Not dramatic silence.
Real silence.
The kind where four intelligent women recalibrate their understanding of reality at the same time.
Daisy sneezes.
"You’re joking," Lila says first.
No one laughs.
"Natalie," Mia says sharply, sitting up straighter. "What happened?"
Robin sets her glass down untouched. "Start at the part where this makes sense."
I exhale. "It’s the custody situation. His ex is circling, and the timing isn’t great."
All four of them go still again.
Annabelle nods slowly. "And marriage looks stable."
"That’s the argument," I say.
"That's a legal contract," Robin says, already slipping into cross-examination mode, as if I might have confused it with a dinner reservation.
"I’m aware."
Annabelle tilts her head. "From a purely strategic standpoint… it’s not irrational."
"Don’t validate this," Robin snaps.
Mia leans forward, eyes soft but sharp. "How did he ask?"
I blink. "That’s your first question?"
"Yes," she says simply.
"He showed up at my door looking like he hadn’t slept and said, ‘I need you to marry me.’"
Lila clutches her chest. "That’s so unhinged it’s almost romantic."
"It’s not romantic," I say quickly. "It’s about the custody mess. Marriage looks stable on paper."
"Marriage helps," Robin repeats flatly. "But it's not a PR bandage."
"It’s not PR," Annabelle says. "It’s legal narrative. Married, two-parent household, no childcare gaps. Judges like consistency."
"Judges also like sanity," Robin says.
Mia looks at me carefully. "Maddie would be thrilled."
I don’t argue.
Because she’s right.
Mia’s seen it. The way Maddie gravitates toward me at team dinners and charity events. The way she drags me onto the couch in the family lounge at the arena and insists I sit beside her and her dad like it’s already assigned seating.
"She already adores you," Mia adds gently.
