Anyone But Rich (Anyone But..., #1)(64)

I’d seen enough movies to know one of two things was about to happen. He was about to draw a concealed weapon and light me up in slo-mo, or he was going to propose.

Neither made enough sense. A murder-suicide would qualify as a stupid plan, so it had that going for it, but Rich wasn’t that crazy.

A proposal, though? To call our relationship rocky since Rich came back to West Valley would be an understatement. We’d not dated, broken up from not dating, slept together, had some fun. Then, of course, my father turned evil supervillain and nearly sabotaged Rich’s company and got me fired from my job. It hardly seemed like the kind of stability cue that normally pushed a guy to pull a ring.

But sure enough, Rich took a tiny black box out of his back pocket and held it up to me. He frowned a little and then smiled. “I actually can’t remember from the movies if I’m supposed to flip the box open or if you do.”

“I think you do,” I said very, very quietly. Quiet was all I could manage when it felt like someone was squeezing my throat closed.

He pulled the top of the box back, and I saw the ring. I’d never been much of a jewelry person, so the fact that it wasn’t weighed down by some massive diamond the size of my knuckle was a perk. It was elegant instead, with a sleek twirling band studded with a few smaller diamonds and then set with a single modest diamond in the center.

“Will you marry me?” he asked.

“Rich,” I stammered, spreading my hands. “Isn’t this sudden?” I hated saying anything right away but yes, but I had to know more. It all felt like it had happened so fast. Too fast.

“It is,” he admitted, and from the look on his face, he had been expecting me to ask questions. He didn’t seem bothered by it, at least. “Feel free to tell me I’m a lunatic. But it feels right.” He shook his head, and the look on his face was so earnest and open that it melted my heart. “I love you, Kira. I really do. I don’t need another week, another month, or another year to be sure of that. And I didn’t want anything to have a chance to come between us before I could do this. It’s crazy, and people will probably think we’re idiots for doing it, but I want to do it anyway. So . . .”

My head was spinning. I’d heard of people getting married after being together only a few weeks, and I’d always thought they had lost their minds. I’d made sarcastic comments about how long those marriages were likely to last, then laughed because I knew I was so much more refined than those people.

Except . . .

Why did I feel like I was being pulled toward him? I was desperately searching for a reason to say no, because it felt like I was supposed to, given the circumstances. I thought of what Iris and Miranda would think—of what my parents would think. Worse, I thought of what the town would think. Everyone would assume I was some expert gold digger who had worked her way into Rich’s wallet and orchestrated the proposal.

Those should have been halfway decent reasons to say no. Should have. Except there was one glaring, blazing obvious reason to say yes.

I loved him too.

I loved him.

Teenage me might have thrown a haymaker at me right about now if she could hear my thoughts. Thankfully, teenage me was about as weak and scrawny as I am today, so it probably wouldn’t have done much damage. I wasn’t supposed to love Rich King. Not then, not now, not ever. He was the enemy. He was so obnoxiously perfect that part of you couldn’t stand hating him for it. But he was a good guy. He was sweet and kind. He was funny when he wanted to be but serious when he had no other choice. Teenage me was going to have to get over it.

I licked my lips. “Is it a bad sign if I feel like I’m going to say yes even though it’s a stupid decision?”

Rich thought about that. “Wouldn’t it be boring if it seemed like an obvious choice?”

“I can’t tell if you’re manipulating me or making sense.”

He grinned. “It’s your choice. You can say no, and I’ll be absolutely fine. I’ll pick up the shattered remains of my heart and toss them in a bush on my way back to the car. I’ll probably even be able to drive home within the broken, rotting husk that will be left of my body.”

I shook my head and gave him a sour smile. “Okay, now I know you’re manipulating me. Poorly too.”

“Also, no pressure, but if I’d known this was going to be a debate, I’d have worn a kneepad. Do you mind if I—”

“Go ahead,” I said.

Rich shifted his weight and got on his other knee. He rolled his neck, grunted a little, and then nodded. “I’m good now.”

Just say it. I balled my fists and tried to swallow, but my throat felt so dry. I wanted to say it. Rich was like Morpheus from The Matrix, except not taking the ring was like taking the blue pill. I could leave the ring with Rich, and the next time I blinked, I’d be back in my old, boring life. I wouldn’t be worried about how Harper and Edna King were going to destroy my life or how messed up it was that they were using my own father as a puppet to do it. I’d be back to worrying about my old, stupid problems.

Or I could take the ring. The red pill. If I took the ring, I’d see how deep the rabbit hole went. I’d be stepping through a terrifying door, but I’d be doing it with Rich.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. That was it. It didn’t matter which future seemed more or less frightening. What mattered was which choice let me keep Rich.