kai is around.
Kai sets the spoon down, leaning forward, his voice lower and more serious now. “You didn’t answer my question. Did you really enjoy dinner? Or were you just going because you felt like you had to?”
I meet his gaze again. I know what he is getting out. This is a dangerous conversation to be having with Kai, yet here I am. “Dinner was... fine.” Itwasfine. I felt good about the conversation we had and the decision I made to myself to plan the wedding. Kai was barely a thought in my mind once we got more into it. So why is it that, every time I'm around him, everything else goes out the window?
“Sounds like you’re settling?” he says.
I blink, not knowing how to respond, my breath catching in my throat. “It’s not that simple, Kai.”
“It could be,” he murmurs. “It’s only as complicated as you make it, B.”
