Fifteen minutes later, I grabbed Grayson’s hand, leading him out of the back room.

“I’m the one that found the safe,” he muttered, sighing dramatically as he threw himself into our booth. “And I barely even get rewarded for it.”

I laughed, pushing a table to the edge of the booth so it would accommodate the group that was coming. It would have been easier to just push two of the middle tables together, but Grayson liked the slightly ruined table. I watched as he absently ran his finger over the scratch, catching my eyes as he smiled softly.

“You were amazing.” Grayson bit his bottom lip.

I couldn’t help but blush and readjust my clothing and smoothing down my hair.

“I love you,” he added.

“I love you, too.” I smiled.

The door to the diner opened, and our family came in, voices booming.

Todd reached us first, dropping a bunch of flowers on the table. I raised an eyebrow.

“They’re lilies,” he said, sliding into the booth across from Grayson. He reached his fist out, and Grayson hit his own against it. “Grayson, I read that book you recommended and I. Absolutely. Loved. It!”

Grayson’s face lit up, and the two started talking about some series that I had never heard either of them mention. It was ridiculous. I shook my head. Only Grayson could find my cousin-in-law enjoyable.

Alana and Madeline entered next, still laughing at some joke I hadn’t heard. I hugged them both, grabbing their coats before offering to grab them drinks. The four of them called out what they wanted, and I headed to the back to collect them.

The door opened again, and I smiled at the chorus of “Chris!” that the small group yelled out. Chris had joined our little family nicely. It had taken him a while—in the beginning, I was wary of Chris, who had wanted us to break up when we first got together and only gave his approval when Grayson raced to my side after I had been injured. Eventually, though, it became obvious that Chris really was just looking out for Grayson and loved his best friend as completely as I loved mine. Speaking of—Madeline, my best friend, and roommate until Grayson and I got our own place, had taken the longest to warm up to Chris. Even now, nearly a full year after everything had smoothed out for us, Madeline would occasionally still shoot Chris glares and murmur snide comments, untrusting of his intentions.

I worried it would upset Grayson, but he didn’t mind. He understood where Madeline was coming from just as easily as I had understood where Chris had been coming from.

I grabbed another soda for Chris, carefully balancing them on a tray as I headed back to the group. Sometimes, it floored me that my life could be so good and so full of people I loved, who loved me back.

Life had once been a blur for me. Then, it had been so hyperreal that it sometimes hurt to notice, like staring it to the sun. But things had shifted, and now, I knew that I was just happy. Things were finally the way they were supposed to be.

“Hey, Chris.” I passed out the drinks, sliding into the booth next to Grayson, tucking my hand into his under the table. The fingertips of my other rested on Grayson’s thigh, and we shared a smile.

“Jade,” Chris nodded and then gestured toward the table where three large pizzas sat. “I figured you’d like a break from cooking.”

I groaned with appreciation. “You’ve come to know me too well.” I flipped open the top pizza box and grabbed a slice without waiting for the others. My diner didn’t serve pizza, and it was rare that I got any, though after taking a large bite, I resolved to make sure Grayson and I ordered the delicious pie more often.

The evening passed quickly as we all devoured the food and exchanged stories from the past week. I still saw Alana often with the diner, but after moving in with Grayson, neither of us saw Chris or Madeline that often and, though I wasn’t that upset about it, we didn’t see Todd all that much, either. Todd’s stories focused less on insurance and more on his and Alana’s boys, though, and I couldn’t help but grudgingly enjoy hearing about my little cousins. They were cute as all hell and I really ought to make more time to see them.

Before long, the sun had dipped low enough that the room was cast in nice gray and blue shadows, even with the fluorescent overhead lighting. Alana went to the back to grab a pie she had made for us, promising Grayson his slice would be huge, and I trailed after her to help cut and serve dessert.

“Hey, cousin.” She raised an eyebrow when I stepped into the kitchen, stacking a handful of clean plates next to the pie. She grabbed a fistful of her hair and tied it in a knot at the nape of her neck, a big scrunchie holding the strands in place. I shrugged and grabbed the ice cream from the freezer, joining her at the workstation.

We moved in silence for the first few plates, and I hid my smile when she cut nearly a fifth of the whole pie in one slice, dropping it on a plate, and muttering my boyfriend’s name. I dolloped a little extra ice cream on that plate, too. I could still hear the others, though the words were muffled and punctuated by a lot of laughter. I felt my heart expand as I considered how new this all still was, how far we’d come in the past year.

A bit of the pie crust fell off of the plate Alana was working on, and she popped it into her mouth quickly, shooting me a glance. I bit back my smile and held up my hands in mock surrender. “I’m no snitch.”

Alana laughed, her head thrown back a little. She dropped one of her hands to her stomach, gently resting her fingers on the abdomen. “I just can’t help it,” she admitted, turning her attention back toward the pie. Almost humming to herself, she patted her belly and set the plate aside with her other hand. “Ever since—”

She stopped short. I raised an eyebrow, scooping a spoonful of ice cream on the plate while I waited for her to finish. When she didn’t, I glanced over at her. I frowned at her wide-eyed expression. With lips drawn tightly together and hand frozen with the knife in the air, she looked something akin to shocked.

“What?” I asked. Alana didn’t blink.

Suddenly, it slammed into me. “No!” I practically shrieked. At her horrified expression, I slapped a hand over my mouth and closed the space between us, hurriedly whispering. “You’re pregnant!”

Alana’s mouth fell open, her lips parted as the little wrinkles between her eyes became more pronounced. After a moment of warring with herself, her face shifted, and she beamed at me. “Okay, fine. Yes—but you can’t say anything! Todd and I didn’t want to tell anyone this soon and oomph.”

I cut her off by wrapping my arms around her, squeezing her in a tight hug. She hugged me back tightly. The spoon was still wet with melted ice cream, and I was pretty sure a bit of it was dripping down her back. I let go of her, dropping the spoon and grinning.

“Congratulations, Alana,” I said softly. Her lips twitched but her smile was already large, her eyes glittering with unshed tears of happiness.

“Thanks, Jade.” She cocked her head, looking fondly out at the dining room. We couldn’t see the others from where we were, but could still hear them. She rubbed gently on her not-yet swollen belly. “I’m so excited.”

“You should be,” I bumped her shoulder, grabbing the knife from her hand and quickly finishing the job. I left the last two pieces of pie alone, without the ice cream, knowing that Alana and Todd both preferred it that way. Probably the only thing they had in common.

“Don’t tell Grayson,” Alana warned. “He’s a blabbermouth.” Alana grabbed two of the plates and shot me a conspiratory grin when we heard Madeline scream out a desperate “Grayson, what did you just say?”

Alana shook her head. “See?”

I laughed. “Don’t worry; I’ll wait. But you’d better hurry. He’ll figure it out eventually. And then he’ll buy you gifts.”

Alana shuddered. “They’ll be terribly inappropriate for infants, won’t they?”

I loaded a tray with the remaining plates, biting my bottom lip briefly to hold in my chuckles. After I swallowed the majority of my mirth, I nodded sagely. “Most likely.”

We were still laughing at each other when we went back out to the dining area. Our family’s heads all whipped toward us. Todd and Chris both wore identical amused expressions while Grayson looked downtrodden and Madeline was positively gleeful. She bounced in her seat, looking between the group she sat with and her and us with a speed that was probably a bit unsafe.

I exchanged a look with Alana, who merely shrugged in response. We passed out the pies. Grayson kissed Alana’s cheek, declaring her a dessert queen, and rested his hand briefly on my thigh when I sat down.

“Missed you,” he murmured hotly, pulling me close. My face burned in a bright blush, and I let my cheek rest on his shoulder.

“Eat your pie,” Madeline said, shoveling her own food in at an overwhelming speed. I frowned at her.

“That’s…” I trailed off, unsure how to politely approach the subject of her unladylike eating.

Alana took a less tactful approach. “Disgusting,” she supplied.

Grayson and I both nodded in agreement. Madeline rolled her eyes and picked up my fork, gathering a huge bite of pie onto it, and then shoved it toward me until I accepted it. Slowly, I took a bite, chewing thoughtfully.

Chris and Todd, while less eager and revolting, also ate their pies fairly quickly. Grayson, on the other hand, was barely even nibbling at his own plate. Alana and I watched them, confused. It was—well, odd to say the least.

The ice cream on Grayson’s plate was nearly all melted now, a little circular bobble of formed ice cream still in the center of the puddle, with the crust of the pie absorbing any moisture that came near it. I wasn’t sure I’d ever seen him not inhale his dessert. Usually, he was a lot like Madeline was currently being in that respect.

“Hey,” he turned toward me, lips nearly pressed into my neck. “Want to go on a walk with me?”

I shifted toward him, eyebrows furrowed. He was usually the last person to suggest leaving the group, especially when Chris was there. “Sure.”

“You okay?” Alana asked, following my train of thought. He gave a smile as his eyes twinkled.

He nodded quickly, nudging me until I stood up so he could join me. “My legs are just a little stiff from all this sitting and eating.” He grabbed our jackets, shrugging his own on before helping me, in a gentlemanly fashion, into my own. Madeline awed at the sight but otherwise ignored it. Grayson grabbed his beanie from his pocket, shoving it on his head. It was a pretty purple one that reminded me of the day we first met. “You guys keep eating. We’ll, um, be back.”

Madeline shifted again in her seat. Chris put a calming hand on her arm, and she relaxed at the touch, smiling at him a little too wide. Grayson ushered me out of the diner before I could comment on it, though I was pretty sure I heard Alana loudly say, “What the hell is that?”

The wind nipped at us, the way it always did when the sun set and the stars were out. I liked it, though. Liked the way Grayson’s nose would tinge red and his hands would seek mine, without fail, even if we were wearing gloves. We stood a little closer when it was cold, too. No longer did he take a step away when we were in public or worry about being seen. I was pretty sure that he would shout our love from a rooftop if I let him. The past eight months were like a salve over the insecurities that used to plague me. I needn’t look any farther than Grayson’s adoring smile to know that I was loved by this crazy, ridiculous, famous man.

I snuggled closer than necessary as Grayson looped us around the block, heading for the park that was only a few minutes’ walk from the diner. It had the best view of the stars that I had been able to find in walking distance from both our apartment and the diner. I had once told Grayson that I liked all kinds of stars, not just the celebrity variety. The joke had been met with a low groan and a fistful of popcorn being chucked in my face.

Still, I supposed it was true.

“You didn’t tell Alana about the safe,” Grayson noted, his tone hushed as if somehow, she’d be able to overhear. Well, if anyone could, I thought dryly.

“No,” I sighed. “I will, obviously. It’s just—I want it to just be us.”

Not that I didn’t love them all. But this was something that needed to be completed with just us cousins, holding hands, and going through what was probably the last new memory of Kyle Hunter we’d have.

Grayson nodded, his agreement solid even in his silence. He got it.

He stopped walking when we got a bit into the park, his grip firming on my hand when I absently tried to keep walking.

“Let’s sit here,” he suggested, gesturing toward the ground. The grass was a little long as if no one had been maintaining it for a few days. It tickled where the edge of my pants was a little too high, and my socks were a little too short.

I frowned. “Thought your legs hurt.”

He grinned, the look a little devilish. He threw himself to the ground and tugged me down with him. “That was a lie I used to get you all alone.”

I couldn’t help myself; I grinned back. “That so?”

“It is,” he confirmed, nodding. He turned, laying on his side, head propped on his hand, while I alternated between looking at the sky and his face.

Sitting so close, I decided to wait his silence out by occupying my mind with my favorite past time: memorizing the constellation of freckles and marks on his face. It helped, of course, that the real constellations were merely a glance away. I was fairly certain that the Little Dipper was on his right cheek while the edge of his nose, dripping down the brim to touch his cheek gently, was the whole of Cassiopeia. His tongue darted out of his mouth, running over the swell of his bottom lip, and my eyes dropped immediately to follow the movement.

“Well,” he murmured. “Now that I’ve got you here.”

I smiled and met the unasked challenge. I kissed him lightly, our lips pressing soft and slow against one another. Grayson leaned over me, one hand on my shoulder, his thumb running across my collarbone.

He pulled back, and I sighed contently. His eyes were closed, long lashes fluttering for a moment before stilling, his lips still parted. I kissed him again, just as teasingly and brief, and he sucked in a shuddering breath and then gave me a piercing look.

“Marry me.”

The words were exhaled from his gasp, trailing out of his lips breathily. My heart stuttered before stopping completely, and I sat up so abruptly, I nearly knocked him over.

He sat with me and, quite without intending to, we both laced their fingers together, staring at each other with moon-wide eyes. The seconds ticked by as we both searched each other’s faces.

My jaw hurt a little, and I realized I had dropped it. I closed it with a snap and leaned forward. His expression seemed frozen, a little too wide, but otherwise blank.

I swallowed hard. “Did you mean that?”

My voice was even softer than his had been; as if we spoke too loudly and the bubble would burst, the desire would escape.

Grayson nodded without hesitation. “Entirely.”

“Are you sure?”

His expression broke a little, a smile cracking through the hard exterior. “I’m the one that asked you, you know.”

“I know.”

Grayson pried his left hand away from my grasp and used it to brush a lock of hair off my forehead. He looked at me with love written clearly on his handsomely chiseled face.

“Jade, I love you. I—I’ve seen love, before. I mean, I’ve played it before. I’ve pretended so many times to feel what I feel with you, thought that I knew what it meant, what it looked like. I used to think that love was a feeling and in a way, it is, but it’s so much more, too. It’s—it’s everything. Jade, you’re everything. I’ve tried to live my life without you and I can’t. I won’t. It’s not a life at all. I didn’t know that love was more than just someone to come home to. It’s someone to want to come home to and to—to—know that no matter what, everything really will be okay. As long as you’re there and I’m there, we’ll be okay.” He paused, licking his lips and taking a deep breath. My own breath hitched and he smiled. “I love you. So, please. Marry me, diner girl.”

I surged forward, knocking him off balance. We both fell, and I lay, sprawled on top of him, peppering his face with kisses. He let out a surprised little bark, and I swallowed the rest of my laughter, kissing him hard. My laughter shifted to a moan as he deepened our kiss, and I wound one hand into his hair after haphazardly knocking the beanie off of his head. I tugged a little, and he gasped. We kissed until our lungs ached and we were both desperate for air.

I pulled back, panting. He looked up at me hopefully.

“Grayson,” I whispered. “You absolute fool.”

His smile fell. He cocked his head to the side, adorable in his confusion. I couldn’t help but kiss him again, albeit shortly this time.

“You’re—of course, I’ll marry you. I’d be so goddamn lucky to marry you, Grayson.”

His whole face lit up, and he let out a bright whoop of joy. He pulled me into a bone-crushing hug, both of us rolling a bit as we clutched to each other, happily. Eventually, laughingly, we rolled to our backs, trying to subdue our chuckles of relief and joy. I wound my fingers through his. We only pretended to look at the sky for a moment before giving up and staring at each other.

“We have to tell the others,” I was glad Alana hadn’t said anything about being pregnant tonight. I wasn’t going to wait to tell them all about this just to avoid stealing the thunder.

“Actually,” he coughed, looking a little sheepish. He reached into his pocket and drew out a little velvet box. He handed it to me hesitantly. “I might have already told them. I’m sure Madeline has informed Alana by now.”

I opened the box and swallowed thickly at the sight of a beautiful, sparkling tear-shaped diamond set in a gold band. “You’ve been planning this?”

He shrugged, though the motion was stilted from being on the ground. “I might have been carrying that around for a month.”

“You know,” I murmured. “I love you so much.”

“Only half as much as I love you.”

My heart felt too full. It nearly hurt from the pressure and I recalled another time this ache had blossomed so prettily in my chest. “Just a boy in love?”

Grayson recognized what I was saying immediately. His too blue eyes were molten at that moment. Nodding, with bits of brown curls framing his freckled face, he vowed, “Just a boy in love.”