Page 80 of Cloud Nine Love

“We’re together,” I blurted out.

Both Ruby’s and Kane’s eyes shot to mine. Their expressions were blank. I couldn’t tell what they were thinking.

“How long has this been going on?” Kane asked in his most intimidating, interrogation tone, which I’m sure he used on suspects.

“We met in the airport in Chicago, so, since the night before you picked us up at DFW,” Remi explained.

A wide smile spread on Ruby’s face as she held out her hand, palm side up, toward Kane. He sighed, pulled out his wallet, and then handed her several twenty-dollar bills.

“Did you have a bet on this?” Remi asked.

“A hundred bucks,” Kane replied.

Ruby looked like the cat who ate the canary as she counted her winnings. “This is only eighty.”

Kane pulled his wife in for a kiss. “I’m good for it.”

“So, wait a minute, how long have you two known about us?” I asked.

Ruby waved her cash. “I knew something was going on when we picked you up from the airport. I could tell there was a vibe. Then, when Remi told us about a woman he’d met while we were eating lunch at The Spoon, I suspected it was you. When we had the BBQ before the wedding, I told Kane, and he didn’t think there was a chance. So, I bet him a hundred bucks.”

Kane shook his head as he defended himself. “I knew you knew him; I just didn’t think you were the mystery woman at the airport bar who had a sleepover.”

Ignoring his emphasis on sleepover, I asked, “How did you know I knew him?”

“You didn’t flinch. When he took your luggage. You didn’t flinch,” Kane explained. “And when I asked if you wanted me to ask Ruby if she’d sit in the back seat, you said it was fine. You trusted him, which meant you knew him.”

“If you guys knew something was going on this whole time, why didn’t you say anything?” I demanded.

Kane shrugged his left shoulder. “We figured you guys would tell us when there was something to tell.”

Ruby’s smile widened. “Also, it was sort of fun watching the two of you try to hide what was going on.”

“You were not subtle.” Kane lifted his glass of wine and took a sip.

I thought about pointing out that he and Ruby weren’t exactly subtle either since I figured out that they were in love with each other when I was halfway across the world from photos posted on the town’s Facebook page that were taken when they’d gone to Movies in the Park, but I figured that might seem petty.

Ruby clapped her hands silently with enthusiasm. “So, is this official? Are you two a couple?”

“Yes,” Remi responded instantly.

Ruby squealed as she picked up her glass of wine and took a sip.

“But she won’t let me pop the question for another eleven months and sixteen days,” Remi explained, even though no one had asked.

Ruby choked on her wine when he made his declaration.

Kane grinned. “You’re counting the days?”

“Yes.”

Ruby patted her mouth, which had wine dribbling out of it. “Wow, so it’s serious, serious.”

“I’d go down to the courthouse tomorrow.” Remi shared the same thing he’d been saying to me for the past two weeks.

Kane lifted his glass in cheers. “To two of my favorite people in the world finding each other. I could not be happier for you both.”

As we cheered, I wondered why I’d been so in my head about Remi and me. Clearly, it wasn’t the bombshell I’d thought it was. Had I wasted two months of my life worrying, stressing, and overanalyzing? What if I’d pushed Remi away? What if I’d ruined the single chance of true happiness that I had in this world because I’d been too scared of what people would think? What did that say about me? Did I even deserve Remi’s love if I hadn’t been brave enough to accept it from the start?

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