The first day back at my old apartment was one of the hardest nights of my life. It wasn't just that was I back in small, cramped little place as compared to Evan's home, it was that I was by myself. Over the last few months, I'd come to love Evan and Darla, and even though I didn't realize it at the time, I was starting to think of them as my family. It was a strange arrangement, a fake marriage and all, but it was, in its own strange way, beginning to feel real. I found myself rubbing the area on my finger where the ring once was, my heart aching for Evan.

I spent the next few days applying to graduate schools, my only real criteria being to get as far away from this school as possible. I sent off applications to Yale, to Harvard, to Penn State- any place that I thought might hold promise of a good scholarship. And I heard back from all of them. Evidently, word had gotten around in the archeology word of Evan McCall's new book, and everyone in the know wanted to find out about who this unknown girl was whose name was going to be on the cover. It appeared that I had my pick of schools.

But there was only one that I wanted to go to- the school where Evan was.

I knew that he was right, that the circumstances around our relationship would mean that drama would follow us wherever we went; I was lucky that he was still fine with my name being on the book. But still, I couldn't help but wonder what would happen if we just took a chance and tried to make things work. And it's not as though I was hoping he'd marry me, even though that was something that I had often found myself fantasizing about. I just wanted to be with Evan and Darla.

Little did I know that everything would change one winter night.

It was the day before I was set to move out of the apartment. I'd decided on Yale, having heard good things about their archeology department during my time in Europe. My things were all packed up, and I was ready to head out the next day. I'd done all the crying I thought I needed to do, and I was ready to move on to the next phase in my life.

Sitting among the boxes, my just-delivered degree sitting on the coffee in front of me, I was enjoying a cup of coffee and deciding just how to spend my last night in town. I figured that I should do something fun, but really, I just wanted to crash early and get on the road in the morning.

But a rapping at the door commanded my attention.

Hesitantly, I walked towards the door. I wasn't expecting any company and was curious who'd be showing up at this time in the evening.

Opening the door, I was greeted by none other than Professor Evan McCall, Ph.D. Wrapped in a black pea coat, a knit cap on his head, he stood among the falling snow.

"Hi, Roxanne," he said, his voice warm. "Mind if I come in?"

"Sure,' I said, my eyes wide, my mouth gaping open.

"And me too!" said Darla, stepping out from behind Evan, waving her hands theatrically.

"Of course," I said. "Come in from the cold."

The two stepped into my home, and I couldn't believe that I was really seeing them. Darla kicked off her shoes and plopped onto my couch, making herself home right away. I helped Evan out of his coat, and he took a seat next to Darla.

"Umm," I said. "It's good to see you both, but shouldn't you be in St. Louis?"

"Well," said Evan, "that's why I'm here."

Darla looked up at Evan, a big smile on her face as if knowing what he was going to say.

"I thought that the best thing for both of us was to simply leave our relationship behind, to get a fresh start. But as soon as you left, and as soon as I got on the road without you, I knew that I'd made a big mistake. I've made a decision, and that's what I want you to come live me. I want you to come to our my new home, to start a life together."

Then he reached into his pocket and withdrew the ring that I'd given back to him.

"And I'd like you to marry me. For real."

Tears welled in my eyes. I couldn't believe what I was seeing, and what I was hearing.

"Just say yes!" said Darla, bouncing in her seat.

"Yes," I said. "There's nothing I'd want more."

Evan then placed the ring on my finger, put his finger under my chin, and placed a gentle kiss on my lips.

"I love you, Roxanne James," he said, his voice warm.

"And I love you too, Evan McCall."

* * *

The next two months flew by. After Evan arrived, I sent a letter to Yale, letting them know that I wouldn't be attending graduate school there. Instead, I'd be going to St. Louis with Evan and Darla, to study archeology under my new fiancée. We bought a beautiful house near the park, and quickly settled into our new life together. The book was published and was a smashing success. So successful, in fact, that the publisher was already clamoring to have the famous team of Evan and Roxanne McCall put out another book. That is, once the wedding had taken place that summer. We were already getting a reputation as the potentially the new Louis and Mary Leakey, a husband-and-wife team that made major discoveries in the world of archeology.

When the summer came, Evan and I were wed. Darla and Noodle, her tabby cat that she'd finally managed to talk Evan and I into, serving as an adorable ring bearing team. And as Evan and I kissed, our future stretching out before us, I couldn't help but think how wonderfully odd it was that a fake marriage would end up so amazingly real.