Sebastian chuckled as well. “I asked him what it was for. And he told me he’d just started thinking about weddings recently and was curious about it. I took that as a sign that he was ready to start talking about the future with Via. He told me I should get a move on. So. Here we are.”

“Do you have a plan?” Mary asked. She cleared her throat, trying not to sound rehearsed. “When? Where?”

“No plan,” Seb said, shaking his head. “I think I’ll know when the moment is right. Maybe sometime in the next six months.”

Mary nearly swallowed her tongue. “Maybe sooner?” she croaked.

“Maybe.” Sebastian squinted at her. “Mary, you’re acting weird. Do you know something...?”

“No! I know nothing! I have to pee! Two Coronas with lime and a bag of pretzels.” She thrust her money into Seb’s hand and skedaddled out of the snack car, back to where they were all sitting. Safety in numbers.

She practically collapsed onto John’s lap, pressing her lips to his. “Help me,” she groaned. “Save me from myself.”

He laughed. “What do you need?”

She gave him the CliffsNotes version and he agreed to help her field any more awkward questions.

Luckily, they made it back to Grand Central unscathed. They piled onto the subway together, and all of them, unwilling to part ways, immediately jumped on Via’s invitation to feed everyone dinner.

When they came aboveground in Seb and Via’s neighborhood, Mary pulled John back to walk behind the group. She liked seeing so many people she loved all clumped together, talking and laughing and evolving before her very eyes. And she loved, most of all, having John there by her side as she did it.

They walked quietly together, skipping over uneven squares of the sidewalk.

“I think the heat finally broke,” John noted, lifting his head to the late afternoon sun, looking for once like he enjoyed its bright glare.

Mary nodded. “And soon it’ll be fall. My favorite season, I think. So bittersweet. So determined to remind everybody that everything is always changing.”

John nodded. “Plus, Estrella makes the most incredible walnut stuffing at Thanksgiving. That’s why I always look forward to the fall.”

“And then winter. Will you take me skating in Prospect Park?”

John grimaced. “I’ll death-grip the wall and inch along while you skate.”

She laughed. “And then ball games in the springtime. You like the Cyclones? We usually do a big birthday ball game celebration for Matty.”

“Sounds great. And then it’ll be summer again. Our time. I don’t think I’ll ever get through a hot summer and not think about this one. My favorite summer I’ve ever had.”

Mary flushed with pleasure. “And then it’ll all start over again. The whole cycle.”

John kissed her temple. “That’s right,” he agreed. “Time. We’ve got nothing but time.”