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“Oh my gosh,” Tean said.
“Because, dick-breath,” North was shouting at Jem, “a phone is someone’s personal property, and I don’t care if your only talent is playing grabass—”
“What did you say?” Emery asked.
“He asked Auggie to marry him,” Shaw announced.
The silence that followed was like a place for Theo to fall into. Auggie was still staring at him. Everyone, it turned out, was still staring at him, except Lana, who was pushing her mac and cheese away, and Evie, who was eating fries from Emery’s plate.
“Is it too late for Auggie to say no?” North asked.
“Oh my gosh,” Tean repeated, and he wiped his eyes and looked at Jem.
“That’s amazing,” John-Henry said.
“What the f—freak is so amazing about it?” Emery asked. “Asking him while he’s still got a mouthful of fried chicken.”
Auggie covered his mouth, but you could still see the smile everywhere else. His eyes were wet. His face was shining.
“What are you waiting for?” Emery asked. “Do it properly.”
“I don’t—” Theo’s heart was pounding so fast that he wondered if he was about to pass out. Or maybe this was what a heart attack felt like. “I didn’t—”
“A ring!” Shaw said. He worked a gold band from his finger, and a stone caught the light. “Amethyst,” he said as he handed it to Theo. “For Auggie’s birth month.” With a shy smile, he added, “Mine too.”
“How—” Auggie started to ask, but then he just grinned again. He was starting to cry.
“In a fucking fried chicken shack,” Emery muttered, but he quieted when John-Henry shushed him.
“Maybe on one knee, Pop-pop,” North said, “if that’s not too much trouble.”
Somehow, Theo ended up on one knee.
“Just tell him how you feel,” Tean was saying.
“You’ve got this,” John-Henry said.
“And maybe remember to breathe,” Jem said wryly. “I forgot that part when we did this.”
For some reason, that made Tean laugh.
Emery squeezed Theo’s shoulder, and Theo fought the rush of tears.
The music in the background changed to another of Auggie’s favorites: Leon Bridges, “If It Feels Good.”
“I love you more than anyone in the entire world,” Theo heard himself saying. “You’re my best friend. You’re Lana’s dad. Her favorite dad.” A chuckle ran through the other men. “You’re so smart and talented and creative, and you’re the most loving person I’ve ever known. You brought me back to life.” He had to swallow. “You’ve been with me through—through everything.” And he saw, in Auggie’s eyes, that Auggie knew what he meant. Knew enough of it, anyway, even though he couldn’t know all of it. “I can honestly say I wouldn’t be here without you. If I hadn’t met you.” He smiled, surprised that he still could, and heard himself add, “If you hadn’t been so goddamn persistent.” Another laugh rolled through their gathering. “I should have done this years ago because I want to spend my life with you. August Paul Lopez, will you please marry me?”
Auggie started nodding halfway through the question, tears running down his face, and when Theo finished, he blurted, “Yes.”
Theo slipped the ring on his finger. Somehow, it fit. Then he kissed Auggie, and for a few precious heartbeats, everything else fell away.
When they broke their kiss, North was saying, “Brought me back to life. You know he’s talking about his ancient dick, right?”
The other men crowded around: shaking hands, clapping shoulders, hugging—Shaw’s hug lasted well over a minute—and, of course, congratulating them.
“Fer,” Auggie said, still wiping his eyes. “Oh my God, I’ve got to call Fer.”
Theo grinned. He was about to say something about that—about possibly needing a new identity, or at the minimum, a bomb shelter—when he noticed John-Henry had pulled away from the group. He stood with his phone pressed to his ear, and his face was empty with shock that was slowly clouding into anger.
The mood spread through the group like a contagion. Voices fell off. Silence hardened around them, and they were all looking at John-Henry, waiting, when he lowered his phone. Waiting, Theo thought. Waiting, because somehow, at some level, he thought he knew.
“The details aren’t clear,” John-Henry said, the words clipped with his fury, “but there was an incident in the county jail. Ambyr Hobbs hanged herself.”
“Jesus,” Jem said.
“It gets worse. Someone killed Dalton Weber in his cell tonight. And they murdered Sheriff Engels in the process.”
