Every sentence he spoke just dug us deeper into the hole he had created, and all I could do was grin through my clenched jaw and nod along.
“We don’t have a ring yet,” Ford went on. “I was hoping to get Grandma’s. It’s not just the sentimental value; Emzee’s really into vintage. It’s perfect for her.”
Well. That was the cherry on top of this whole ridiculous cake. Yes, I liked vintage, but his great-grandmother’s fabledheirloomdiamond ring? Ford’s mother had never worn it herself, instead keeping it tucked away in a jewelry box for her only son to propose with—she’d been talking it up to him ever since he was a kid. I’d heard about it from Ford, had even seen the ring myself once, though lately the talk had been about Claudia’s plans to take out the diamonds and use them as a halo for her dream engagement ring. Ford had been horrified at the suggestion.
In my opinion, the ring was perfect just the way it was. It was a Victorian piece in warm yellow gold, and had been custom designed with a double row of antique diamonds that had been passed down by prior Malone generations. Dainty, yes, but enduringly classic.
And yeah, itwasperfect for me.
I’d always thought it was far too subtle an engagement ring for someone like Claudia—she wasn’t into simplicity. She was the type of girl who’d only be happy with a huge, flawless, brilliant cut solitaire in a Tiffany setting, probably in platinum.
His mother’s face was deceptively stoic now. I knew part of it was the Botox, but beyond that, she was probably in complete shock. And although I’d never interacted much with Mr. Malone, he was a very successful businessman, which meant he had long ago perfected his poker face. He was using it to great effect now. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking.
I tried to find some inspiration for how to hide my horror by studying how well his parents presented their inscrutable expressions.
Later, though? I was going to kill Ford. I was going to truly, actually murder him.
“We’ll have to talk about the ring later,” Mrs. Malone said. “When it’s…quieter.”
“But wewilltalk about it,” Ford pushed.
Even knowing full well this was all bullshit, I was also really enjoying making Ford’s mother sweat the way she was. And the look on Claudia’s face was priceless. She was visibly seething with jealousy, doing this little twitch thing she probably wasn’t even aware of. After all those years of making me feel like I didn’t matter, like I wasn’t worthy of Ford’s precious time and attention, the tables had turned.
No wonder Ford was so into this scheme. It was super fun.
I relaxed into Ford’s embrace and let a real smile play across my lips. Yes, I was still pissed at him. But I could at least bask in the moment, couldn’t I?
Already, I could hear people whispering around us. It was a little crazy how fast the news seemed to be spreading around the event already. There was no stopping it now. By the end of the evening, everyone here would know that Ford and I were engaged.
God only knew how long it would take to spread across the rest of Chicago…
The mess we had created had just gotten a whole lot bigger. There would be a lot of cleanup to do after tonight. But for now, I was just going to enjoy the sour look on Claudia’s face and accept the well wishes of the people who had gathered, hoping to get in good with us.
“You have the makings of a real power couple,” someone said.
“So good to see young people coming together when they’re both so committed to making a difference,” another chimed in.
Every time we turned, there was a new person waiting to congratulate us.
Everything was happening so fast, I could barely process any of it. My romantic, final night as Ford’s fake girlfriend had turned into a makeshift celebration of our fake engagement. We were really in it now.
It was at least another hour before there was a chance for Ford and me to talk privately. The well-wishers had dwindled down, his parents were long gone, and poor Claudia had suddenly gotten a “migraine” and had to leave soon after. Somehow, we were able to slip away from the ballroom and maneuver ourselves into a quiet corner.
I turned to Ford, fully intending to unleash my wrath on him. As he deserved.
But before I could, he had his hands up, almost as if he was waving a white flag.
“I know, I know,” he said before I was even able to open my mouth. “Just hear me out.”
I glared at him, crossing my arms. “You have exactly thirty seconds.”
“I didn’t plan this,” Ford said.
“Really.” I raised an eyebrow.
“I swear I didn’t,” he insisted. “It just happened. But honestly, the whole thing could really be a win/win.”
Shaking my head, I laughed. “What could I possibly get out of this?”
