Page 152 of Give My Everything

“Hey fam.”

Paige’s voice cuts through my thoughts as she takes a seat next to Ben at the table.

“I was sitting with Lucas, but I thought I’d come over here and check out this crazy-ass ring I’ve been hearing about,” she says, her eyes bright.

It feels like another olive branch, another opportunity to mend bridges and fix fences, for us to move past our past and find calmness in our future.

I’m not sure I’ll ever be actual friends with Paige, but I can still appreciate what she’s doing.

I stick my hand across Ben so she can give it a looksee.

“You two are engaged?” Logan asks.

“We are,” Ben replies, a big smile on his face. “We haven’t set a date yet, but it will be sometime after the baby comes.”

Logan nods, his eyes straying to Paige for a second before returning to me.

“Congratulations.”

Before anything else can be said, a voice comes out over the loudspeaker, and we all turn our heads to the front, where Lennon stands with a smile on her face.

“Welcome everyone!” she says, her voice calm and collected as she surveys the large crowd. You’d never know how nervous she is. “It has been an absolute honor to coordinate the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Bernard J. Roth Preparatory Academy!”

A polite smattering of applause echoes throughout the courtyard.

Lennon launches into her welcome speech, which sounds almost exactly like the one she tested out on us two weeks ago at brunch, with a few minor changes.

It’s beautifully written and does a great job of touching on history and contemporary moments in time.

But I can’t help but tune her out as I turn to look at Ben.

“I love you, future Mrs. Calloway,” he whispers, winking at me.

I grin back at him. “I love you too, future Mr. Wallace.”

He rolls his eyes. “That’s not how it works.”

“You could be a Wallace. It would be very feminist of you.”

“Would it make you happy?” he asks, leaning forward, his face inches from mine. “I’ll do it if it makes you happy.”

I wrap my arms around his neck, my eyes taking in the beautiful face of the man who loves me.

“Youmake me happy.”

“And I’m going to keep making you happy for as long as I’m alive.”

“You better.”

And then he presses his lips against mine.