“Adam, it changes everything,” Teddy said in frustration. “Don’t you see? Our parents are so happy. We made them happy with this…” she faltered “…with this false engagement. It’s going to break their hearts when we split. If we’d just been going out together, even exclusively, the split doesn’t have the same impact. But someone you’re engaged to, someone you pledge your heart to enough to want to walk down the aisle with, that’s a completely different level.”
“Well, if we don’t make a big deal of it, they can’t. And they aren’t with us every day, so they won’t really be involved.”
“Didn’t you hear my mother as we left tonight? She wants me to email her a photo of the ring as soon as I get one.”
“We can do that.”
“Adam, we’re not getting a ring.”
Teddy was working herself into a frenzy. She wished this episode was over. She wished she’d never agreed to this plan. Christmas couldn’t come fast enough for her.
Adam moved from the table to the sofa. He hugged her close. Teddy leaned against him, turning her face into his shoulder. His arms hugged her tighter. Teddy’s head was pounding. She closed her eyes and tried to relax, tried to let the events of the day float away as if they had the substance of dreams. But she knew they didn’t. They were as anchored to the earth as the Empire State Building.
“We can stick to the original plan,” Adam whispered above her head.
“We didn’t account for things well enough,” she said. Her voice was low and sleepy. “From the very beginning we didn’t have all the information we needed.”
“What was that?” Adam asked.
“Our mothers already knew each other.”
“They belong to the same sorority,” Adam said.
“It’s more than that.” Teddy pulled back, out of his embrace. She slipped her feet out of her five-inch heels and tucked them up on the sofa. Hugging her knees she looked at him. God, he was gorgeous. “Things got too complicated. It seemed like a simple plan. That was the problem. It was too simple. We didn’t think about the after.”
“After?” Adam questioned.
“After we broke up. After we told our parents that we were no longer a couple. We didn’t consider their feelings. Who knew the families would get together, that they would bond so quickly or at all. After ten minutes it was like they’d known and liked each other since childhood. But now, when we part…” She stopped, not wanting to think about that, but also not wanting Adam to know the kind of effect he had on her. “When we part, it’s going to cause a rift.”
“I can’t dispute that.” He paused, then stared at Teddy for so long she felt scrutinized, felt he was trying to commit everything about her to memory. Maybe he was thinking of the time when they wouldn’t be constantly together. Teddy admitted she enjoyed being with him. Thinking of not seeing him again was like cutting off her arm. Hugging her knees tighter, Teddy made sure her arm was still intact.
“I have another plan,” Adam said.
Teddy tensed. She looked at him with hard eyes. “Need I remind you that the first plan was your idea? Look where that’s gotten us.”
“It has you sitting in my living room with your shoes off and your feet up, looking every bit the confident woman you are. We’ll get through this,” he continued. “I promise.”
Teddy hoped he could keep that promise. Skepticism must have been on her face, because Adam renewed his promise.
“Come here,” he said.
She lowered her feet to the floor and went into his open arms. Teddy felt safe there. She felt as if he could make everything all right. That he could keep his promise.
“What will your parents think if you don’t come home tonight?”
Teddy sat up straight. “Oh,” she said, her hand going to her breasts. “I never asked if I could spend the night. I don’t want to presume.”
Adam stopped her. “You can spend the night.”
“I’m sure my parents will be okay with this. They might even expect it. After all, we were engaged tonight.”