But the confusion on her face gives way to something warm. Hopeful, even.
I deliberately keep my eyes off Dylan. I don’t need to see his reaction to know he’s about two seconds from grinding his molars to dust.
“Babe,” I say, handing Jaylynn the floor.
“We’re engaged,” she blurts. Squeals of joy erupt like someone’s just scored in overtime. “We didn’t have time for a ring,” she rushes on. “It was all so fast.” Then she turns to me, eyes shining. “And magical.”
“I didn’t even know you two knew each other that well,” Will says, glancing between us.
“We got close when I lived in Boston,” she says. “Then the move, long distance, and?—”
“And the second I saw her again at the inn,” I add, pressing a hand to my chest, “The heart knew what it wanted, and my knee knew to bend.”
“You got down on one knee? That’s so sweet,” Katy sighs, smacking Conrad’s arm when he rolls his eyes.
“It was romantic,” Jay says with a swoony little look that does the strangest things to my insides. I catch Dylan’s careful, narrowed gaze on her, and my jaw tightens.
“We’re going to pick a ring out together after the holidays,” she announces. “It was all just so fast, and we need to think about Christmas first.”
Sloane extends her hand. “Oh, Jaylynn, you have to go to Tiffany’s. That’s where mine’s from.”
“It’s gorgeous,” Jay says sincerely, examining the diamond. For a flicker of a moment, I wonder if she’s picturing Dylan’s ring on her hand. And from the way Dylan’s eyes sharpen, yeah, that asshole is suddenly far more interested in my fiancée than he should be.
My fiancée.
Fake or not, that’s a no-go.
“Dylan,” I say, and his attention snaps to me.
It’s not the time for it, but I find myself saying, “You play hockey, right?”
He straightens like I just challenged him for alpha status in the room. “Yeah. You don’t grow up in Snowberry without playing. I’m a goalie.”
I might not be able to put him through the boards here, but at the rink? Oh, I can. Sure, it’ll feed the stereotype that I’m just the enforcer, but watching him bounce off the glass might just be worth it. Although, we’re playing on a pond. Maybe I’ll shove him into a snowbank.
Everyone is looking at me, no doubt wondering about the strange shift in conversation but I couldn’t help myself. “Great, we’re having a fun game with the kids tomorrow.”
“I’ll be there,” he assures me as Judy pulls Jay in for a hug, then drags me into it too, squeezing me with a warmth I don’t know how to process.
“Congratulations,” she says, eyes bright with a dreamlike essence. “We could use a wedding in Snowberry,” she says. “The country club is a perfect venue. That’s where your dad and I got married, and your brothers.”
“Thanks, Mom. No plans yet,” Jay says quickly. “Not sure if we’d get married here in Snowberry Falls.”
“Just putting it out there,” Judy replies with a glint in her eye like she’s already planning a country club wedding. “I’m looking forward to helping no matter what you decide.”
And there’s that guilt again, right between my ribs. Damn.
“We might actually have a winter wedding,” I add, just to help Jaylynn out, and gasps of outrage fill the room.
Alrighty then.
“I think this wonderful announcement calls for champagne,” Will announces.
Good, because suddenly I could use a drink. Or ten.
Wait, did he say wonderful, or am I hearing things?
“Or coffee,” Jaylynn says, glancing at Dylan. “I know how much you love my coffee,” she adds sweetly, as everyone looks at her with the same confusion as they just looked at me when I mentioned the hockey game. But I know what she’s up to. I bite back a smile as she grins at me. We really are on the same page here and there’s a part of me that likes having secrets with her.