Dove and Grenade

I heard the doorbell ring again, and I rushed to get it. Jorel and Jason and Lauren stood at the front of the group, but I didn't recognize the others. I let them in.

"Hey, Kara," Jorel said.

He hugged me, and Jason patted me on the shoulder as he walked by.

"Thanks for inviting us," he said.

"Thanks for coming," I laughed.

Jason and Jorel went to the backyard, and Lauren stopped me.

"Kara, this is Shane," she said, pointing to a tall skinny guy covered in tattoos. "He and Jason do The Divine. And this is Megan and Christian. They're friends of mine, and they model for Pride."

"Awesome!" I said. "Glad you guys could come."

For awhile, I talked with Lauren and Megan about how we knew everyone and how everything was going. Megan seemed like someone I would have hung out with in high school, even though I'd just met her.

The back door opened and I heard Matt shout, "Kara! Mer and Dill are here!"

"Hey, why don't we go out back," I said. "Then you can take Megan around to meet everyone."

"It was nice talking to you," said Megan, following Lauren and I out to the back.

Matt put an arm around my waist, and I smiled. He leaned down to kiss my cheek.

"You ready for this?" he whispered.

I shrugged and said, "I suppose."

"You'll be fine," he said. "You've been waiting to tell everyone, and they've all been waiting for us to get on with it." He chuckled and added, "Besides, if you get everyone's attention and decide not to say it, just announce you're happy they all came."

I nodded. He was right. And I'm sure everyone would be more than thrilled to hear. I wrapped my arms around Matt, and he put his chin on my head.

"You'll be fine," he said.

I took a deep breath and stepped outside. I was greeted with a hello wave from Meredith, and I waved back. I picked up my drink, more Jack Daniels than lemonade now, and I took a long drink.

Jordan had started a fire in the fire pit, and everyone was just kind of standing around. I stepped up on the bench, with Matt beside me. Gradually, everyone got silent, and I cleared my throat.

"Hey, guys!" I said.

"Hi, Kara!" came Jordan's reply.

I chuckled, but I continued, "Matt and I wanted to thank you guys for coming. We're gonna start the grill here pretty soon and get the ribs going. We have something to tell you first."

I glanced out over everyone. Aron sat beside the fire, his arm around Charlette. Meredith and Dillon sat on the bench beside the fire, awaiting our announcement. Matt slid his hand in mine, and I looked up at him. He nodded, so I looked back at everyone else.

"We're- uh- engaged!" I said.

It was silent for a moment before I heard Jordan say, "Yeah! Get it, Kara!"

I let out a laugh, and I held up my cup. Matt did the same, followed by everyone else.

"To Matty and Kara!" shouted Meredith.

Everyone else chimed in their reply, and we all drank. Matt helped me down from the bench, and I was immediately swarmed by Lauren and Meredith.

"Where's the ring?" asked Lauren, beaming with excitement.

I smiled and held up my hand. She gasped and grabbed it. Meredith put her arms around me and squeezed gently. Lauren did the same.

"This is so exciting!" Meredith exclaimed. "You're gonna get married!"

I looked over at Matt, who was talking with George and Aron. His eyes met mine, and he smiled before turning back to them.

"Yeah," I said in a quiet voice. "I'm getting married."