“Yes.”
Reid finally believed her. He looked devastated. Isabel thought he might start crying.
“I think you should leave now,” Isabel said.
Reid saw the look on Michael’s face and couldn’t get out of there fast enough. He and his driver all but ran to their car.
“I probably should have offered him a beverage,” Isabel said.
Michael laughed as he took hold of Isabel’s hand and said, “Let’s get out of here.”
“We can’t. It’s our party.”
“Let’s go to our tree.”
It took them quite a bit of time to circle the yard and get to the tree where Michael proposed. He sat, leaned back against the tree trunk, and pulled her into his arms.
“The next year is going to be busy,” he warned her. “I’ll be in training for half a year, hopefully graduate, and then be assigned. We won’t know where we’re going to live until then. Your life is going to be busy, too, recording with XO and dodging fans.”
“Are you ready for all that, Michael?”
“Absolutely. The next year may be uncertain and crazy, but there’s one thing I know for sure. Life with you, Isabel, will never be boring.”