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She left Therin talking with a few of his guests, while the guys escorted her to the table she’d had reserved for them.
“Thank you so much for coming,” she said while making the rounds once the men had taken their seats. She pressed loud kisses to their cheeks.
“And thank you for scoring us an invite to this thing,” Cube said. His mouth was full of canapés from the extensive buffet table.
Kianti waved a hand. “I couldn’t pass up a chance like this to impress the hell out of you.”
“Well, you did the hell out of that,” Winton said.
“I’m not the only one.” She took her place at the table and regarded them each with warm smiles. “You guys have impressed me, too. Entrusting me to the care of a man you don’t really know.”
“We know enough.” Winton poured his Red Stripe into a chilled mug. “Therin seems like a good guy.”
Kianti’s rich laughter mirrored the vibrancy in her dark eyes. “You’re only saying that because he’s an ambassador.”
“Ex,” Khan corrected while flashing her a critical look. “You really shouldn’t get so caught up over titles, Key.”
Kianti replied by sticking out her tongue.
“It’s obvious the guy cares about you, girl.” Brody brought a measure of seriousness to the discussion with his observation.
“Crystal clear,” Cube said around another mouthful of the canapés.
“Still gonna be tough making this work.” Kianti sighed, propping her chin to her palm.
“That’s why we took a step back.” Winton shrugged. “Give you two the chance to see that. But I’m guessing it doesn’t matter much since you guys are still together and lookin’ all crazy in love.”
A horrified look crept to Kianti’s face. “In love?” she blurted.
Khan rolled his eyes. “Don’t even try it, Key.”
“Please don’t,” Winton added. “’Cause you ain’t foolin’ a soul with that confusion crap.”
“I know, right?” Cube was wiping his hands then. “You look at the guy like he’s drippin’ in diamonds and he acts like you’re the only woman he can see.”
“What do any of you know about lookin’ at a woman like she’s the only woman?” Kianti tried to tease in an effort not to become too heady over the remarks.
The guys pretended to be offended. “We’ve all loved and lost, Kianti,” Winton shared.
She grinned. “Mmm-hmm. I can definitely believe the ‘lost’ part.”
“Seriously, Key.” Cube reached for her hand and smothered it within his own. “We all know what being in love looks like and that dude looks as elated and tortured as anyone we’ve ever seen. Love’s the only reason.”
Kianti brought her hand down over Cube’s. “He hasn’t said anything about it—about…love.”
“Have you?” Brody asked.
She frowned. “Well, I can’t say it before he does.”
The men burst into laughter.
“Typical!” Khan and Cube bellowed in unison.
“We’d have expected more of you, Key.” Winton laughed and used Cube’s napkin to wipe a tear from his eye.
“Why are you waiting on him to go first?” Brody asked.
“Because.” Kianti traced a design on the tablecloth. “Men always start looking for the exit when the word ‘love’ comes out of a woman’s mouth. We have no problem with letting you guys say it first—works better that way.”
Winton was still laughing, but a bit more softly. “Honey, did it ever occur to you that the guy could be terrified that you’ll be the one who’d be looking for the exit?”
Kianti had no response. Winton leaned across the table to shake hands with Khan once his point had been made.
The lights across the ballroom doused in two rapid flashes before remaining dim. A lone gleam of light was directed toward the podium on the stage. Kianti sat straighter in her chair when she saw Therin behind the mic. She punched Brody’s thigh when she heard him chuckle over her reaction.
“Thanks everyone for accepting the invite.” Therin greeted the expansive crowd once conversation had silenced. “It’s been my honor for the past five years to host this event. As many of you are aware, my involvement with EYES is quite diversified but it’s this event that holds a special place. It’s a very multifaceted gathering—there are so many important reasons for our coming together this evening. Money.” He extended a hand and joined in when the crowd exploded into laughter.
“But seriously, everyone, we’re all aware that one of the main reasons EYES is able to do all the incredible things it does is because of its membership.” Therin hesitated while the crowd murmured its agreement. “Members who give their money—yes, but also whose existence in this organization provides a far more valuable element: support. Our vast numbers and the diversity of that support tell all the naysayers that EYES and every organization like it has a place—a necessary place in our society and in the future of our kids.”
