The bus pulls into a parking lot, and I look out the window to see that we’re at Tire Depot.
“What are we doing at my office?” Kate asks with an amused frown.
“I forgot my wallet.” Miles grips the back of his neck with a weird expression. “Dean said the bus could make a quick stop.”
The bus lurches to a halt, and the door opens, causing the smell of rubber to waft in like that awful candle Kate still has.
“Grab me a cookie while you’re in there, babe.” Kate swats Miles on the butt as he stands.
He turns and holds his hand out to her. “Actually, I was hoping you’d come with me.”
She frowns and looks up at him in confusion. “Why?”
He runs a hand over his short, black hair. “I want to show you something.”
She shoots me a look, and all I can do is shrug. He’d better not be taking Kate inside for a quickie because this is supposed to be Dean’s night. Although, glancing over at Josh, all cute in his jeans and casual tee, drinking a beer and making friends, I’d probably be up for a quickie right about now myself.
Kate begrudgingly takes Miles’s hand, and he pulls her off the bus, but instead of heading toward the shop where I assume his wallet is, he walks her over to the Tire Depot marquee located by the curb.
My eyes widen when I see Kate’s name scrolling across the screen. “What does that say?” I ask, turning to Josh who looks as confused as me.
Everyone suddenly turns to look out the bus windows, effectively blocking my view. I stand and carefully make my way off the bus because there’s no way I’m going to sit back and not see what’s happening out there. The entire party ends up following, and by the time I stand in front of the bus bumper, Miles drops to one knee.
“Is he proposing right now?” I shriek, cupping my hands over my mouth to mirror Kate’s reaction as the sign spells out: MARRY ME, KATE.
“He is definitely proposing,” Dean confirms, sidling up next to me with a knowing smirk.
I jab him in the arm with my elbow. “You knew about this?”
He scoffs. “You think I’d actually make Tire Depot a stop on my birthday party bus?”
“Oh, my God,” I exclaim and obnoxiously shush everybody so I can hear what Miles says.
“Kate Smith—” he says, holding a ring box out to her. His lips open to say more, but the sound of a really obnoxious power tool blasts from the shop at that same moment.
“Seriously, who is working on cars at Tire Depot right now? It’s six o’clock at night,” I hiss, shooting daggers at the garage like my sheer rage can will the tool to stop making noise.
Dean cranes his neck forward, turning his head to try to hear. “I can’t hear him at all.”
“Me either,” I mope, crossing my arms over my chest as Miles’s lips move while Kate laughs and tears stream down her face.
Dean sighs. “I’m sure he’s saying something like…Rubber, blah, blah, blah. Tires, blah, blah, blah. Suspension and free coffee, blah, blah, blah. Danishes and cookies are complimentary for life, blah, blah, blah. Marry me.”
“This is romantic to exactly no one but these two freaks,” I croak, my eyes filling with tears at the sight of my best friend getting engaged.
The power tool stops just in time for all of us to hear Kate cry, “Yes, I’ll marry you!” She falls into his arms, her lips locking with his as he holds her face, the ring still in his hand.
I turn wide, watery eyes to Dean who deadpans, “Twenty bucks says they name their first kid Michelin.”
I burst out laughing and holler out some cheers for the newly engaged couple all the while marveling at the comedy and the beauty of this whole scene. It’s so perfect for Kate that I could die of happiness. How she found the man who embraces her brand of crazy so completely and gives himself so freely in return is a beautiful, wonderful, magical thing. We could all be so lucky.
“That could be you next, Lyns.” Dean half smiles and hugs me to his side. “You and Josh seem to be good together. Falling in love with your baby daddy wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world, you know.”
My body stiffens at Dean’s remark.
It scares me to hope.
Hope can be painful when it’s crushed. And the truth is, despite how far Josh and I have come in the past few weeks, he’s still holding something back. Something that makes him guard his heart from me. And the longer we go on like this, the more painful that barrier becomes.
Where is Josh anyway?
When I turn, he’s standing by the bus watching the scene with a peculiar expression on his face. He offers me a small smile that I reciprocate.
It’s always half with this man.
Am I crazy to wish for whole soon?
Well, tonight is nothing like I expected.
The group finish toasting Miles and Kate with champagne and cookies in the parking lot of Tire Depot in front of the marquee that exclaims SHE SAID YES.
Apparently, the party bus birthday plans for Dean were all a ruse for this elaborate proposal by Miles. I’m not going to lie, though, proposing in a parking lot of a tire shop doesn’t seem all that romantic to me. But hell, Kate and Lynsey have been crying happy tears the entire fucking night, so what do I know about romance?
We climb onto the bus and continue the bar-hopping tour. As the night progresses, an uneasiness creeps up in my shoulders. Marriage isn’t something Lynsey and I have discussed. It’s certainly nothing I ever wanted for myself, considering my past, but I also never wanted a baby, and now I’m having that.
Life sometimes has other plans for you.
Lynsey’s happiness for her friend clearly shows that she holds marriage in high regard. Is this something I could give her? Perhaps marriage is what’s best for everyone—the baby, Lynsey, and me.
If we’re married, there’s no chance of confusion for where we stand in our relationship. And if we’re married, I can take care of them forever.
By the time we pull up to Pearl Street Pub, I’m so deep in my own thoughts that I excuse myself from the group to head downstairs to the bathroom to try to snap myself out of this mindfuck I’ve gotten myself in.
When I’m on my way back up, I run into Dean on the steps.
“Having a good time?” Dean eyes me up and down.
I purse my lips and nod. “Yeah sure, and Happy Birthday, by the way.”
Dean laughs and shakes his head. “Not really the point of tonight, but I get why you, of all people, would choose not to notice that.”
My brows furrow. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Something tells me you’re not the marrying type, Doc,” Dean says as he walks down the three steps separating us so we’re on the same level.
I narrow my eyes. “I really don’t know why you think you know me so fucking well, but it’s starting to get on my nerves.”
Dean shrugs. “I know that you’ve had Lynsey under your roof for months now, and you guys are still just what…fucking?”
I bristle at the fact he knows about our situation. It exposes and irritates me because I’d rather Lynsey not confide in Dean about anything pertaining to us. Dean isn’t in my corner, so I’m sure he’s doing everything he can to get her away from me.