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“Proud of you,” he said.

“Thank you,” she breathed into the mic, her eyes filled with emotion.

Then, he turned and walked away.

Talia was probably still freaking out inside, but she managed to gather her composure before the next person asked her a question.

I stood and rushed out after him. Once I reached the sidewalk, I could see him walking away.

“Calder!” I called. “Wait up.”

He stopped, but it took him a few seconds to turn around.

“Hey,” I said as I approached.

“Hi,” he said without cracking a smile.

“You should stick around,” I told him. “I know she’d love to talk to you after.”

“Nah.” He shook his head and slipped his hands into his pockets. “I don’t want to make it about me. That wasn’t the point of showing up. I just wanted to show my support, make sure Talia knew all was good and I’m rooting for her.”

“I’ve called you several times since we moved back here.”

“I know.”

“Playing hard to get?” I chuckled.

He shrugged. “Figured I shouldn’t make it so easy for you.”

“I’m willing to work for it.”

“It’s the least you could do.” He grinned but then it faded. “I haven’t wanted to revisit everything because I’m in a really good place at the moment.”

I had to respect that. “Well, if that’s the reason, I’m glad to hear it.” I looked at him a moment. “How did you know she was at the bookstore today?”

Calder shrugged. “It was all over her social media. I’ve been happy to see her doing what she loves.” He paused. “Even if she’s also doing you.” He rolled his eyes. “Why the hell haven’t you made her an honest woman yet?”

It wasn’t from lack of trying.

“Would you believe it if I told you she doesn’t want to get married? She’s not sure the institution of marriage means anything.”

Calder scratched his chin. “Interesting.”

I squinted. “Why do you say it like that?”

“Nothing.” He laughed.

I knew Calder. He was fucking with me, trying to mess with my head and have me wonder if Talia just didn’t want to marry me. But I knew better. Talia had thought long and hard about this. She’d concluded that a piece of paper didn’t mean anything. She said she now believed that having the freedom to walk away without any strings, but choosing not to, made a stable union all that much stronger and more meaningful.

“Listen,” I told him. “I realize I don’t deserve your forgiveness. But I’m wondering if there’s ever a reality where maybe I take you out for a beer and we try to be friends again, even if I’ll always be the bastard who betrayed you. Even if you want to kill me, maybe we can find a way to be in each other’s lives.”

Calder chewed on his bottom lip. “I’ll think about it.”

I nodded. “That’s better than nothing.”

He looked out toward the street for a moment. “Look, it’s not all bad. In fact, just the opposite. If you and Talia hadn’t done what you did, I would’ve never met Grace. In retrospect, she and I are more compatible than Talia and I ever were. I loved Talia. But Grace is the love of my life. So, I mean it—sometimes things are meant to be.”

From social media, I knew Calder had recently gotten engaged to someone he’d met while living in London. She’d moved here with him after his job transferred him back to New York. They lived together on the Upper West Side now. Hearing him say everything was meant to be brought me more peace about the situation than I’d ever had.