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“Fine. You want complete honesty? Here it is. You barely know this man—”

“I do know him.”

“You know the version he has shown you during the worst time of his life.”

I flinched, unable to hide how much that hurt.

“That’s true of everyone at the beginning.”

“Not when you are talking about marriage.”

My voice rose.

“You liked him.”

“I did.”

“Then what changed?”

“The fact that he wants to marry you after eight weeks.”

I shook my head.

“You don’t understand.”

“No, Samantha. I understand perfectly.”

His voice hardened.

“I have watched smart, capable women throw their lives away for men they were convinced they couldn’t live without.”

“I’m not one of those women.”

“Every single one of them said the exact same thing.”

I stared at him. People at nearby tables were starting to glance over.

“I thought you would be happy for me.”

“I was happy when you said you met someone you liked. I stopped being happy when you started planning the rest of your life around a man you have known for less time than some people keep a houseplant alive.”

My face burned with embarrassment.

“This is ridiculous.”

“Is it?”

“Yes.”

His jaw tightened.

“Tell me his favorite book.”

“What?”

“What’s his favorite book?”

I blinked.