Hunter cleared his throat and reached into the cooler for a beer. “Time for a subject change.”
I could see the frustration on Aiden’s and Kyle’s faces, but I sympathized with Hunter. I knew exactly how he was feeling.
When I looked away from him, I caught Aiden and Kyle exchanging a glance.
They knew. Somehow, the two of them knew what had happened with Arabella, or at least suspected. Kyle had never said anything, but that day he took Arabella and Abby hiking, something had changed between all three of them. Kyle seemed to be…protective of Arabella, without really trying to show it.
Kyle must have sensed the need to move on, because he laughed and said, “Poor Abby thinks she’s pulling off the greatest secret ever, and everyone knows it’s a wedding and not a luncheon.”
I couldn’t help but smile. “Someone is going to have to record it all, so I can see her face when she realizes everyone’s in on it.”
“Greer’s going to record it,” Kyle stated. “She’ll use my phone. Nothing records better than my Samsung.”
Hunter, Aiden, and I all let out a groan. “You and that damn phone, dude. It’s like you’re in love with it.”
Kyle smirked. “I’m sorry if my phone kicks your phone’s ass when it comes to photos and videos.”
Hunter slowly shook his head. “Do you sleep with that thing too?”
“She’s right next to my bed, always ready and waiting if I need her.”
“Christ,” Aiden mumbled. “You really need to get a girlfriend, dude.”
Kyle shot Aiden the middle finger, then looked back at me. “Best man again?”
“What?” I asked.
“You need me to be the best man again? I’ve got you covered, bro.”
I could see from the corner of my eye that Hunter was trying not to laugh.
“Nah, I don’t need you for that. I already asked Aiden.”
Not missing a beat, Aiden lifted his beer to me. “I won’t let you down.”
Hunter dropped his head and suddenly seemed interested in something on his hardwood floor.
“You asked Aiden to be your best man?” Kyle snapped. “Dude, how could you do that to me?”
“You already had your chance,” Aiden offered up.
Kyle’s eyes went from me, to Aiden, then back to me. “I’m hurt, bro. Like, hurt. I thought we were like brothers.”
“Kyle, you’re all like brothers to me.”
“But…you asked Aiden?”
“What’s wrong with asking me?” Aiden questioned, actually seeming a little pissed by Kyle’s question. I was struggling to hold it together.
Hunter finally lost the battle and started laughing his ass off. Aiden soon joined in, followed by me.
Kyle stared at us with a confused expression. “What’s so fucking funny?”
I held up my hand for him to give me a second to catch my breath. “I’m fucking with you, dude. I’m not going to have a best man. Arabella already told me Abby isn’t having anyone stand up with her. She wants to keep it simple.”
Kyle dropped back into his chair, a look of relief on his face. “I knew you were kidding the whole time.”
“Sure you did, Kyle,” Hunter teased as he reached down and scooped up Cat. “Was your daddy a little butt hurt, Cat?”
“Put my damn dog down, Turner.”
Hunter did as Kyle asked, and Cat took off running and jumped right on top of a sleeping Jack. The two started to play once again.
“Kyle, I need you to do something even more important than be the best man,” I said.
He perked up. “I’m listening.”
I cleared my throat as I rubbed at the back of my neck. “It’s more like a favor.”
He frowned. “Why do I feel like I’m not going to like this favor?”
The corner of my mouth lifted. “Do you think you can find a jacket with flowers on it?”
He sank back in his chair. “Fuck. I’m for sure not going to like this idea.”
Hunter set his beer on the coffee table, then rubbed his hands together. “Oh man, I can’t wait to hear this.”
“Hunter, can you ask Bree to take photos?” I asked, pointing at him.
With a nod, he said, “I’m on it.”
“Aiden—” I looked at him and narrowed my eyes—“can you drive the tractor and cart people from the house to the greenhouse, since the weather’s calling for snow?”
He huffed. “Please—can I haul people back and forth? If I can take top-secret photos for the Pentagon, I’m pretty damn sure I can handle this.”
Kyle groaned.
The three of us focused on him. “Kyle, I need you to be our flower guy.”
His mouth dropped open as Hunter and Aiden both tried not to laugh.
“Flower. Guy,” he slowly repeated.
I nodded. “Yep. The flower guy.”
“What the fuck is a flower guy, Bishop?”
Trying not to laugh, I said, “You walk down the aisle before Abby and toss out flowers. From one of those fanny pack things.”
“Fanny packs? Do they even make those anymore?” Kyle asked.
Hunter handed him his phone. “Here, I found a video on TikTok you can watch.”
Hunter hit play and Kyle watched. When the video ended, he looked around at each of us. I held my breath, waiting for his response. Out of all my friends, I knew Kyle would do this job right. He was carefree and not afraid to have a little bit of fun. Plus, I knew he’d do it for me, but mostly for Abby. “Where am I going to be able to find a flower jacket before Friday?”
“Does that mean you’ll do it?” I asked.
Kyle’s face morphed into a wide grin. “Hell yeah, I’ll do it! It’s like this role was made for me!”
It turned out not to be hard for Kyle to find a flower jacket after all. Maddie, who owned the Bee Sew quilt shop in town, had flower fabric on hand. She took a few of Kyle’s measurements and had the jacket made in one day.
Kyle slipped the jacket on and looked in the floor-length mirror in Maddie’s office at the back of the store, smiling like a damn fool. He was taking his job as flower guy quite seriously. “Maddie, this is amazing.”
She beamed with pride. “It was so much fun to make! And here—” She handed Kyle a bag. “I embellished a fanny pack for you.”
Kyle laughed as he read what she’d put on it, then showed it to me.
“Official flower man,” I read, trying not to laugh. It shouldn’t have surprised me how serious Kyle was taking this role. He was like a brother to me, and if anyone knew how special this day was for me and Abby, it was Kyle. He had been there for me through thick and thin. When I went through my phase of trying to fuck Abby out of my mind, he never once judged me. When I went through the guilty phase that came after, he talked me down from the ledge. He was the brother I never had but had always wanted.
Gifting Maddie a smile, he practically purred, “It’s perfect, Maddie.”
Anytime Kyle Larson smiled at a woman, I was pretty sure their panties exploded, and apparently Maddie wasn’t an exception. It didn’t matter if they were married or single. Kyle had a way with women.