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All the wind’s out of my sails as I grumble, “So I’ve got your blessing?” He takes a bite of his sandwich, chewing slowly. “Got the ring with you?”
“Yup. Want to see it?” “Bring it out, kid.” I reach into my pocket for the blue velvet box. When I flip it open, his dark eyebrows shoot up like two helium balloons.
“Couldn’t find anything bigger?” he asks sarcastically. “You think she won’t like it?...
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“Oh, she’s going to love it. You know AJ. When it comes to jewelry, the bigger and shinier, the better.” “That was my th...
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“Yeah, but times are different now,” he says gruffly. “AJ has a career, goals. And women are having babies later and later these days. There’s no rush anymore.”
Joe shrugs. “But if it’s something the two of you want, then I won’t stand in your way. AJ loves you. I like you somewhat. Good enough for me.” I smother a burst of laughter.
That’s about as ringing an endorsement as I’m ever going to ...
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Mom instantly understands. She releases a squeal of joy and suddenly she’s hugging me again. “Oh my God! When are you going to do it? Tonight?” She claps her hands happily. My folks adore Allie, so I’m not surprised by her jubilant response.
She claps her hands again. “Oh, your father is going to be so happy!” “Nope. You’re not allowed to tell him until after I do it.” Mom’s jaw drops. “You really expect me to keep that kind of secret from him?”
“You have no choice. Dad tells Summer everything, and Summer can’t keep her mouth shut to save her life.” After a beat, Mom surrenders. “You’re right. Your sister sucks.”
There’s the anniversary of when we hooked up for the first time, which I don’t count because we were both drunk. Granted, not drunk enough not to know what we were doing, but I can’t have alcohol tainting a special day.
"we were drunk when we met, so we don't know our anniversary, whoops" (kelsea ballerini)
“Did I miss our anniversary?” “No. That’s in October.” “Thank you! So you also count it from the first time we had the real sex?” “Yeah.” He starts to laugh. “The real sex.” Then he grins.
It’s from our favorite bakery around the corner from our apartment. I think they bake it in a vat of garlic and oil, but I don’t care.
That sounds divine
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Except I know exactly why. Because my mouth is full, and he’s totally picturing me giving him a blowjob.
“I’m picturing you giving me a blowjob,” he says. I almost choke on my pasta from laughter. “God, never change, babe.”
It always feels so surreal when I come to this multimillion-dollar penthouse. And don’t get me started on the Di Laurentis mansion in Greenwich, which has an honest-to-God skating rink on the grounds, and more than one pool.
Holy shit. Oh no. He’s not actually going to… When he reaches into his pocket, I realize, oh yes he is.
Suddenly it all clicks in my brain. Fancy dinner with all my favorite dishes from our favorite spots. Our dressy clothes. This penthouse. I know for a fact Dean’s mom is in the city, which means he must’ve sent her back to Connecticut in order to clear out the place for us.
And I’d reiterated it just before Tucker and Sabrina got married, because I suspected something like this would happen, that the wedding fever would infect all the boys. The four of them are ridiculously close and tend to copy whatever the other does.
Like, Garrett gets into a serious relationship in college, and the next thing you know, Logan is professing his love to Grace on the radio and Tucker’s knocking up Sabrina. So yeah, I’d made sure to clearly articulate my feelings to Dean.
He’s acting like a child. He won’t even try to understand my reasoning, or acknowledge that maybe I’m not ready for marriage and engagements and all that grown-up stuff.
“That’s even worse, Allie!” he growls. “Like, I went to your dad and everything! Do you realize what a fucking chump I feel like?” He scrapes both hands through his hair.
My jaw drops. This is the first I’m hearing of it. He hadn’t mentioned the “going to my dad” part the night he tried to propose. “You asked my dad for his blessing?”
“Of course! That’s how serious I am about this relationship!” He glares at me. “Appa...
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None of my chats with Hannah since the wedding have been too productive. Every time I’ve asked her if she’s taken the test yet, she says no. Every time I ask if she’s told Garrett, she also says no.
Tonight, though, Hannah seems to have plenty to say to me. After telling her about Dean storming out, I’m startled to discover she’s not on my side.
HANNAH: I mean…can you blame the guy? He planned a whole proposal and you just…you know… I glower at my phone.
ME: No, I don’t know. HER: You hurt him. HER: And embarrassed him. HER: (Don’t shoot the messenger.)
ME: He could have spared himself that embarrassment if he’d just listened to me during the DOZENS of talks we had about this very subject. I told him I’m not ready.
HER: Yeah, but it’s Dean. You know Dean. Mr. Impulsive. When he’s in, he’s all in.
She’s right. When Dean decided he was into me, he kicked into full pursuit. And after I broke up with him at the end of senior year, he went above and beyond to prove to me he was growing up and changing.
He’s been an incredible partner ever since. I love him with every fiber of my soul. So why can’t you get engaged to him? a voice pushes.
The thing about Seraphina is, she’s been married since she was sixteen years old. Yep. Sixteen. She had to get special permission from her parents to marry her high school boyfriend, but they’ve been together for fifteen years now.
Dang that's too young
“He tried to set up a whole romantic proposal, and I wouldn’t let him go through with it,” I confess. Then I swallow a groan, because saying it out loud sounds ludicrous.
Their expression confirms my suspicion. I ignore Malcolm’s, because he would look just as horrified if I turned down Dean’s offer to buy me a Subway sandwich. But Trevor and Seraphina are both eyeing me like I’d gone insane.
“First comes love. Then comes engagement. Then comes marriage, and then the stupid baby in the dumb baby carriage.”
Trevor bursts out laughing. “Your opinion of children is inspiring.” “Sorry. I’m just cranky because Dean’s not speaking to me. But you know what I mean.”
Sera’s answering smile is kind. “Well, sure. But here’s the thing. Yes, those are natural ste...
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“Not in mine. I’m polyamorous,” Trevor interjects. “Ou...
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She ignores him. “But you get to decide how big the ladder is. How much space the...
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“That would be a poorly constructed ladder if the rungs weren’t equally spaced,” I point out, furrowing my brow. “How would you be able to climb it properly?” “Oh my G...
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“All I’m saying is, you don’t have to look at it as rung one equals engagement and rung two equals marriage. Maybe the first rung is the engagement, but then you climb for a bit and marriage comes on rung five. It’s not set in stone. And just because you had this plan for yoursel...
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“You’re not the only person on the ladder, Allie. Clearly, he doesn’t view the rungs the same way you do. You’re on the same ladder, climbing to the same place, but Dean’s rungs are in different positions and he’s on shaky ground. You feel secure on the...
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Malcolm, who’s seated again, stares at her in awe. “Whoa. That is deep.” “Like ...
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Oh God, is she right? Is this about more than Dean being his usual impulsive self? I assumed he was proposing because he’s spontaneous and was simply jumping on the wedding bandwagon. But what if this is about Dean needing a stron...
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If a proposal makes Dean feel more secure on our relationship ladder, and if I already know I’m going to marry that man one day, then what the hell is wrong with me?
A lightbulb goes off above my head, flashing the words: I’m such a fucking idiot.
I know him well. No matter how pissed he might be at me, Dean would never allow me to worry.
“Why do you have adjoining rooms anyway?” I glance at Logan’s door. “The whole world already knows you guys suck each other’s dicks. Just man up and share a room.”
“Logan needs my protection,” G explains. “He’s afraid a puck bunny will sneak into his bed again.” “I’m sorry—what?”
