Page 117 of Fake it With Me

She sighed dramatically but settled down, clutching the camera we’d bought her last week. She had expressed an interest in photography. Mostly, she liked anything Liza liked. Liza and Daisie would take long walks on the beach using Liza’s fancy camera to photograph everything. Daisie was convinced she was going to be an underwater photographer so she could show Liza what the whales were really up to down there.

She had been practicing her photography all week. She took pictures of everything to make sure she knew how to work it. Because as she told me, practice makes perfect.

I checked my jacket pocket for the hundredth time, feeling the small velvet box nestled there. Still there. Still making my heart race every time I touched it.

The ceremony droned on. Name after name, handshakes, diplomas, the obligatory moving of tassels. I tried to pay attention. I knew this was a huge deal for Liza. I tried to appreciate the significance of the moment, but honestly, it was boring as hell.

Until they got to the J’s.

“Liza Marie Jefferies, PhD in Marine Biology.”

That was when we lost our minds.

Daisie and I jumped to our feet, cheering and whooping like we were at a football game instead of a dignified academic ceremony. Around us, people turned to stare, some annoyed, some amused. I didn’t care.

That was my girlfriend walking across that stage. My brilliant, beautiful, whale-obsessed girlfriend who had spent the last year finishing her dissertation while also somehow becoming an integral part of our family.

Dr. Liza Jefferies.

She spotted us in the crowd. It was hard not to, given that we were the only people standing and making absolute fools of ourselves. Her face broke into this huge smile. She looked embarrassed but also happy. So happy.

She accepted her diploma and shook hands with what I assumed was the department head while Daisie demanded I lift her up so she could get better pictures. Daisie memorialized all of it. Snapping photos as Liza moved her tassel from right to left.

It was official.

“Sit down,” someone hissed from behind us. I reluctantly dropped back into my seat.

“Did you see her smile at us?” Daisie whispered excitedly. “She was so happy!”

“She was. We made her happy.”

The ceremony continued for another excruciating thirty minutes, but I barely noticed. I was too busy thinking about what came next and the ring in my pocket. I hoped I didn’t completely screw up the proposal I had been planning for months. I hadn’t wanted to distract Liza while she worked hard, so I had been putting off the proposal. The ring had been burning a hole in my safe for three months. It was a custom design that I hoped she loved.

Finally the longest graduation ceremony ever was finally over. The graduates threw their caps in the air, and everyone started filing out to meet their families.

We fought our way through the crowd, Daisie leading the charge because she was small enough to weave between people. I followed in her wake, scanning for Liza.

And there she was, cap askew, gown wrinkled, grinning like a maniac as Daisie launched herself at her.

“Dr. Liza!” Daisie squealed. “You did it! You’re a doctor now!”

“I did it!” Liza picked her up and spun her around. “I’m officially done!”

I reached them and pulled them both into a hug. “Congratulations, Dr. Jefferies.”

“That sounds so weird.” She laughed. “I’m not used to it yet.”

“Well, you better get used to it because that’s what we’re calling you from now on.”

“Please don’t. It makes me sound like I should be performing surgery or something. If someone asks if there is a doctor in the house, never volunteer me.”

Around us, other families were taking pictures, celebrating their own graduates. I saw Liza glance around, a flicker of something crossing her face.

“You okay?” I asked quietly.

“Yeah.”

She had told her parents not to come. Told them me and Daisie were her family. I loved that, but it also made me feel bad for her.