Page 29 of Beachside Kisses With My Best Friend

“Geez, woman.” Landon reaches around her and pulls a chip from the bag she’s just opened, dipping it into what looks like Elisse’s famous homemade guacamole. “Have a little tact.” He shoves the chip into his mouth and groans.

“Look who’s talking. You wouldn’t know tact if it hit you in the face.”

They start bickering, the rest of the group dives into the food, and it looks like I owe Landon big time for distracting everyone from Elisse’s question. Our friends stay for a few hours—the guys watching the rest of the game with me, the ladies gathered in the kitchen talking about Chloe and Frederick’s upcoming engagement party on Friday night and a variety of other topics I’m not privy to.

We work as a group to devour the plates of brownies, seven-layer dip, and taco bar they brought over, but eventually, they start shuffling out the door, shouting once again their “congratulations” and winking that they’re excited to keep our secret.

After Blake practically carries an exhausted Lucy to their car, I shut the door and lean back against it. Marilee’s over in the corner of the room, looking up at the Christmas tree I haven’t had the heart to take down, because I know how much she loves it.

The room rings with the sudden quiet.

Shoving my hands into my pockets, I approach. “Hey.”

“Hey.”

“You okay?”

“Mmm hmm.” She spins the new ring on her left hand.

My heart stutters at the sight. “Liar.”

That causes a tiny smile to appear. “I’m just processing everything that happened today.” Her forehead wrinkles. “Do you think we made a mistake?”

“Lee, I hope you don’t feel pushed into this. I never wanted that.”

“It was my idea, remember?”

“Maybe I shouldn’t have agreed.”

She bites her thumbnail before blowing out a tremulous breath. “Until now, we’ve been in our bubble about this, only telling Blake and Lucy. But now, people are going to have their opinions, and we’re going to have to let all the townspeople think that we’re…”

I hate that she seems bothered by that, but Marilee’s the most honest person I know. “I wondered if you would have a problem lying to people.”

“I’m hoping that most people will just make assumptions, and we won’t have to lie. I can tell them I love you, because I do. They don’t have to know I mean as a friend, right?”

And I’ll admit—her words are a dagger to my heart. Because if I had any hope that Marilee saw me differently, her declaration crushes it into dust. “Yeah. Right.” My gaze latches onto an ornament made of popsicle sticks in the shape of a picture frame. The dried glue is clumpy and the sticks are crooked, but it’s perfect, because nestled inside the frame, a photo of Ryder grins back at me. “We just have to stay focused on our reasons for doing this and not let other people’s opinions get in the way. It’s not their business, Lee.”

“You’re right.” She leans her head against my upper arm. Her vanilla scent wafts upward, and the back of my hand brushes hers. It takes everything I have not to take hold of it, to weave our fingers together. But I’m going to have to ignore a thousand such impulses over the next year.

I thought I’d built up an immunity to the effect Marilee has on me, but living with her, being around her constantly, is going to test that resolve in a major way.

I reach out to straighten an ornament she gave me on my first Christmas with Ryder. It’s one of those wooden figurine ornaments of a dad holding a new baby. “That being said, if you regret this?—”

“No.” The word is solid, punctuating the air with certainty and force.

“You sure?”

“I’m really tired of people asking me that.” Her voice holds a tease, and I’m glad for the levity, however small.

“Sorry. It’s just you asked me if we made a mistake. I mean, maybe we did. Either way, it doesn’t really matter whatIthink.” I pull away slightly and turn her shoulders so she’s facing me. “Ifyoufeel like we did, that’s enough for us to march ourselves right to the courthouse and get an annulment. I would never trap you in this, Lee. But if you’re in it, so am I.”

Her face softens, and she launches herself into my arms. “Thank you for having my back, and for giving me a choice.”

“Always.” I hug her tight to my chest. I want to say more, to scream that I’m not Donny and never will be. But some part of me wonders if by marrying Marilee, I’m taking advantage of her, if I’m being selfish like he was. “And we’re going to make sure this marriage is a good thing for both of us, okay? So if you decide you’re ready to secure that loan, I’ll go with you to the bank and cosign on the dotted line.Haveyou decided yet?”

“Well.” Her arms squeeze my torso before releasing me, retreating a bit into herself as she hugs her own chest. “Marla asked me if I had any updates in my thinking yesterday during my shift.”

“And?” I start collecting dishes from around my living room, tossing the used paper products in the garbage and placing others next to the sink to deal with in the morning.

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