“Thank you, Son,” Lillian said. “Jared? Would it be a good time to ask how much longer you’ll be engaged?”

“No,” Jared said, shaking his head with a smile. “I just got her to agree to set a date, Mom. Don’t ruin my hard work.”

I laughed. “She has a point.”

“She does?” Jared said, surprised.

I patted his knee. “My parents’ anniversary is on a Saturday this year.”

Lillian’s eyes brightened. “Oh, it is! How wonderful! June first, then?”

Jared turned to me, cautious. “June first?”

“It’s an easy date to remember,” I shrugged.

“Of this year?” Jared asked, cautiously hopeful.

Lillian and I shared the same boisterous laugh. “Yes, Honey. Seven months from now.”

The smile that crept across Jared’s face was slow, but it spanned from one side to the other. “June first.”

The conversation was monopolized by wedding plans after that, and the afternoon was filled with excitement and anticipation.

We said our goodbyes with kisses and hugs to Bex, Claire and Lillian, and then Jared led me to the Escalade by the hand. Once inside, he leaned over the console, took my face gingerly in his hands, and pressed his lips against mine.

When he finally pulled away, I felt a bit dizzy. A small twinge of guilt settled in. It was so easy to make him happy, and I had grossly procrastinated something so simple.

Jared drove slowly to the house, brushing my hand with his thumb as he held it. A storm had rolled in, and it fed into the new energy that almost crackled in the air between us, as if he couldn’t wait to get home. He intertwined his fingers in mine, kissing each of my fingers. “I feel like you said yes all over again.”

“I told you I would set a date.”

“You did,” he said. His mouth widened to a broad grin. “Man! I feel like I want to stand on a rooftop and scream! This is one of the best days of my life!”

I giggled, nearly manic from the emanation of Jared’s mood. Just as the moment peaked, it fizzled.

“What are you doing?” I said. He slowed the Escalade to a stop. “You’re not really going climb onto a rooftop, are you?”

“No,” he said, his smile fading fast. “I spoke to soon.”

It was then that I noticed the blue and red lights dancing all around us. “We’re being pulled over? But, you weren’t speeding.”

“That’s not what he wants.”

I grabbed Jared’s hand, seeing the dark silhouette of the police officer. The windshield wipers knocked back and forth as we waited for his approach. He knocked on Jared’s window with the butt of his flashlight.

“Officer,” Jared said, pressing the button for the window. The dark glass buzzed as it lowered and then disappeared, revealing a face I had longed to see again.