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“I’m sorry for missing the meeting last night,” I say to Mam and Da. “We wanted to figure out how to tell you all.”

Finn frowns at this. His eyes are still bloodshot from last night as he looks at Brioni.

“Is that why you wanted to get dru— Ow!”

Cora stamps on his foot.

“Here you go, Brioni,” Erin says, drawing everyone’s attention away from Finn. She holds out Brioni’s wallet, and I curse myself for not checking she had it with her when we left last night. When Brioni reaches to take it, Erin rotates the wallet to look at the top of my fiancée’s left hand.

“I’m picking up the ring in a few days,” I say hurriedly.

I hope it’ll be enough time. Because I know exactly the ring I want to have made for her.

Brioni thanks Erin and pockets her wallet. I catch Mam watching Brioni’s every move with that secret smile on her face.

“Good,” Mam says, almost like a challenge to me. “Then you’ll have the ring in time for the engagement party on Saturday.”

“Wait. As in, a week from today?” Brioni asks, and Mam nods at us both.

“Yes, but no need to lift a finger. Da and I will take care of everything. Brady, we’ll need the two-story ballroom.”

“All yours,” he says, a bit smug for my liking. He enjoys being the one to run our family’s hotels and restaurants.

As the others break into their own conversations, I hear Brioni’s stomach growl loudly. She darts glances at everyone, as if worried they might’ve noticed. Then her eyes land on me, and I grin knowingly at her.

“Let’s get you a cheese sandwich.”

Chapter 8

Brioni

With five of us in the high-rise’s elevator, it’s pleasantly crowded. Liam keeps me tucked close to his side, but I get the sense it isn’t to save space. It’s for show.

Finn steps out on his floor and waves us goodbye without turning around. When the doors open to Brady and Cora’s floor, Cora wraps her arms around me and squeezes me tight.

“Congratulations.” She kisses me on the cheek as Brady clasps his brother’s forearm. Then they’re stepping back, and the doors are closing.

And it’s just me and Liam. Alone.

When the doors open to his penthouse, I have to remind myself to breathe again. Liam saunters to his kitchen and I follow him, taking a seat at the counter without giving it any thought.

We’ve rarely spent time here. Liam’s rarely spent time here, until recently.

But it feels like we’re back in his parents’ annex, with me sitting at his kitchen table while he preps us sandwiches or snacks or smoothies. Or like we’re at my house next door, and the roles are reversed. Even here in his sleek penthouse, with Liam fixing me a cheese sandwich, everything’s the same.

And yet everything’s different.

We’re engaged. Allegedly.

“So, you’ll have to move in,” Liam says casually.

“Move in… here?” Out of the South Side. Out of my house. Away from my work and church and community.

“Yeah.” He unwraps a block of Kerrygold cheddar. “Mam and Da will look after your place.”

“They won’t think it’s weird if I don’t sell it?”

“They know how much you love it. Besides, it’d make a great place for a—” He clears his throat, refocusing on the cheese he’s slicing. “Theoretically, it’d make a great place for a family someday.”