I beam with pride as she walks across the stage. Although walk isn’t the right word, because my girl never does anything by halves. She struts past her peers like a woman on a mission, head held high, blond hair perfectly styled under her graduation cap. When she accepts her diploma, she does a little twirl.

Anne Wheeler squeezes my arm as I end the recording and lower my phone.

“I can’t believe she’s graduating with honors and a perfect 4.0.”

I chuckle before I reply. “I can. I’ve never seen anyone work as hard as Maddie.”

“I don’t think you even graduated with a 4.0 for undergrad, did you, Ev?” Tori teases from farther down the row.

Rhett scowls at her before cracking a smile and shaking his head. “No,” he admits. “Maddie girl got me there. I only managed to swing a 3.89 in undergrad.”

The ceremony wraps up a few minutes later—one of the few benefits to having to wait for the majority of the alphabet to go by before they got to Wheeler. Once the dean makes her final remarks, the graduates throw their caps, and their eager families and friends swarm the green space.

I rise to stand and wait for Peter and Anne to slide out of the row, followed by Rhett and Tori. We mill about and stretch our legs as we wait for Maddie to make her way back to us.

“So New York City, huh?”

I smile. I’ve always liked Rhett, and we’ve gotten closer over the last few years. He’s sharp, intuitive, and business savvy—I love calling him up and getting his opinion on the start-ups I consider as an angel investor. I respect the hell out of his work ethic, and I admire him even more as a husband and brother.

“New York City,” I confirm with a grin. “It was ultimately Maddie’s decision. I was shocked when she said she wanted to go to Columbia for law school instead of Berkeley.”

Rhett smirks before leveling me with a look. “She got in to every college she applied to for undergrad, too.”

I chuckle under my breath. Of course she did.

“You and Tori should come visit us this fall once we get moved in. We’d love to show you around the city and spend some time together.”

Rhett nods methodically and pulls out his phone, swiping through several screens before responding.

“It looks like she’ll have fall break the first week of October. I’ll double check the dates with Tori, but we’d love to come visit you then.”

I school my expression at his over-the-top organization. Maddie loves to call him a calendar freak to his face and behind his back. Clearly, she’s not wrong. Before I can change the subject, Rhett frowns at his phone, then excuses himself to take a call.