Page 35 of The Wife Upstairs

“Happy to do it anytime,” I reply, and Campbell smiles, patting my arm.

“You are so sweet. Be sure to tell Eddie how much we appreciate him letting us meet here today!”

Aaaand there it is. They don’t see this as my house, either.

My smile is tight when I walk them to the door. I didn’t want to have to be this unsubtle about it, but I’m not sure I have a choice anymore. I can feel all this starting to slip away, slowly, sure, but still. If we’re not engaged soon, any of the ground I’ve won with the neighborhood women will be lost.

So when Eddie comes in, nearly an hour later, I’m on the couch, iPad in hand.

As I’d known he would, he leans over the side of the couch to kiss my temple. “There’s my girl,” he murmurs, and I can actually feel when he looks at the screen.

Behind me, his body goes tense.

“UCLA?”

I shrug, making no effort to hide the iPad or look sheepish. If I want this to work, he has to think I’m very serious about it.

“I told you I was thinking about grad school.”

He stands up straight, his hands still on the armrest of the couch, knuckles white. “In California?”

I turn, putting my feet down on the floor, and look up at him. “Eddie, I love you, and I love staying here. Love being with you. But I have to look out for myself. You understand that.”

He steps back, his arms folded over his chest. “I get that, but I thought… I thought I made it clear that I want you here. That you belong here. With me.”

Standing up, I face him, tilting my chin up. “I’ve been depending on myself for almost my entire life. I have had people say they love me and make promises they couldn’t keep in the end.”

Another step closer. I lay my hand on his wrist. “I’mthe only person I can trust, Eddie. I learned that the hard way. You can’t blame me for making plans. It’s what I do.”

A muscle works in his jaw, and I wait, almost holding my breath.

He turns away, stalking toward the bedroom, and everything in me sinks.

I’ve fucked it up. I pushed too hard too fast, and now he’s going to throw me out. For fuck’s sake, I can’t evengoto grad school, I never finished college, what am I—

Eddie comes back into the room, and I see the little velvet box in his hand.

I’m almost dizzy from the emotional whiplash of it all, but suddenly he’s in front of me, he’s dropping down on one knee, the box is opening…

“Marry me,” he says, his voice gruff.

My eyes are fixed on the emerald ring sparkling in front of me, a huge green stone surrounded by a halo of diamonds.

“I should’ve asked you weeks ago,” he goes on. “I’ve been wanting to.”

“Obviously,” I say, my voice shaky, and that makes him laugh a little, too, his features relaxing as he reaches out and takes my hand.

“Please, Jane. Be my wife.”

He slips the ring on my left hand, the metal silky and smooth, burnished with age, and even though it’s a little snug, it’s perfect.

I stare at it there on my hand. This gorgeous piece of jewelry on my plain, small fingers, my nails still a little ragged, pale pink polish chipped, and it’s like there’s no breath in my lungs, like my heart is trying to leap out of my chest. I want to tell myself it’s satisfaction, victory,fuck yeah, I won,but it’s more.

It’s so much more. And that scares me, but for the first time, I feel like I’m allowed to want this much.

That I get to have this.

“Oh, shit,” I whisper, and Eddie grins at me, still there on one knee.