HEADLINE ✓

TRACK 50

"Are you trying to kill me?"

"No. Why would you say that?"

"Because I think you are!" she spat.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm the frustration out of my voice. "Ma, please."

"You get her the dog. You buy a goddamn house for the two of you-"

"They even say the L-word now," Aidan chimed in from the fridge.

"Oh, great! Add that to the list!" Ma continued to roll out the dough with angry force. "The dog. The house. Saying you love each other. And then, she comes home with that on her finger and you tell me you're not engaged?"

Dad let out an annoyed sigh. "Mary, ease up on the boy, will you?" It was obvious he only wanted the argument to end so he could hear the television properly again, but I still took it as a win for my lonely side.

"He's our only chance at having a wedding for this family, Simon!"

"Hey!" Aidan asked, motioning to himself with a leftover chicken leg in hand. "What about me?"

Ma glared at Aidan and repeated, "He's our only chance at having a wedding for this family!"

I took a step towards my mother, placing a hand on her arm. "Ma, please, just listen to me. We've only been together for eight months. We have Milo now... and the house. We're taking those steps. TJ has been very clear in the past about not believing in marriage-"

"But what about her in a beautiful white dress! And you in a tux! And Rory as a flower girl!"

Aidan stepped forward. "And me, the devilishly handsome best man."

"Anyway," Now it was my turn to shoot my brother a glare. "Just because that's been her opinion in the past, doesn't mean it will be that in the future. Okay? I don't want to pressure her. A lot has changed for us over the past few months - let alone the last day!" I paused, running a hand comfortingly down her arm. "I wasn't planning to add Milo into the mix and I certainly wasn't expecting her to tell me she loved me during our dance the other night-"

Ma gasped, clasping her hands together as if she were clutching her non-existent pearls. "She said it first?"

"Ma!"

"Sorry!"

"As I was saying," I continued, "I'm happy you like her. Trust me - you don't know how glad I am about it. But, please just keep in mind what I'm telling you."

Ma nodded. "Alright. So, just because it's not happening now, doesn't mean it can't be in the future."

"Right."

"Next month?"

"Ma!"

The ring conversation finally settled down - however, for the days that followed, I still spotted Ma glancing at TJ's ring whenever she thought I wasn't looking. I was just thankful TJ hadn't. Or, at least didn't seem to think too far into why Ma was constantly eyeing her ring finger with a wistful look in her eye. I was also thankful TJ had been outside with Milo during that conversation - god, I didn't even want to imagine the panic that would be coursing through her if she had overheard.

It wasn't that I was unappreciative of my family's enthusiasm. It was heartwarming to know that each of them liked her and had their own special bond. And, maybe I just wasn't used to this type of attention surrounding my relationship considering my last one was a fake arrangement through a contract that no one cared to pay any mind to.

Ma clearly wanted us to have a wedding. That fact had been ingrained permanently in my mind. Aidan, on the other hand, just wanted his theory of us getting married within six months to be true - and although he thought his side comments were hilarious, they only added fuel to Ma's impending fire.