The almost.
The way he stepped back like he didn’t trust himself.
"No," I admit.
Robin exhales through her nose. "Then this isn’t fake. It’s fast. Too fast if you ask me."
Annabelle nods. "Fast doesn’t mean reckless. It means accelerated."
"You’re rebranding this," I say.
"I’m reframing it," she corrects.
Daisy abruptly stands and knocks Lila’s glass sideways with her tail.
"Oh my God—" Lila yelps.
Wine splashes across a takeout container.
We all scramble.
"This is symbolic," Lila declares as I blot at the spill with napkins. "The universe is saying leap."
"The universe is saying control your dog," Robin says.
We laugh.
It breaks the immediate anxiety I’m feeling.
When the chaos settles, Mia looks at me again.
"Have you talked to him since?"
"No."
"You need to," Robin says immediately. "Calmly. Without adrenaline."
"And you need clarity," Annabelle adds. "What does married look like? Living arrangements? Parenting roles? Public narrative?"
"And timelines," Lila says instead. "Are we talking courthouse this week or six-month engagement?"
"Logistics first," Robin says. "Finances. Living arrangements. A prenup."
"And whether you actually want to wake up next to him every day," Lila adds, less flippant now.
I drag my fingers back through my hair.
"I told him my conditions," I say. "Apartment stays mine. Career stays mine. I’m not replacing a nanny. We hire help together. Maddie comes first."
"I went to one of her practices last month," I continue, the memory rising before I can stop it. "She missed a shot. Tried not to cry about it."
They’re all watching me now.
"He didn’t tell her to shake it off," I continue. "He got down on one knee right there on the sideline and told her, ‘You’re allowed to be frustrated before you’re brave.’ And then he just… stayed there. Until she nodded. Until she tried again."
I look at my glass instead of at them. "That’s the man asking me."
No one jokes this time.
