Chapter 27
Nora adjusted the necklace Carson had given her for their six-month anniversary—a simple silver pendant with both their initials—and checked her reflection one more time before heading out.
Dinner with Lila and Jake. The new Jake. The one Lila had been dating for four months and was apparently getting serious about.
Her phone buzzed as she grabbed her purse. Carson: Have fun tonight. Don’t let Lila drink too much wine and start planning our wedding before I’ve even proposed.
Nora laughed and typed back: No promises. You know how she gets.
I do. That’s why I’m warning you. Love you.
Love you too.
She drove to Osteria, the Italian place downtown where Lila had insisted they meet. “Upscale but not stuffy,” Lila had said. “Perfect for the announcement.”
Announcement. Lila had been cryptic about what that meant, but Nora had her suspicions.
She found Lila and Jake already seated at a corner table. Lila looked radiant—practically glowing—and Jake looked nervous in that way men do when they’re about to share big news.
“There she is!” Lila jumped up and pulled Nora into a hug. “I’m so glad you’re here. We have news.”
“Let me guess,” Nora said, smiling. “You’re engaged?”
Lila’s jaw dropped. “How did you know?”
“You’re literally vibrating with excitement. And Jake looks like he’s about to pass out from nerves. It wasn’t hard to figure out.” Nora hugged them both. “Congratulations. I’m so happy for you.”
Jake relaxed visibly. “Thank you. I proposed last night. Took her to the place we had our first date and—” He smiled at Lila. “She said yes before I even finished asking.”
“Because I knew what you were going to say.” Lila held out her hand, showing off a beautiful diamond ring. “Isn’t it gorgeous?”
“It’s perfect.” And it was. Simple. Elegant. Very Lila.
They ordered wine—Lila insisting on champagne to celebrate—and settled into dinner. Nora listened to the proposal story, admired the ring from every angle, and felt genuinely happy for her best friend.
“So we’re thinking spring wedding,” Lila said, scrolling through photos on her phone. “Something outdoors. Not huge, maybe a hundred people. And, Nora—” She looked up with eyes that were suddenly serious. “I want you to be my maid of honor. If you’ll do it.”
“Of course I will.” Nora reached across the table and squeezed Lila’s hand. “I’d be honored.”
“Good. Because I can’t imagine getting married without you there. You’re the sister I never had.”
The words made Nora’s throat tight. After years of foster care, of never quite belonging anywhere, she’d found family in Lila. Had built something real and lasting.
“You’re my family too,” Nora said. “The best family I could have asked for.”
They spent the next hour talking wedding plans. Venues and flowers and dresses. Lila pulled up Pinterest boards she’d apparently been secretly creating for months. Jake contributed occasionally but mostly just watched his fiancée with obvious adoration.
“What about you two?” Lila asked eventually, when they’d exhausted wedding topics. “When’s Carson going to make an honest woman of you?”
“Lila!” Nora felt her face heat. “We’ve only been back together for six months.”
“Six months on top of the six months before that. You’ve been together a year total. That’s plenty of time to know.” Lila leaned forward. “Has he mentioned it? Marriage?”
“We’ve talked about the future. About wanting that eventually. But we’re not in a rush.”
“But you want him to propose.”
It wasn’t a question. Lila knew her too well.
“I do,” Nora admitted. “But I also want to make sure we’re solid first. That the changes he made stick. That we can really do this long-term.”
“And can you?”
Nora thought about the past six months. Carson showing up for every date. Maintaining his boundaries at work. Going to therapy consistently. Being present in ways he’d never been before.
“Yeah,” she said. “We can. He’s not the same person he was a year ago. Neither am I. We’ve both grown. Both learned how to be partners instead of just two people who love each other.”
“That’s beautiful.” Lila’s eyes were suspiciously shiny. “I’m so proud of you. For not settling. For demanding better. For teaching Carson how to show up.”
“I’m proud of you too. For giving love another chance after what’s-his-name.”
“Old Jake was a disaster. New Jake is—” Lila looked at her fiancé with such obvious love it made Nora’s chest ache. “He’s everything I didn’t know I needed.”
Jake blushed. “You’re making me sound like a saint. I’m just a guy who’s crazy about you.”
“See?” Lila gestured at him. “Perfect.”
They finished dinner and lingered over coffee, talking about life and love and the futures they were building.
Nora told them about her business—now with an assistant she’d hired last month.
Lila talked about her own career promotion.
Jake shared his plans to open a second location of his restaurant.
Everyone was moving forward. Growing. Building lives they were proud of.
“Before we go,” Lila said as they waited for the check, “I need to apologize. Again. For not believing you when you first told me about Eugene. For dismissing your fears as anxiety.”
“We’ve been over this—”
“I know. But getting engaged makes you think about the important people in your life. About the moments that mattered. And I keep coming back to how I failed you.” Lila’s voice cracked slightly. “You came to me terrified and I told you it was in your head. That’s not what best friends do.”
“You didn’t know. No one did. Eugene was careful. Manipulative. You weren’t wrong to question it. You just didn’t have all the information.”
“But I should have trusted your instincts. Should have believed you even without proof.” Lila reached across the table. “I’m sorry. Truly.”
“I forgive you. I forgave you months ago.” Nora squeezed her hand. “We’re good, Lila. We’re better than good. We’re sisters.”
“Sisters,” Lila agreed, wiping her eyes. “God, I’m a mess. This is supposed to be a celebration and I’m crying about the past.”
“You’re crying because you love me. Because you care. That’s not a bad thing.”
They paid the check and walked out together, standing on the sidewalk in the cool evening air.
“Thank you for coming tonight,” Lila said, hugging Nora tightly. “For being happy for us. For being you.”
“Always.”
Nora drove home with a smile on her face and warmth in her chest. Her best friend was getting married. Her business was thriving. Her relationship with Carson was solid and healthy and real.
Life was good. Really, truly good.
And as she thought about Lila’s question—when would Carson propose—Nora realized she wasn’t in a rush. They’d get there when they got there. The proposal would come when it was right.
She trusted him. Trusted them. Trusted the life they were building together.
That was enough for now.
More than enough.
***
Carson was cooking when Nora got home.
She could smell garlic and tomatoes as soon as she opened the door. Could hear him humming along to music playing from his phone—some classic rock station he’d discovered recently.
“Hey,” she called out, hanging up her coat. “What are you making?”
“Pasta puttanesca. Thought I’d try something new.” He appeared in the kitchen doorway, wearing an apron that said “Kiss the Cook”—a gag gift from Finn that he’d actually started using. “How was dinner?”
“Amazing. Lila and Jake are engaged. She wants me to be maid of honor.”
“That’s great. When’s the wedding?”
“Spring. They’re thinking outdoor ceremony, small reception. Very them.” Nora moved into the kitchen and wrapped her arms around him from behind. “She asked when you’re going to propose to me.”
She felt Carson stiffen slightly. “Did she now?”
“Yep. I told her we’re not in a rush. That we’re focusing on building something solid.”
“And is that what you told her? Or what you actually believe?”
Nora moved to face him. “Both. I mean, I’d be lying if I said I haven’t thought about it. About marrying you. About building a future together. But I’m not in a rush. We’ll get there when we’re ready.”
Carson studied her face. “And if I’m ready now?”
Her heart skipped. “Are you?”
“I’ve been ready for months. I’ve been waiting for the right moment. The right way to ask. The right—” He stopped. “The right time to prove I’m worthy of you saying yes.”
“Carson, you’ve proven that. You’ve been proving it every day for six months.”
“Have I? Because I still mess up sometimes. Still get too focused on work. Still have moments where I slip back into old patterns.”
“But you catch yourself. You apologize. You adjust. That’s not failure.
That’s being human.” Nora slipped her arms around his waist. “You’re not perfect.
I don’t need you to be perfect. I just need you to keep showing up.
Keep trying. Keep being the man who loves me enough to do the hard work of change. ”
“I am that man. I want to be that man for the rest of my life.” He moved his arms from around her shoulders and cupped her face. “But I need to do this right. Need to plan it. Make it special. Not just blurt it out in the kitchen while I’m making dinner.”
“I wouldn’t mind if you did.”
“I know. But you deserve better than that. Deserve romance and thought and effort.” He kissed her softly. “So give me a little more time. To do this right. To show you how much this means to me.”
“Okay. I can wait.”
“You won’t have to wait long. I promise.”
They finished making dinner together, and Nora felt a flutter of anticipation in her chest. Soon. It would happen soon.
And when it did—when Carson asked her to marry him—she already knew what her answer would be.
The same answer she’d give him every day for the rest of their lives.
Yes. Always yes.