Page 175 of From Now On

“Well…” Phillips says, rubbing his jaw.

We both stare at him, but that’s all he says.

“You proposed to Rylan?” I finally ask.

“Yep. Except…she said no.”

“Wait, what?” Conor asks.

I frown, just as confused as Hart.

Rylan’s a year younger than us, so maybe she doesn’t feel ready? But she and Aidan have been together almost as long as Conor and Harlow have. And they’re nearlymarriednow, not just engaged.

Aidan nods. “Yeah. She started crying, saying I was overreacting.”

Conor and I exchange a puzzled look.

Not only does Rylan’s reaction to the proposal make no sense, but the two of them are either excellent actors or actually on excellent terms right now. Which also makes no sense.

“Overreacting towhat?” I ask.

“Oh. Yeah. She’s pregnant. That’s why I proposed.”

Conor makes a choked sound that’s either a laugh or a shocked cough.

“Holy shit,” I say. “Does Coach know?”

Aidan scowls. “That’s your reaction to finding out I’m having a kid?” He glances at Hart. “Guess it’s down to you for godfather.”

“DoesCoach know youknocked uphisdaughter, though?” Conor questions.

“I hate both of you,” Aidan says, then downs the remnants of his whiskey. He groans. “Damn, that’s good. I gave up drinking alcohol, in solidarity. Tonight’s a special occasion.”

“Well, wow,” I state. I’ve been here the whole time, but I still feel like I’m behind in this conversation, somehow. “Congratulations, Aidan. Seriously. Way to, uh, bury the lede with the whole bad proposal thing.”

“Thanks, man.” He taps the side of the glass with one finger. “But to be clear, my proposal was not bad. Just…bad timing. I did overreact, a little.”

If I know Aidan—and I do—I guarantee it was more than alittle. He likely went out and bought the biggest ring he could find and then rented out the Space Needle or something.

He and Rylan live in Seattle. Aidan’s expanded Evergreen Beer Company to two locations, and Rylan works as a financial analyst for a huge company. I’m not clear exactly what she does, except that it has to do with numbers and she’s super successful at it.

“Congrats?” Conor says, sounding unsure if that’s the right response.

Only Aidan would tell us he was about to be a dad like this.

“Thanks, Hart. It’s all good. I like a challenge. I had to work to get Rye to date me, so this is just like one extra step.” He glances at me. “What about you, Morgan?”

I look around for Eve, finding her whispering with Harlow in the corner.

Furtively, I pull the ring out of my pocket. I bought it six months ago, and I’ve carried it around with me ever since. No place seems safe enough to store it, and I don’t want Eve to find it accidentally. Not that me proposing will be a huge surprise—we’ve been together for over four years. But I want to witness the moment she sees the ring I picked out for the first time, not for her to find it while she’s putting folded socks in the drawer.

I crack open the tiny black box so my best friends can see it.

“Damn,” Aidan comments. “I didn’t know policy organizations paid that well. It’s almost as big as Harlow’s rock.”

Conor does an admirable job of keeping his laugh contained, but a little amusement slips out.

“Thanks for your concern about my salary, Phillips.” I roll my eyes as I slip the ring box back into my pocket.

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