Page 90 of Devious Knight

“Isabelle, look, look.” She pulls away, holds out her left hand, and shows me the gorgeous engagement ring on her finger.

My mouth falls open and I suck in an excited breath. “Oh my God.”

“I know. Thorne and I are officially engaged.”

As if we’re not in a room full of people, the two of us scream and hug again.

“I’m so happy for you.” I hold her close, feeling genuinely excited for her. And Thorne, too.

“Thank you so much.”

Thorne and Annika make such a good couple. I’ve never met two people more suited to be together than them.

We pull apart once more and Annika holds up her hand to the light, allowing the beautiful diamond in the center of her ring to sparkle like a star on a clear night.

“I’m guessing the weekend trip was a clever ruse to propose.” I smile at her.

“It certainly was. He took me back to Massachusetts and proposed to me at the Emily Dickinson Museum.”

That’s one of her favorite places on earth. “Oh, wow. This is the best news ever.”

“It is. My parents knew about it and met us there for dinner. I can’t believe I was totally taken by surprise. It was beautiful, Isabelle.”

“You deserve it. I’m glad it was beautiful. When’s the wedding?”

“End of next year. Thorne insists we get married in the heart of winter.”

We both laugh.

“Is that what you want?”

She nods vigorously. “Absolutely. Everything sounds perfect to me. What would make it even more perfect is if you agreed to be my maid of honor.”

My eyes snap wide. “Me?” I point to myself and she laughs.

“Yes, you. You were my first friend here. Of course, I have friends in L.A. but there is no one like you, Isabelle. I know it’s a long way off and you’ll be at Cambridge, probably with new friends, but I’d love for you to think about it.”

I take both her hands and beam back at her. “I will be there. And I would be so honored to be your maid of honor. Thank you so much for asking me.”

“Of course.”

“This is so exciting.”

“Come. Eilish and I were talking about flowers and food. I’ve already decided that The Bakery will do my cake.”

“Excellent choice. You already know that cake will be unforgettable.”

“Exactly.”

We head over to Eilish and I get sucked into the wedding planning excitement. It’s a good distraction I wish could last forever.

An hour later, when we’re sure all our guests have arrived, we split up and start handing out the goodie bags. I’m the first to finish, so I head back to Eilish.

She’s at the table by the bar going through some paperwork.

Her face brightens when she sees me. “Wow, are you all done already?”

“I am.” I raise my empty palms.

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