After all Ramona had done, sacrificed, worked for.
And April couldn’t ruin that now.
So she took a deep breath, kept hold of Daphne’s hand. “Let me see it,” she said to her best friend. Her words came out wobbly, a little watery, but she said them. She said them with a smile, with her eyes shining and her heart beating regularly—if a bit quickly—in her chest.
Ramona watched her for a second, wary.
Dylan curled her arms around Ramona’s shoulders and nudged her. “Show her,” she said softly, then pressed a kiss to Ramona’s temple.
Goddess, they were sweet.
Dylanwas sweet. She’d been a bit of a mess when she and Ramona had gotten together, but as far as April could tell, she was rock solid now. She was good for Ramona. Made Ramona smile.
And that was all that mattered.
Ramona swallowed, then pulled her bag into her lap. It was the same gray canvas bag with red mushrooms printed all over it that Olive had given her years ago. Inexplicably, April latched on to that pattern, familiar and tried-and-true, eyes locked on the illustrated fungus while Ramona sifted through the bag. She pulled out a small rainbow-colored pouch,Read Banned Bookswritten across the front. After she unzipped it, she plucked a ring from inside, smiling down at it as she slipped it on her finger.
She held out her hand.
April gripped Daphne’s palm with one hand, her other trembling only slightly as she held Ramona’s fingers.
The ring was lovely, just as April knew it would be. Understated, even. A round jewel sat on a simple gold band surrounded by a half-moon of tiny diamonds. The jewel itself was the color of mint, with darker green swirling inside.
“Is that moss agate?” Daphne asked.
Ramona nodded. “I love how natural and unique it looks.”
“It’s gorgeous,” Sasha said.
“How did it happen?” April finally asked, and Ramona and Dylan proceeded to tell a story about the Griffith Observatory in LA—which was where Dylan had professed her love for Ramona two years ago—and a star-packed sky, not another soul in sight because Dylan had arranged to bring Ramona at midnight, after the observatory had closed to the public.
“It was amazing,” Ramona said, leaning into Dylan. “I had no idea what was happening. Even when this one started crying and pulled a ring out of her pocket.”
Dylan grinned, her cheeks a little pink. “Best night of my life.”
April listened and smiled, her heart in her throat. “When?” she asked, even though it didn’t matter.Shouldn’tmatter, at least.
Ramona grew serious, cleared her throat. “Three nights ago.”
Daphne’s thumb rubbed across April’s. She managed a nod, a smile, could feel the corner of the Hanged One card pricking against her stomach. She wasn’t the Hanged One right now though. No, this moment wasn’t suspended in limbo, wasn’t waiting for anything. This felt more like the Wheel of Fortune, destiny spinning onward, with or without April’s say or knowledge.
“I wanted to tell you in person,” Ramona said quickly. “We don’t want a big wedding. Just family and a few friends at the end of the summer. Dylan and I had the time off, and Olive is due home this weekend, so we decided to come home too. I wanted to tell you earlier today at Cloverwild, but…it just…You were…”
She trailed off, and April felt herself nodding again, still a bit numb.
“We told my dad earlier tonight,” Ramona went on. “I’m sorry, Apes, I don’t know howPopSugargot the information.”
“How they always get it,” Dylan said, but no one asked what that meant. April assumed it was about money and Hollywood insiders or some shit she didn’t care about right now.
“It’s okay,” April said. The right thing to say.
“Honey,” Ramona said softly, as though she wasn’t buying it, but April needed her to. She needed the way she was holding herself together right now to count, to be worth the effort.
“We should celebrate,” she said, an idea occurring to her. “An engagement dinner. Family, friends.”
“I can help cook, if you want,” Sasha said.
“Yes, perfect,” April said, sending a grateful smile toward Sasha.
