“Camille,” I interrupt her list, my voice firmer now. “I get that this is exciting, but we just got back. I need a minute to wrap my head around this.”

“I know, I know,” she says, her tone softening, though the urgency is still there.

“I’m sorry if I threw it all at you at once, but... damn, I’m justsohappy for you.

You’ve always deserved this kind of attention, and I’m so glad it’s finally happening for you.

But you need to understand—this is happeningnow.

You and Grace... you’re hot right now.

There’s a window, and we need to take advantage of it.”

I look over at Grace again. She’s staring at me, her lips pressed into a thin line.

We haven’t even had time to breathe, to figure out what this next chapter looks like for us, and already the world’s trying to pull us in a thousand different directions.

“Can we just… take a beat?” I ask Camille.

“Grace and I need to talk. We haven’t even announced anything yet, and we need to do this our way. Not because everyone else wants us to.”

Camille is quiet for a moment, then sighs.

“I get it. But Theo… just promise me you’ll think about it. I don’t want you to miss out on something big.”

“I’ll think about it,” I say, and I mean it. “But right now, I need to talk to Grace.”

We hang up, and I lean back against the bench, staring up at the sky. It’s all happening so fast.

The engagement, the island, and now this tidal wave of opportunities that neither of us saw coming.

“It’s crazy, right?” she says, her voice quiet.

“Yeah,” I agree. “Crazy.”

We sit in silence for a moment, the noise of the city around us feeling distant compared to the whirlwind we’ve just stepped into. I take her hand, squeezing it gently.

“How do you feel about all this?”

She looks up at me.

“I don’t know. It’s a lot.

Part of me is excited, you know? All these offers, people wanting to see more of us.

I like that people are finally seeing the enigmatic, talented part of you and that you’re getting the opportunities you deserve again.

But at the same time… I don’t want it to change everything.

I like what we have.”

“Same.” I run my thumb over the back of her hand, grounding myself. “I don’t want us to lose this—what we’ve got. This… peace.”

“I think the peace part may look extremely different now,” she smiles, leaning her head against my shoulder. “We’ll figure it out. Together.”

I kiss the top of her head. Camille’s right—there’s a window here, an opportunity. But Grace is right, too. We need to navigate this on our own terms without letting it change what matters most.

“Do you want to tell people about the engagement?” I ask, my voice soft.