Page 172 of Smoke and Glitter

I turn my hand once.

"Sam."

His expression changes immediately. "You hate it."

I look up. "Are you insane?"

He exhales.

"I love it."

From behind him, Colt clears his throat.

"For the record, I helped."

Sam closes his eyes.

I laugh. "Did he?"

"He was annoyingly useful."

Colt points at him. "That's all I wanted."

"Go away."

Marisol gets to me next and wraps both arms around me. Lucia squeezes in beside her to inspect the ring, and Jake waits until the traffic clears before pulling me into a hug that lasts just long enough to make my eyes burn all over again.

When he lets me go, he taps the side of my head lightly.

"Happiness still looks good on you."

"Careful. You're getting sentimental."

"Temporary condition."

Behind him, Summer is crying again.

I point at her. "Stop that."

"You're engaged."

"You had a baby seven days ago. You don't get to judge anybody's emotional stability."

"That is exactly why I get to."

Sam's arm comes around my waist from behind, and I lean back into him without thinking.

Nobody leaves when they're supposed to.

Food gets reheated. Wren eventually comes downstairs and makes a slow circuit through carefully vetted arms while Colt tracks every handoff with the concentration of an air traffic controller. Summer falls asleep in the armchair and, out of respect for our own lives, nobody mentions it when she wakes up twenty minutes later claiming she was only resting her eyes.

I'm heading toward the kitchen when Sam catches my hand.

"Come outside with me."

I glance down at our joined hands and the ring between them. "Kidnapping your fiancée already?"

His mouth shifts. "Trying out the word."