I’ll be honest, as we’d sat there eating our prime rib and the dude to my right had gone on and on about his favorite spots to fish on Dragonfly Lake, I’d nodded and faked interest while my brain was catching up with what I’d gotten us into.

So I couldn’t blame Chloe for being a little upset, but we’d figure out a game plan.

Any second now.

Instead of dropping her off in front of her high-rise building, I pulled into a visitor parking place, killed the engine, and got out. Before I could open her door for her, Chloe burst out of the passenger side, not meeting my gaze.

We walked side by side to the apartment lobby, got in the elevator, rode to the sixteenth floor, still in silence. Once she let us into her apartment, I braced myself, but there was no explosion.

I should’ve known better. Chloe wasn’t one to lose her shit even when she was really upset. But still, it caught me off guard when she turned to face me and her eyes were about to overflow with tears.

“Chlo,” I said, stepping toward her, but she put her hand up, shook her head.

There’d been plenty of times over the years when something had upset her nearly to the point of tears, but I was not used to being the cause of it.

I didn’t like it.

“Go ahead and yell at me,” I said. “Get it out.”

She let out a frustrated, aggravated grunt. “I can’t even really be mad at you because I know you did it to help me,” she growled out. “But what in the name of God were you thinking, Holden?” She pressed her lips together and went on before I could answer. “Engaged? To be married? Do you realize the epic clusterfuck you’ve caused?”

Okay, that was closer to a rant than a cry, and I’d take that any day.

“Clusterfuck is a little strong.”

“Are you serious? Have you thought this through?”

We’d been in the entryway, and she stepped into the kitchen now, opened a cabinet, took out… Twizzlers. Of course. Some people coped with alcohol, some with vaping, but Chloe’s go-to was red licorice ropes.

She bought them by the jar, and she popped the top now and pulled one out.

As she took a bite, I said, “We’ll figure it out, Chloe. The main thing is we convinced your boss that we’re in a serious relationship.”

With a loud exhale, Chloe turned away but didn’t let go of her plastic tub of rope candy. I waited while she chewed, bit off another chunk, and chewed some more with her back to me.

“She’s skeptical, to put it mildly,” she finally said.

“We sprung it on her. We’ll convince her in the end.”