Everyone explodes with “what the fuck” and various opinions—all of them conveying the same basic messaging.Slow down, Roman.What’s the rush, Roman? Wait till the end of the season, Roman. If she’s The One, then she’ll still be The One in a year, after you get to know her better.
“Basically, he’s trying to reframe the narrative from the viral video,” Marco explains.
“Hmm,” Cameron says. “Isn’t that video a good reasonnotto propose to her so soon? A few months ago, the whole world saw Iris dressed in a wedding dress for someone else. Don’t you think you should let more time pass, just to keep her from getting ridiculed for hopping from one engagement to the next?”
“Fuck,” I whisper, my shoulders sagging. Fucking Cameron. He’s always got a take that makes sense, even if it’s not something I want to hear.
“I think Cam’s got a point,” Marco says softly. “Sorry, Romie.”
Sensing he’s making headway, Cameron adds, “Also, don’t you think it’s only fair to give Iris a chance to live with Regular Season Roman and the whole circus that surrounds him before she promises to love you, forever, for better or worse?”
“That’s exactly what I said,” Marco says. He grimaces at me. “No offense, man, but you’re always a massive dick during the season.”
“True, but I won’t be this season, because everything that normally turns me into a dick has been fixed.” They don’t believe me. I can see it in their eyes.
Levi finally speaks. “I get that you feel like a solider going offto war,” he says, “so you want to propose before you go. It’s a noble idea, in theory. But I think it’s only fair to let her get to know Wartime Roman before you ask her to promise ‘forever’ to Peacetime Roman.”
“Exactly,” Marco says, as Cameron nods enthusiastically. “Plus, like I told Rome, I feel like Iris should get a taste of being a high-profile WAG before she’s asked to commit to being one forever.”
Everyone nods at that, and I can’t say I blame them. “WAG” is the acronym used for the “wives and girlfriends” of players. And Cameron’s got a good point: Being one, especially mine, will probably take some getting used to for Iris.
I hang my head and sigh. “Okay, fine, I won’t ask her today. But I’m not willing to wait till the end of the season, like Marco said, so I’ll compromise and do it on her birthday.”
Levi scoffs. “Assuming she’s still around and you haven’t scared her off by then by being your usual dicky self during the season.”
Cameron asks the date of Iris’s birthday, and when I tell it to him, he shakes his head and says, “Levi’s right. That’s, what, six games in? Anything could happen, especially if you start icing her out, like you always do when you—”
“I told you, I’m not gonna be a dick like usual this time!” I glance toward the party again and lower my voice. “I’m a new man, guys. The new me knows that happinessoffthe field helpsmy performanceonthe field, so the new me therefore knows to prioritize my relationship, even during the season.”
The guys look at each other, their collective skepticism on full display.
“Besides Iris, I’ve also got Maverick in my life now, remember? Plus, Coach on the sidelines, a city that believes in me, and some solid targets on the field. Everything’s going to be different now. You’ll see. By the time I propose to Iris in October, she won’t hesitate to say yes to me.”
Marco twists his mouth. “Maybe you should get a woman’s perspective on all this before you lock in your plan. Can I text Nicola to come out here?”
“Great idea. Let’s hear her out.” Throughout the party, Nicola and Iris have been chatting up a storm, so I’m positive she’ll side with me.
Marco taps on his phone, and a moment later, his lovely wife appears on the deck.
“Show her the thing in your pocket,” Marco instructs with a nudge to my thigh.
I pull out the ring box and flip open the lid—and to my thrill, everyone on the deck goes bonkers at my selection. Nicola, especially, is swooning over the size of the diamond and its design. And, of course, over the fact that I’ve bought a ring for Iris at all.
“When are you going to ask her?” Nicola whispers excitedly.
“That’s why I asked you out here,” Marco says. “To give your opinion on that.”
I start to plead my case, but Marco holds up his palm and tells me to zip it. “You’re an unreliable narrator at this point, cuz.” With near-surgical precision, my cousin launches into telling his wife everything she needs to know to render her expert opinion as I nervously turn the ring box around in my fingertips.
“I’m so excited,” Nicola says to me, when Marco finishes his explanation. “Not only for you, but for myself. Iloveher.”
“Isn’t she the cutest person ever?” Luca says. “I mean, besides you, of course.”
Nicola laughs. “She’s way cuter than me. She’s like human sunshine.”
“Totally,” Luca agrees. “But so are you.”
“Aw.”
