Page 145 of Friends Don't Kiss

“Nope, and no one better tell her anything.”

“She’s gonna love it,” she says, then peeks inside. “Oh, Colton—that looksawesometoo.” She clasps her hand in front of her mouth to keep herself from shrieking.

I wish I could tell Kiara what I’m working on, but I don’t want to ruin the surprise. Or seem like all I’m doing is trying to influence her while she’s still in Paris. But fuck do I wish I could make her feel all the love I have for her, from the other side of the ocean.

And I’m not trying to influence her. I’m just being me. This is what she gets with me.

Fuck but I want her.

“When is she coming back?” Emma asks, as if it was a done deal.

I shrug. “End of the month, unless she gets a job offer right away.”

She frowns. “She’s not gonna do that.”

“She might. That’s the whole point.”

“I thought the whole point was for her to beef up her pedigree, so to speak, so she would get the backing of a bank. That’s all she and I have been talking about, before she left.”

“I don’t want to force her hand. If she gets a job offer that’s too good to pass on, I don’t want her to not take it on account of…” I’d wave toward my project, but what I really mean is “me.” And yet I don’t know how I’ll live without her if she does.

“How long will you be in Paris?” she asks, confusing me, then adds, “Ohmygod you’re going to propose in Paris, right? Please say that’s your plan. I can help you strategize. And Willow can help.”

“I’m not going to Paris,” I groan.

“What?” Emma exclaims as I turn around to get to work.

I can picture it. Me in my walking boots and leather jacket, on the streets of Paris. Rain falling down my face. Her in spiky heels, wearing some pretty dress she would have bought recently, smiling sadly at me under a cute umbrella, telling me she has other plans.

No thank you.

The whole point of Kiara going to Paris is for her to find herself. Explore other options—better options.

“She needs to know that you want her,” she states.

I chuckle. “I think I’ve made that clear.” If phones could blush, mine would be perpetually crimson.

“It’s not just aboutsex, you know,” Emma spits, looking at me like I’m the one who started this weird conversation. “She needs to know you want to make plans with her. For the future. You sure you don’t want to tell her what you’re doing?”

“Certain.” Last thing I want to do is bribe her emotionally. Kiara needs to feel free to live her life the way she wants.

“You should propose,” Emma states, crossing her arms.

“I’m with her!” Luke shouts from the second bay, where he accompanied Orson to look at the undercarriage of his Mustang.

“I will propose. Eventually.”

Emma rolls her eyes. “See, that’s what I’m talking about. Women want to be wanted. Feel wanted. No matter what they say, they want a ring that says someone’s…” She huffs. “That kind of thingmeanssomething to women. Kiara included.”

It would mean something to me too. When Kiara comes back, I’m asking her to marry me. I’ve missed her too damn much. It doesn’t make sense to spend another minute with her as just my girlfriend.

Emma stomps away, mumbling something about having work to do. I start working too, my thoughts staying on Kiara.

From the outside, it looks like I changed her life. Supposedly rescued her from living in her car. Found her a job. Helped her with other things.

But she’s who rescued me. From being removed. From trying not to care about the people I should care the most about. Behind her tough attitude, she’s all sweetness and wanting to make the world a soft, kind place, when it’s been so hard on her. She made me see how wrong I was to avoid conflict. “I’m not gonna propose when she’s across an ocean,” I say, mainly for myself.

“And why not?” Luke asks, suddenly materializing where Emma was. “I could write you a song for her.”

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