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“Just wait until you get married, Greer. Payback’s a bitch.” Kamryn chuckled, but the sad look that crossed Greer’s face took her off guard. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t think I’m going to be getting married.” Greer frowned. “At least not in the traditional sense.”

“What?”

Suddenly, Abagail stood up and tapped on a microphone. Kamryn winced at the loudness of it.

“I’ll tell you sometime soon. I promise. It’s all good.”

“You better.” Kamryn focused on Abagail, listening to her retell stories about Elia and then stories about her and Kamryn together. Luckily everything was kept appropriate. Kamryn held Elia’s hand under the table as they waited for Greer to start her speech.

By the time Greer finished, Kamryn took the microphone and stood up.

“I wanted to say something.” Her heart pattered away. Janet, Elia’s mother, nodded at her in affirmation of what was about to happen. “I don’t want to embarrass Elia any more than shealready is. As many of you know her, you understand that she is not someone who likes to be the center of attention.”

There was a round of light laughter that filled the room.

“But sometimes she needs to be the center of attention.” Kamryn stared down into Elia’s blue eyes and smiled again. “Because she is the center of my world, and trust me when I say that I never would have guessed that would happen. Not with the way we started out. I could have sworn she hated me at first.”

“I did… a bit.” Elia wrinkled her nose before she winked, so Kamryn knew she wasn’t being entirely serious.

“Right, so when I got the job as Head of School instead of Elia, she was a bit jealous. Can you imagine? Elia Sharpe jealous? Crazy, right? And she let me have it. And then one night, while I was out with some friends, I had a little too much to drink and I was trying to make someone else jealous and I kissed her, and then I begged her to be my fake girlfriend while Andra was getting married. All so that I could protect myself from what I didn’t want to deal with.”

Kamryn ran her hand along Elia’s shoulder before she brushed the backs of her fingers across Elia’s cheek. “Well, the joke’s on me, because she said yes. First to fake dating, and then to real dating, and then finally to marrying me. Elia,” Kamryn turned to her wife—gosh, it was crazy she could say that now—and she smiled down at her. These words were just for Elia and no one else. “I love you, and I never would have imagined that all of those crazy decisions and insane start to our relationship would have turned out this way, but it did. And I’m so very glad that it did. I love you. And I promise to love you each and every day.”

“Kam…” Elia whispered, her voice cracking.

“I love you.” Bending down, Kamryn pressed their lips together in a long, sweet kiss. When she stood back up, she turned to the group with a grin.

But Elia stood up next to her and took the microphone. She trembled. Kamryn held her hand tightly, looking curiously into Elia’s eyes. This was so out of the ordinary for her. Kamryn hadn’t lied when she said that Elia wasn’t someone who liked any attention.

“I just have one thing to say,” Elia started, and she turned to look directly at Kamryn. “Who knew that fake dating my boss would end up like this?”

The raucous laughter filled the room. And Kamryn had no doubts in her mind. This was the woman she was meant to fall in love with. And she wouldn’t have it any other way. Kamryn kissed Elia hard, tilting her backward slightly as she held onto the embrace for as long as she possibly could. Then she pulled back and whispered, “Thank God we didn’t keep that promise.”

“To keep this fake?” Elia asked.

“Yeah, that one.”