Page 83 of Lyrical

“Are you going to let me see the ring?”

“When it’s on her finger.”

“Come on, Chase. Pleeeeease.”

“No.”

She didn’t know that I had it on me, but then again, she probably did somehow.

“I’m her best friend.”

“And Jillian’s my future wife. I want her to be the first one to see it.”

“Hmph.” She was wearing down, but I knew she wasn’t giving up yet. “You didn’t even buy it from my store. I would’ve helped you picked something out.”

“I think I did pretty well on my own, and it’s not a new purchase. I’ve had it for a while now.”

“What’s a while?”

“A while.”

She scrunched up her face when the mic screeched through the room. Then she sighed and tilted her head back against the wall. “I knew it, Chase. Ever since New Year’s, I had a feeling. Fuck, it’s been four months. Why’d you wait so long? You know she’s gonna say yes.”

“Daniel.”

“Yeah.” She nodded. “Can I ask you something a little personal?”

“If I say no, aren’t you going to anyway?”

Perry smacked me on the arm and laughed. “You’re going to make a perfect best friend’s husband.” She drummed her lips. “Actually, you’ll be my brother-in-law too. But getting back to it…. Speaking of Daniel, are you going to want kids of your own someday?”

I flinched, a bit taken aback. I wasn’t expecting that question at all. I would’ve thought something more along the lines of wedding night lingerie or honeymoon sex positions.

“Sorry if my question bothered you.”

I let out a long breath and stuck my hands in my pockets, fingering the curve of the metal, the hardness of the stone. “Yeah, I’d love to have kids.” It wasn’t even a topic I’d covered with Jillian yet, but not from lack of trying, and I wasn’t convinced it was one I should be having with Perry.

“If Jills doesn’t feel the same, would you still want to marry her?”

It was a question I’d asked myself before. It didn’t take a whole lot of deep soul searching to come up with the answer. As much as I wanted children, it wouldn’t hold the same meaning without Jillian in my life. She was everything to me, and I couldn’t give up an absolute for a possibility.

I looked her dead-on. “Yes. I would.”

She stared back, squaring me off before I noticed the smile, her face softening. “I know, Chase. I just wanted to hear you say it to be sure.” She rested her hand on my shoulder. “If there was ever a couple meant to spend their life together…”

“What’re you guys doing over here?” Stephen had come up beside us, and I wondered what had taken him so long.

“… besides us, of course,” Perry finished, wrapping her arms around him.

“What?”

Perry flicked me a look, and I nodded. Shit, if she already knew, then Stephen was nothing. I didn’t have to worry about him slipping up and saying anything to Jillian. But that was it. I didn’t want anyone else knowing until that rock was securely on her finger.

She squealed, bouncing up and down, her serious side slipping away as she jostled Stephen around.

“Hey, watch it now.” He held up his beer so she didn’t spill it. “What’s going on?”

“Ours isn’t going to be the only upcoming wedding in the family.” Perry grinned up at him.

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