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“The important thing to remember is that we’re not trying to recreate the original proposal. Neither of you have to look surprised.” Julien speaks, but he’s clearly translating for his brother.
I point at my chest. “Why would I look surprised?”
August rolls his eyes, and signs again.
“In the staged ones, a lot of guys forget that they’re the ones proposing, so they make a big—”
Julien pauses. August makes an exaggerated surprised face that makes Gabriel burst out laughing.
“Anyway,” Julien continues for his brother. “We’re not recreating it. These are celebratory photos for an announcement. I suggest doing the boring ones first.”
That makesmelaugh. “The boring ones?”
August’s hands move. Julien follows them. “The posed ones. I don’t think they should be too bad. Actually…” His hands pause. August looks at me and Lily, standing by a bench in the park that Mason had built for Charlotte, like he’s seeing some kind of augmented-reality grid over us. Who knows? Maybe he is. His hands move again. “The height difference will make these easier if you sit on his lap, Lily.”
Lily wolf-whistles.
Elise cracks up then, which sets Gabriel off, and Nate and Lydia both think that’s incredibly funny. Lily starts laughing at her own joke.
“My middle name is August,” I tell August.
He huffs, which I think is a laugh, and signs.
“My name isn’t really August. It’s a nickname. Don’t be a dick, August,” Julien says.
August shoots him a look, then signs, his hands moving more slowly.
“Oh, I am so sorry,” Julien says, his voice wry. “It’s very cool that your middle name is August. Maybe we should hug about it.”
Goddamn it. There I go.
We get a grip on ourselves just in time for Mason and Charlotte to show up with Remy and Robin.
“Sorry!” Charlotte says. “It was a whole thing! Proceed!”
“It’s okay, Sunshine. We were just talking about how I shouldn’t act surprised when Lily proposes.”
“Ialreadyproposed,” Lily said.
“Neither of you remembered anything important.” Mason strides over to our engagement-photo bench and offers me a little velvet box.
I clasp both hands over his, look down at it, and then look into his eyes. “Yes,” I say, in my breathiest voice. A shutterclicks.
“That was perfect,” Julien says. August’s signing. “Don’t do it again unless shereallysurprises you.”
It’s all hilarious and great, but then it’s time to put the ring on Lily’s finger, and I discover that I’m freaking the fuck out.
As in, I can’t fucking breathe. And there’s a weight on my chest. And I’m thinking about a wedding ring in a pile of ashes, and crime scene photos, and—
Somebody taps my arm.
It’s August, his camera slung across his chest on a black leather strap, and he doesn’t say anything, because I guess he only communicates through sign, but his face looks different. I don’t think he’s going to drag me for telling him my middle name.
Sit,he mouths, bringing both hands down in front of him like I don’t know what sitting means.
Unfortunately, I have to follow his hands to do it.
Once I’m sitting down, I feel less like I might imminently die. August offers Lily his hand and escorts her onto my lap.
