Chapter Forty

Tommy

Killian huffed out a sigh as he stood next to me and groaned softly. I tried to ignore him, but when he did it again, I turned to look at him. He popped a brow, sighed again, and rolled his blue eyes before he smirked at me . Always needed to be the center of attention. Dramatic, much?

“Are you bored? Do you need me to entertain you? I was always good at juggling.” I asked.

Killian shrugged. “Uh, yeah. There’s literally nothing here for me.” He pointed at the display case in front of him. “Why am I even here? I’ve stepped foot in one jewelry store in my life, and that was for Matthias.” His eyes widened. “Wait a second, are you looking for a ring for Blake? Is that why we’re here?”

“I was thinking about it.” I chewed on my bottom lip. “You think he’ll say yes?”

Killian flashed a smile. “Yeah, man, I know he’ll say yes.” He nudged me with his shoulder. “You make Blake happy.”

“Do I?” I asked.

Killian nodded. “Blake was...” He stopped as he tried to gather his thoughts together. “Not the same person without you. I was a dick, Maverick was an asshole, Dean was hiding, but Blake? Blake was just fucking existing. He hardly smiled, he never laughed, and it felt like he was just going through the motions. Buy your guy a ring, Tom. Make him yours.”

“You’re not a dick, Killian.”

“I was. And I’m sorry for treating you like shit when we were younger.”

My jaw dropped. “We were kids,” I muttered under my breath.

I had wanted nothing more than to befriend Killian as a teen. He was so cool in my eyes, the way he could work a crowd, the sound of his voice. I idolized my brother, but Killian was on a whole other level. He had everyone eating out of the palm of his hand, and he knew it.

“Just let me apologize.” He flashed a smile. “I was a monster, and being a kid doesn’t excuse that.”

“Apology accepted.” I stopped as one of the rings caught my eye. It was perfect.

Killian snorted. “That was way too easy. You should have made me grovel. Maybe get down on my knees and beg you to forgive me.”

“I mean, if you want to get on your knees for me...” I barked out a laugh when he shoved me. I didn’t even budge. “What do you think of that one?” I pointed to the case.

Killian leaned down. “That gaudy thing?”

“Gawdy! It’s beautiful.” I gasped.

Killian shrugged. “I don’t know. It feels like a bit much to me.”

“Good afternoon! How can I help you today?” A perky brunette appeared out of nowhere. Her dark eyes widened when she caught sight of Killian, and her cheeks flushed pink. “Oh, wow, Killian, I can’t believe you’re here.” My eyes flicked to her name tag that read Linda.

Killian broke out into a smile. Not the same one he saved for Matthias, the one that made his dimples pop and his face glow, but friendly enough. It was probably the one he used for photoshoots, interviews, and running into his old girlfriends. Although I wasn’t sure he realized who she was.

“Thanks, I appreciate that.”

“What can I help you with today? Are you looking for something special?” Linda’s eyes darted between me and Killian.

I shook my head. “We’re not together.”

“Fuck no, we’re not,” Killian muttered. “Sorry, Tom, you’re just not my type. I’m Matthias-sexual.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’m very aware of that.” I pointed to the ring inside the case I had been eyeballing. “Can I see that one?”

“That one is ugly, man. Why don’t you look at something smaller? Not so showy. Like that one.” Killian pointed to a slim, silver ring encrusted in diamonds. Hmm, that one wasn’t so bad, but it didn’t scream Blake to me.

Linda happily removed both rings. “This one is a yellow gold with a bezel set cushion diamond weighing 1 1/2 carats.” She held it toward me.

I imagined dropping down to one knee, popping open the box, and confessing my love to Blake for the rest of my life. I pictured his face, a happy sunshine smile pulling at his lips and the way his eyes would shine. Would he say yes?

“And this one—”

Killian stopped her. “He’s going to buy the gold, gaudy-as-fuck one.” He glanced at me. “Right, Tom?”

“I am.” Because it felt like it already belonged to Blake. I could see it on his left finger, sparkling with every turn. Showing the world he was taken. “I want this one, please.”

Linda asked me some details for the ring. If I knew Blake’s size, when I wanted it by, and how I would be paying. Once she walked away to put the information into a computer, I turned to look at the singer next to me as he gazed down at the jewelry. He shuffled over slightly and peered into the case.

“You know who that it is, right?” I asked when his blues met my browns. “You kind of dated her, I think, or maybe it was just sex, but she went to school with us. She graduated with Matthias, Helena, and me.”

His eyes went round. “I did?”

“You don’t remember?” I asked.

Killian turned to look at her. He tilted his head to the right and then the left before he shrugged.

“You really only saw Matty.”

He flushed. “He was all I saw. I might have messed around with some girls, but he was the only one I wanted. I didn’t know how to deal with those feelings at first. My teenage years were a disaster on steroids.”

“You’re doing okay, man. He knows you love him.” I squeezed his bicep.

Killian ducked his head. “Why didn’t you invite Matthias to come with you today? You were always closer to him.”

“I thought about it, but you extended the olive branch when you invited me to the party at Helena’s. I appreciated that even if I was rude about it. I figured this could be my olive branch,” I told him.

Killian’s shoulder shook as he laughed. “Olives are gross.”

“It’s just a saying. Don’t take it so seriously,” I teased as my phone buzzed in my pocket. I slid it out to see a text from my brother.

Jackson: We’re having a great time! It’s so gorgeous. But not as gorgeous as my husband.

He had included a photo of the two of them on the beach, their eyes hidden behind ridiculous sunglasses and giant, cheesy smiles on their faces. Maverick’s cheeks were rosy from the sun, and my brother’s skin was already beginning to tan.

Tom: Shouldn’t you be enjoying that husband? Stop texting me and have a great honeymoon.

Jackson responded with a heart emoji, just as Killian grunted.

“Look at these two idiots.” He held out this phone to show me the same picture Jackson had sent me. “Maverick won’t stop sending photos to our band chat. I knew that was a bad idea to suggest it before he left. I keep threating to leave.”

“I think it’s sweet. He’s happy.”

Killian hummed in agreement. “He is.”

Linda came back over with my credit card and a receipt. She glanced at Killian before directing her attention back to me. We hadn’t run in the same circles in high school but had been to more than one Mulligan show together. Although she preferred throwing herself at the singer.

“How have you been, Linda?” Killian leaned his hip against the counter.

Her eyes widened. “Good, I’m good. I... you remember me?” she whispered.

“Sure, yeah, I mean, we had some fun together,” Killian answered. He was smooth, I’d give him that. No wonder he had a legion of fans.

Linda giggled. “You’re gay, Killian. I knew that back then. You were never that into me. You were always mooning over Matty Fuller, who I heard is your fiancé now. Congratulations.”

“He is, and thank you.” Killian didn’t correct her. He tapped his finger against the glass. “I’d like that.”

“He’s going to love it.” Linda removed the item and held it out for Killian to see. The black necklace was exactly what I would expect from Killian. An anatomically correct heart hung from the end.

Killian chuckled. “He’s going to hate it,” he murmured with a grin.

“Why do you say that?”

He pulled his bottom lip between his teeth. “I just want to lavish him with my love, and he gets a little embarrassed. Maybe I should rephrase that. Matthias won’t hate it; he’ll just be uncomfortable.” Killian tucked a curl behind his ear. “I only want him to know how much I regret what I did. The time we spent apart nearly killed me. Matthias is the best part of me.”

“I know exactly what you mean.”

“When do you plan on asking him?”

I met Killian’s blue orbs as I thought about my answer. “I’m not sure yet. I think I just wanted to have the ring in my hand. For it to seem real.”

Linda came back and placed Killian’s jewelry box on the case. She told me it would take a week before the ring would be ready. I half listened as Linda and Killian made small talk while I thought about the perfect way to propose. Should I make it romantic? Would Blake want something private or public? What if he said no? We hadn’t been back together all that long, and I had lied to him. But he had forgiven me.

“You’re thinking too hard about this, Tom.” Killian’s voice broke into my thoughts. “Just wait until the time is right. It doesn’t have to be some big elaborate thing. You love him. Show that to him.”

He was right. “How did you do propose to Matty?”

“In the treehouse. Where I first kissed him and where we first...” Killian’s voice drifted off as he coughed. “Anyway, it was the perfect spot.”

I wasn’t sure if I would ever get over the way Killian was when it came to talking about sex with his fiancé. It was, well, sweet.

“I kissed Blake by the pool the first time. Pretty much mauled him.”

“I bet.” Killian snorted. “Just don’t make a big deal out of it. Blake’s not going to say no. I’ve never seen him with anyone else, no matter how hard he tried to pretend.” He grabbed the bag with his necklace and waved his hand at Linda as she wished him well. I followed behind him. “Let’s bounce, man. I need to surprise my Matthias.”

And I had one for my Blake.