Chapters (28)
- Cover
- Praise
- Booklist
- Dedication
- CHAPTER ONE
- CHAPTER TWO
- CHAPTER THREE
- CHAPTER FOUR
- CHAPTER FIVE
- CHAPTER SIX
- CHAPTER SEVEN
- CHAPTER EIGHT
- CHAPTER NINE
- CHAPTER TEN
- CHAPTER ELEVEN
- CHAPTER TWELVE
- CHAPTER THIRTEEN
- CHAPTER FOURTEEN
- CHAPTER FIFTEEN
- CHAPTER SIXTEEN
- CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
- CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
- CHAPTER NINETEEN
- CHAPTER TWENTY
- CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
- CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
- CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
“It was all right,” Via confirmed. “It’s complicated, how I feel about her. But more than anything, I’m so grateful for Seb and Matty. For the life I have with them.” Via paused, looked around and then pulled Mary out of the concessions line by her elbow. “I, uh, told Cora that I’m going to ask Seb to marry me.”
“What?!” Mary squawked, instant tears rising to her eyes. “Oh, Via, I’m so happy for you guys!”
“Me too,” Via said, her cheeks pink as she shed a tear herself. “And I’m terrified. And excited. And all mixed-up. But yeah, mostly happy.”
“Do you have a plan? When? Where?”
“No. Not yet. Just whenever the moment is right, I think. Maybe sometime in the next three months or so. Before Christmas.”
Mary squeezed Via into a tight hug and hoped that her friend could feel just how happy she really was. “That’s just perfect.”
They got back in line, both of them flushed and loopy with Via’s news, and Via stocked up on snacks for the kids. Mary took her time to choose, so Via went back to their seats first. A moment later, there was Seb at her side.
“Hey.”
“Did Via forget something? She nearly bought out the entire snack car.”
He smiled. “She really doesn’t like the idea of Matty or I going hungry ever. We’re lucky she makes such healthy food or me and the kid would plump up Violet Beauregarde–style.”
“You’re lucky to have her.”
“I sure am.” He shifted on his feet and looked behind him. When he turned back to Mary, something tripped up her spine. She wasn’t a clairvoyant like Fin, but she was definitely getting a déjà vu–style vibe. “I’m gonna ask her to marry me. I talked about it with Cora’s parents this weekend.”
Mary eeped, squawked and then forcibly threw her hands over her own mouth so she wouldn’t spoil anything. She was so bad at secrets.
“What?” Sebastian asked, reading her reaction.
“I’m just so happy for you!” She threw her arms around Seb’s neck to hide her expression from him. “That’s amazing! Incredible! I had no idea you guys were thinking about that! I’m flabbergasted!” Okay. Maybe she needed to dial it back a touch.
Seb laughed and patted her back. “Yeah, I’ve been thinking about it for a while. Wanted to take it slowly, make sure that Matty was comfortable with the direction everything was headed. But then I caught him online the other day.”
Mary’s brain broke. No. Nonono. Matty was too young to be looking at naughty stuff online. Matty was her little baby boychkin. She couldn’t hear this—
“He was googling ring bearer pillows,” Sebastian said, half laughing, half bemused.
Mary burst out in relieved laughter. “Oh, thank God.”