She felt Brodie’s eyes on her, so she turned back to him. He slid a few inches away, so they were facing each other instead of side by side.

“Celeste, the past year has been amazing. But going to New York with you . . . it makes me realize how close we’ve really gotten. And how much more is ahead for us.”

“Brodie. That’s so sweet.” She felt her chest swell with happiness. Maybe bringing him home hadn’t been a disaster after all. Maybe she’d been silly to even have worried about it.

“I’m not trying to be sweet. I’m trying to say . . . that I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” At first, the words didn’t register. But understanding slowly dawned with the intensity of fireworks.

“Wait, are you—”

“I love you, Celeste. Will you marry me?”

“Yes,” she breathed, leaning forward to kiss him. After a moment he pulled back.

“I almost forgot,” he said, handing her a small box. She opened it to find a silver claddagh ring.

“It’s beautiful,” she said as he slipped it onto her left ring finger.

“It’s just a placeholder,” he said.

“For what? It’s perfect.” She knew he didn’t have a lot of money and certainly didn’t expect—or want—a diamond.

“Well, until you get the pink diamond from your father,” he said.

Her mood instantly plummeted.

“You didn’t feel pressure to propose to me because of my family, did you?”

“No—no. Of course not.”

She wasn’t so sure.

“For the record, I don’t want that insane diamond. I don’t want anything from my parents. I’m here to live my own life.”

“Well, let’s live it together,” he said. She told herself to stop being cynical, to just accept the happy moment.

The following days were a blur of sharing the good news, drinks to celebrate with friends, and the delicious feeling her life was about to begin for real. The only people she didn’t tell were her parents and sisters. She wanted to savor the happiness inside their little bubble for as long as possible.

“We should go to New York this weekend and tell your parents in person,” Brodie said.

“A phone call will be fine,” she said.

“I’m sure they’re going to want to see us. And besides, your father will want to give you the ring.”

She pulled back. “I already told you I don’t want that ring. Maybe you’re the one who wants the diamond.”

“Celeste, you come from a family with money. Why are you pretending you’re just another broke grad student?”

“Well, when you thought I was ‘just another broke grad student,’ we never even talked about a commitment. Now that you’ve seen my family, suddenly you want to get married?”

“That’s unfair,” he said.

Her heart was pounding.