“I can’t wait, Emma.”
I peek over to my brothers, curious how they’re taking the news.
“I wish Rori was here to see this,” Landon says quietly, as much to himself as to me. As I keep my gaze on him, I notice tears too.
Connor isnotcrying, but instead has a little smile on his face. He and Grace have a special relationship, as she’s the only one close to his academic level. She also paved the path for Princeton before him. Knowing him, he’s just happy for her.
That joy is front and center a moment later when Grace and Johnson come over to us and hugs get passed around like candy.
Grace kisses my cheek when it’s my turn, and then whispers in my ear.
“Love you, Rawley. Thank you for being part of this day.”
“Love you, Gracie.”
“All right, let’s go eat,” Johnson says loudly to the whole gang. “We have a caterer so everyone can relax,” he explains, another part of his planning that is a surprise for her.
“That’s so thoughtful, honey.”
And then they’re kissing.
“Oh man, we’re going to have to swallow the kissing all night, aren’t we?” I say to Connor in a low voice.
“Can’t really crack jokes on the night of the engagement,” Connor agrees, not sounding thrilled.
“You two, get over it.” Pam, Johnson’s mom, lightly cuffs my back. “They’re excited, and it is beautiful.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I say, putting on my good Alabama boy voice.
We stroll in from the lawn as a group, Connor and I the slowest.
“Too bad Bea couldn’t be here,” I mention as the others are far ahead enough not to hear. He hasn’t gone down to Miami since Landon and I had our last OTA.
“We broke up,” he says crisply.
I stop in my tracks. “What?”
“Yeah, I ended things. Though she was agreeable too.”
“Wait, you broke up with your girlfriend of eight months and didn’t think to mention it once to me?”
He shrugs. “It isn’t like you and her are hanging out.”
“Well, why did you end it?”
He clenches his jaw. “I don’t really want to talk about it here, now. But something wasn’t right.”
“Okay.”
I can’t help but ask one more question.
“Does this have something to do with why you keep disappearing during the day?”
“No. That’s different.”
Could he possibly sayless? Christ.
He must sense my annoyance. “Someday all will be revealed. But not now, Rawls.”
