Chapter One Hundred Forty-One: The Engagement
The call came on a rainy Tuesday evening.
Lina was in the kitchen, making dinner, when her phone buzzed with Lily's name on the screen. She answered with a smile, as she always did when her daughter called.
"Mama!" Lily's voice was high and breathless, the way it had been when she was a little girl, running through the penthouse, full of excitement.
"What's wrong?" Lina asked, her heart suddenly pounding.
"Nothing's wrong. Everything's right. Jake proposed!"
Lina's hands flew to her mouth.
"Jake? Your Jake? The one from high school?"
"The one from high school, Mama. The one you said was 'a nice young man with good manners.' He proposed. I said yes. I'm engaged!"
Lina sat down at the kitchen table.
"Engaged," she repeated. "You're engaged."
"I'm engaged! I'm getting married!"
Lina's eyes filled with tears.
"Congratulations, sweetheart," she said. "I'm so happy for you."
---
Lina told Ethan the news that night.
They sat on the couch, the penthouse quiet, the city humming outside the window.
"Lily is engaged," Lina said.
Ethan's eyebrows rose. "Engaged? To Jake?"
"To Jake."
Ethan was quiet for a moment. "She's twenty-two."
"She's twenty-two."
"She's a baby."
Lina laughed. "She's not a baby. She's a woman. She's graduating from college. She's starting her career. She's in love."
Ethan shook his head. "She's still my baby."
Lina took his hand.
"She'll always be your baby," she said. "No matter how old she gets. No matter how far she goes."
Ethan pulled her into his arms.
"I'm not ready," he said.
Lina leaned into him.
"Neither am I," she said. "But we have to let her go."
---
The twins came home the following weekend.
Lily brought Jake with her. He was tall and kind and nervous, his hands shaking as he shook Ethan's hand.
"Sir," he said. "Mr. Blackwood. It's good to see you again."
Ethan looked at him for a long moment.
"You're marrying my daughter," he said.
Jake nodded. "Yes, sir."
"You're going to take care of her?"
"With my whole life, sir."
Ethan was quiet for a moment. Then he pulled Jake into a hug.
"Welcome to the family," he said.
Jake's eyes filled with tears.
"Thank you, sir," he whispered.
---
Lily showed Lina the ring.
It was small and simple—a single diamond on a gold band. It was not the biggest ring Lina had ever seen. But it was beautiful. It was perfect.
"It was his grandmother's," Lily said. "She gave it to him before she died. She told him to give it to the woman he wanted to spend his life with."
Lina's eyes filled with tears.
"It's beautiful," she said.
Lily hugged her. "I'm so happy, Mama."
Lina held her daughter.
"I know, sweetheart," she said. "I know."
---
Leo took the news in stride.
"Jake is acceptable," he said.
Lily laughed. "Acceptable?"
"He's kind. He's intelligent. He treats you well. He's acceptable."
Lily hugged her brother.
"That's the best compliment you've ever given anyone," she said.
Leo hugged her back. "Don't tell anyone."
Lina watched them and felt her heart swell.
They were growing up. They were finding their way. They were becoming who they were meant to be.
---
The wedding planning began.
Lily wanted a spring wedding, outdoors, with flowers and fairy lights and a string quartet. She wanted her friends to be her bridesmaids. She wanted Leo to be her man of honor.
"I'm not standing up there in a dress," Leo said.
Lily laughed. "You don't have to wear a dress. You just have to stand next to me."
Leo sighed. "Fine."
Lina watched them and felt her heart swell even more.
---
The months passed.
Lily and Jake set a date. They booked a venue. They chose flowers and a cake and a menu. They argued about the guest list and the seating chart and the color of the tablecloths.
Lina helped with all of it.
She did not complain. She did not interfere. She just showed up, again and again, and did what needed to be done.
"Why are you doing this?" Lily asked one day.
Lina looked at her daughter.
"Because you needed someone," she said. "And I needed to be that someone."
Lily's eyes filled with tears.
"You're a good mother," she said.
Lina shook her head.
"I'm just your mother," she said. "Trying to do the right thing."
---
The wedding was six months away.
Lina sat on the couch with Ethan, the penthouse quiet, the city humming outside the window.
"How do you feel?" Ethan asked.
"Full," Lina said. "Not from the food. From... everything. From watching her. From seeing her shine."
Ethan put his arm around her. "She gets it from you."
"Get what?"
"The shining. The confidence. The ability to stand in front of a room full of people and not be afraid."
Lina leaned into him. "She gets it from you too."
"Maybe. Or maybe she gets it from herself. Maybe she's just who she's supposed to be."
Lina thought about that.
She thought about Lily, the bride. Leo, the man of honor. Both of them perfect, just as they were.
"I can't wait to see her walk down the aisle," Lina said.
Ethan kissed her forehead.
"Neither can I," he said.
---
End of Chapter One Hundred Forty-One