A moment of silence filled the house. Then another. When the third ended, Spur demanded, “Are you crazy?”
“For real?”
“Is this a joke?”
“The Sweetheart Classic? Isn’t that an amateur event?”
“You’re not serious.”
They all spoke over one another, and Trey didn’t bother replying. He picked up his pizza and took a bite while they continued to clamor. Finally, Cayden held up both hands and said, “Okay, stop. Stop it.”
Trey swallowed. “I’ll answer yes-no questions for five minutes. Then Blaine has to go.”
“I’m not going until I know everything,” he said.
“Five minutes,” Trey said.
“Is this a joke?” Ian asked. He looked like he’d just swallowed a lemon.
“No.”
“How long have you been seeing her?” Duke asked.
“That’s not a yes-no question,” Spur growled. He looked at Trey, his eyes wide and shifting from annoyed to compassionate. “Is this real?”
“No.” Trey took another bite of pizza, expecting another uproar.
He only got stunned silence. “That’s it?” he asked around his food. “Two questions?” He finished eating and added, “Wow, that was easier than I thought?”
“Are you insane?” Lawrence asked. “You can’t just marry Beth Dixon.”
“Sure I can,” Trey said. “It’s not hard. It takes about ten minutes to get married.”
“Why would you do this?” Cayden asked, his voice quiet and yet so powerful.
“She asked me to,” Trey said.
“Why did he get to ask a question that wasn’t yes-no?” Duke grumbled.
“Look,” Trey said, sighing. “She asked me to, because she has a horse she thinks can win, and the rules for the Sweetheart are that a married couple enter a horse they own together.”
“You said yes, because you like her, though,” Blaine said. “Don’t even try to deny it.”
“I won’t,” Trey said. “Yes, I like her. I told her that weeks ago when I asked her out. This is just…accelerating it a little bit.”
“Accelerating what, exactly?” Spur asked.
“The relationship,” Trey said.
“Are you going to move in with her?” Cayden asked.
“Yes.”
Spur glowered at Trey, and he nodded at him. “Are you going to try to make this real?”
“Yes,” Trey said without hesitation. “I know she likes me too. We’ve, uh, already done some kissing. She said yes to going out with me. Like I said, this is just accelerating things a little.”
“A little?” Conrad said, his first contribution to the conversation. “I can’t get Hilde to even talk about marriage, and we’ve been dating for almost a year. He asks a woman out, and the next thing you know they have a date set.” He sounded equal parts disgusted and furious.