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It’s interesting to see the other side of healthcare. My father had a heart attack and was gone in minutes, meaning he wasn’t stuck in a hospital bed for months. And even if he was, we had the money to pay for the best of everything.

But hearing Dani’s side of the story makes me realize just how important and expensive life-saving procedures can be. It renews my purpose in the family company, that we shouldn’t be all about making money, but doing what we can to help those in a situation similar to the Higgins family.

“What did your dad pass away from?” I ask, right at the bottom stair to the porch.

“He had colon cancer. He didn’t go in for scans in time to get it taken care of early.” She gives me a small smile and I wish we were somewhere else. Somewhere we could talk a bit more about it. It’s the most somber I’ve seen her since we met and as strong as she is, I’m sure there is still a lot of hurt underneath.

The front door opens before we have a chance to knock and a guy walks out, looking a lot like Dani.

“Dani, you made it. You better hurry in there. Mom’s been cooking since this morning.” The man looks over at me and says, “Hey, I’m Landon, Dani’s older brother.”

He sticks out his hand and does that thing where guys squeeze extra hard as a warning to not cause trouble.

I smile at him and nod. And then I squeeze a little harder until he pulls back. It’s possible I don’t see it right, but I think he flexes his fingers.

“Be nice, boys,” Dani says, stepping through the front door. The space is small but tidy. There is an explosion of flowered wallpaper in different types throughout the living room and into the kitchen, making it almost feel like a field of blooms.

And by the look of the food piled up in platters along the island, Dani’s brother is right.

“Hey Mom, where can I put this?”

“Dessert, appetizer, or rolls?” A plump woman with shorter light brown hair asks.

“Dessert,” Dani says.

“Okay, we’re putting those over on the far countertop.” She’s stirring something and the room smells amazing. “Once you’ve put it down, make sure to come over here and give me a hug.”

Dani does as she’s asked, looking like she’s excited for this moment as she embraces her mother. My throat constricts a bit as I think about the last time my mother and I embraced. Probably elementary school.

The two step back and Dani says, “Mom, this is Miles Clark. Miles, this is my mom, Andrea Higgins.”

Her mother scowls and says, “What? You don’t even introduce him as your fiancé?”

“I, uh, well, I’m getting used to that,” she says, looking at me with wide eyes. I’m not sure what to say to help her out of this.

Her mother takes Dani’s left hand in hers and I remember the small box in my pocket. As discreetly as possible, I push the lid of the box up, pulling out the ring into my palm.

Her mother continues. “And where’s your ring? I expected to see something about it in the articles Harper read to me earlier today, but there was nothing.”

“Oh Mom, it’s fine. We were waiting to tell you about the whole thing until—”

“Until we got the ring resized,” I say. “I almost forgot to tell you that I picked it up yesterday before the jeweler’s closed.” I grimace at that explanation, because yesterday we hadn’t been engaged at the time any real jewelers were open. I also picked it up from a drawer in my room and not an official jewelry store.

This is the ring I’d inherited from my grandmother. With everything that had happened at the last event, I figured this would be the easiest direction to go since our engagement wasn’t planned. And for some reason, it felt right to have Dani wearing it. Maybe our relationship wouldn’t last forever, but for now, it’s like having Grandma Clark here with me.

Dani’s eyes are wider than I’ve ever seen, and she’s doing her best to act casual. “I didn’t know, sweetheart.”

That word on her lips has my heart racing as I take her hand from her mom and slip the ring onto the correct finger, relishing in the feel of her hand in mine. The ring is a tad loose, but passable for its purpose.

Her mother takes the hand back and leans over, oohing and aahing over the ring. I might be trying to avoid Dani’s gaze because there are so many things we can’t say here and now.

“What’s going on in here?” a voice asks from behind us. I turn to see what looks to be a miniature of Dani.

“Harper, we’re checking out Dani’s engagement ring,” Mrs. Higgins says, lifting Dani’s hand with a twist.

“I’d love to be able to use my hand after tonight,” Dani says, her eyes wide.

The young woman steps forward with disbelief written all over her face. “You’re really engaged then? I thought you’d get back with Clay. Looks like I lost the bet.”