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“What is it?”

“My grandfather showed me his will. My mother has nothing to worry about. That means we don't have to get married, isn't that great?”

His eyebrows lowered a bit.

“I mean,” I pressed on, “We can do what we want. Our choice. No pressure.”

He angled his head down, like he was brooding on something. “Yeah. That's good. We should have been free to make our choices from the start, it's good we can now.”

“Right, exactly.” I smiled extra hard because for some reason he wasn't. What was wrong? Had I been too blunt, ruined the moment? “Conner, are you okay?”

“I will be. In a minute.” Clearing his throat, he pushed the table of food out of the way with his foot. Then he knelt on the circular white rug in front of me. “Maya?”

All of the oxygen flew from my lungs. My voice cracked. “Yeah?”

The box—the same velvet box—was pulled from his pocket. He held it between us and he didn't need to open it for me to know what was inside. “Conner, no, didn't you hear me? We don't have to do a fake marriage anymore!”

“I heard you.”

“We can date and get to know each other, like you said!”

“Yeah.”

“So... so why are you...”

“Because,” he chuckled, his voice coating me like warm wax. He popped open the box; the ring glittered brilliantly. “I'm free to make my choice. And I choose to ask the most beautiful, funny, smart, talented, driven woman I have ever been lucky enough to know... to marry me. For real this time.”

There was pad thai on my chin. Band-aids on my palms. I looked a right mess in my pajamas. This scene was a far cry from the coordinated moment at an ice cream stand with an audience.

But sitting there on my couch, with Conner kneeling in front of me, ring box cupped like a fragile flower, I thought... I thought the moment couldn't be more perfect.

Holding his face, I kissed him until we were unified in our need for air. We suffered to keep our mouths sealed together. “Yes,” I gushed, staring into his eager eyes. “Yes and yes and yes.”

“No safe word this time?”

I put my lips to his and laughed. “From here on out, that stuff is for the bedroom only.”

“I love you, Maya.”

“I love you, too.”

Conner pulled me on top of him, stretching beneath me on the floor. I felt him fidgeting with the box, never taking his eyes off mine as he guided the ring onto my finger.

It was back where it belonged.