Epilogue
EPILOGUE
JUNO
I’m so giddy with excitement I’m worried I’ll pee my pants.
It’s not just the fact that I’m about to officially become a University of Florida alum. Or that my whole loving family is here for my graduation.
No. The main source of my glee is the man giving away the diplomas up on the stage.
The man who flew said family here on his private jet.
Lucius.
My real, official boyfriend who was asked by the university to perform this honor because he’s become a celebrity here in Gainesville due to—among other things—all the jobs the recently finished Novus Rome has created.
Ruefully, I glance down at my outfit—a shapeless black gown.
Not my best. Not when I much prefer wearing sundresses when I see him, with sandals that accentuate my feet—because I know the latter drive him mad.
Then again, maybe this outfit is fine. Maybe having my feet—and everything else—hidden is enticing. Maybe we could incorporate this gown into a bit of roleplay tonight? I could be a naughty Supreme Court justice. Or a?—
“Juno Lazko.” The words boom ominously over the big speakers.
My mom elbows me in the ribs, in case I’ve grown deaf.
Jackknifing to my feet, I float to the stage on a cloud of endorphins and adrenaline.
The closer I get to Lucius, the more powerfully my heart flutters.
Our life is about to be different.
Easier.
Nicer.
He’s been extremely busy with the project of his dreams and I with my Botany program, and though we’ve always found time for each other, it’s always felt like we we’ve been stealing that time.
But not after today. Not with the job I have lined up at the Botanical Gardens and his?—
“Hey, you,” Lucius says to me, covering the microphone. His metallic eyes reflect the bright Florida sun overhead. “Are you excited?”
I nod, beaming.
“Good.” He grabs my diploma and steps out from behind the podium, the way he did for the other students. But then he goes off script. Normally, he shakes the graduate’s hand at this point, but he doesn’t do that to me.
Instead, he drops to one knee—causing everyone gathered to gasp.
In the stunned silence that follows, Lucius pulls out a turquoise-colored box, then clasps my hand in his, looking up at me adoringly—something he has definitely not done with any of the other diploma recipients.
“What is happening?” I whisper down at him.
I mean, obviously I know. I’ve dreamed of something like this moment. After all, it’s been four years.
Still, here of all places? Now?
“Juno,” he says, and I’m not sure if it’s part of the plan or not, but he’s not covering the microphone anymore, so his words ring out across the whole field. “Ever since we got stuck on that elevator together, my life hasn’t been the same—and I couldn’t be happier.” He opens the box, revealing a diamond that reminds me of the one the old lady dropped into the ocean in Titanic . “You’ve been my muse,” he continues. “My friend. My everything.” He takes out the ring. “Ancient Romans believed that a vein leads directly from the left ring finger straight to the heart—and that belief is the origin of the tradition we’re currently participating in.”
Of course, leave it to Lucius to tie in Ancient Rome to this proposal.
“So, as I give you your degree, I ask you, Juno Lazko, will you make me the happiest man in the world and marry me?”
I grin so hard my ears hurt. “If I say no, will I still graduate?”
He nods.
“In that case… yes. A thousand times, yes.”
As he slides the ring onto my finger and stands up to sweep me into his arms, the entire stadium erupts in cheers—and I realize the Ancient Romans may have been right.
My heart swells with all the blood pumping through the vein leading from my left ring finger. Or more likely, with Lucius’s love.