“Okay, but whose speech was better?” Lincoln said, turning so he could lean against the counter of Cassidy and Emma’s kitchen island.

“His,” Daisy answered for Emma, but pointing an accusing finger at Lincoln as she said it. “Because he cheated.”

“Is that possible?” Cassidy asked, rejoining them and handing Daisy a glass of white wine. “Cheating at a best man speech?”

“Yes,” Daisy said with a prim nod. “He was supposed to tackle funny. I was supposed to be wonderfully emotional and sweet.”

“Which you were,” Emma was quick to add.

“I was, but so was he,” Daisy said with a mock glare at Lincoln.

“Now, now, Wallflower. You were a little bit funny too.”

“I was not,” she grumbled. “I was too busy trying to get them to cry.”

“Yeah no, you weren’t that funny,” he admitted. “Don’t stress, not everyone has my raw talent.”

Emma was back to watching them suspiciously. “Okay, if I’m not going to get any details about last night, where were you two all day today?”

“Emma,” Cassidy said in a mild tone. “They’re adults.”

“Yes, but Daisy is…”

“Daisy is what?” Daisy asked mildly, turning to face her sister with a mixture of irritation and curiosity on her face. It was the identical stubbornness on their faces that signaled their twinness more than their features, Lincoln thought.

Emma was the first to back down. “I’m sorry. I’ll back off.”

Daisy’s expression transformed immediately into a happy smile as she linked arms with her sister, resting her head on Emma’s shoulder, her blond hair mingling with Emma’s brown. “If it makes you feel better, we went shopping today.”

Cassidy snorted into his wine. “Mathis? For real?”

“Daisy helped me pick out a paisley pocket square to go with my new tie,” Lincoln said, the lie rolling off his tongue.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Daisy watching him. She knew that he’d lied. They’d gone shopping, yes, but not for him. It was a little bit strange, having someone who could actually call him on his bullshit if she felt so inclined.

Not that he outright lied to his friends very often, but he’d developed a pretty healthy habit of saying whatever needed to be said to keep people from looking too closely or digging too deeply. Lincoln liked to tell himself it wasn’t lying, so much as flippancy.

And sure, it felt a bit hollow sometimes, but better hollow than aching.

Still, it was odd that it was the person who’d known him for the least amount of time who could expose him.

She didn’t, though. Not about the shopping. And not about where they’d gone before the shopping.

Lincoln met her eyes, nodded once, just barely. She smiled back.

Cassidy pulled his vibrating cell phone out of his pocket. “Ah. It’s the front desk guys downstairs. Pizza must be here.”

“Pizza’s here!” This came from Riley, who always had top-notch hearing when it came to food. The loud boom of her voice also proved where her tiny daughter got her pipes.

A few minutes later, the entire group was crowded around the kitchen, passing paper plates so that Cassidy and Emma didn’t have any dishes to take care of before their early-morning flight the next day. More wine was consumed, the group growing ever louder as they talked over one another, even as the baby grew quiet, lulled to sleep in her dad’s arms with a bottle.

The kitchen island wasn’t big enough to fit everyone, so they all stood or sat where they found room, helping themselves to slices, bickering over the merits of green peppers on pizza.

As pizza boxes were emptied and ice cream bars were pulled from the freezer as an easy dessert, Lincoln found himself standing beside Daisy. That’s when he realized…

He’d been beside Daisy the whole night. He didn’t think it was intentional on either of their parts, just…natural.

Setting aside his glass, he hoisted himself onto the granite kitchen counter, and patted the spot beside him. “Come, Wallflower. Let us look down upon our people.”

“No way am I getting up there without flashing everyone,” she said, taking a tiny sip of wine.

In response, he hopped down, wrapped both hands around her waist, lifting her easily as she let out a little squeak before putting his hands on either side of her knees, and pushing them together. His palms itched with the urge to linger, and he fisted his hands and struggled mightily for levity.

“Sit like a lady now, Wallflower.” Shit. Had that come out as raspy as it felt?

She laughed, letting Lincoln off the hook as he pulled himself up beside her once more. “Do you always get what you want?” she asked.

He’d been about to take another sip of his drink, but he stilled and put it back down, thinking of Katie. “No. Not always.”

Her teasing smile disappeared, and he regretted that he’d let them go there.

“I’m sorry,” she said under her breath. “I wasn’t thinking.”

“Don’t,” he said, his voice a little sharp. “Don’t apologize. Don’t ever think you have to watch what you say around me.”

“But—”

“Why do you think I haven’t told any of them?” he asked, jerking his chin to where his friends were scattered around the apartment, paying them no attention. “I can’t handle people I care about walking on eggshells around me.”