“Yes,” I say. “Yes.”
I doubt even Jake can hear me, but everyone gets the gist. His eyes go bright as everyone cheers and stomps so loud it could lift the ballroom ceiling.
“Good,” Jake says, getting to his feet. “Left hand, Renaldo.”
I extend it, and he slides the ruby onto my finger.
“It’s a perfect fit,” I say, staring at the ring. “Where?—”
“Who fuckin’ cares?” His mouth claims mine, and he kisses me long and deep. The crowd screams itself hoarse, and I lose myself in Jake’s touch…
… at least until Principal Aster succeeds in elbowing the two of us, flushed and grinning, apart.
29
Ada
It’s no small thing getting publicly engaged to an All Black. I’m trapped in a social whirl for what feels like hours, smiling, chatting and being asked to show my ring so often I start to feel like an asshole. Mercifully, Cece swoops in and drags me into the bathroom for a private celebration. The place has really deteriorated since I left Jenny in there. It reeks of pee and white wine, and a dozen lipstick-smudged glasses are sitting in the sinks. Despite that, Cece crushes me into a hug, and the two of us jump around on strips of discarded toilet paper like it’s fresh snow.
“Oh my God,” she screams. “You’re engaged. Engaged! To Jake! Ada,you’regonnamarryJake Graves-Holland!And he gets to marryyou!”
“I know! Insane, right?”
“Not as insane as that ring.” Cece grabs my left wrist and raises it high. “God, it’s soyou. It looks like it belonged to Anne Boleyn.”
“Well I did always think I’d be beheaded for my whoreish ways.” I tilt my head and watch the ruby sparkle in the smudged mirror. “But anyway, fuck me. How’s your magical night with Davis going?”
Cece’s grabs my hands and jumps higher than ever, but before she can start gushing about Fake Fed, the bathroom door flies open. Betty strides in, and from the look on her face, she’s not here to squeal about my engagement ring.
“Congrats, Ada,” she says briskly. “But warrants have just been issued. Thrasher, Will, Shannon, Xavier. All of them. From what Vanessa Grey told me, the cops are gonna move fast on bringing them in for interviews and all those farm pricks are wasted. We don’t wanna be anywhere near them if it goes down tonight. “
My stomach drops. “Shit.”
“We need to clear out,” Betty says. “Colin and his wife just left. The rest of us need to do the same.”
“Should we go back to the hotel?” Cece asks.
“Go anywhere that isn’t here.” Betty casts a worried look at the door. “And I mean, now. Let’s grab your male co-conspirators and get the hell out.”
Gavin must have collected Jake and Davis already, because all three are waiting for us as we exit the bathroom.
“It’ll be impossible to get a car for all six of us right away,” Davis says quietly. “I’m gonna take Cece out the side door. Besides, I need to grab my stuff from your nan’s place, Jake.”
“Sure,” he says, his arm already wrapped tight around my shoulders. “You still got the key?”
“Yeah. I’ll give it back to you tomorrow.”
“But you and Cece are coming back to the hotel after that, right?” I ask Davis.
“Of course,” Cece says. Even the stress of the impending warrants can’t keep the sparkle from her eyes.
She gives me a quick hug and she and Davis head out a side door, promising to keep in touch. Gavin, Betty, Jake, and I aim for the main entrance. More well-wishers mob Jake, but he loudly announces he needs to call his nan and tell her the good news and they back off. The four of us power-walk to the exit and enter theblissful semi-darkness of the grounds.
“Mum’s place is right around the corner,” Betty says. “She’s babysitting JR. We can walk there.”
“Want us to come with you?” I ask.
“Nah, we’re fine. You guys just get a ride out of here. I’ll keep you posted on anything that comes up.”
