What the words had done was mark a moment we had both chosen to remember.

It was enough.

My phone vibrated with a message from Paige: You know what she’d say today?

I typed back: Stop making that serious face?

She answered: And eat dinner.

I put the ring back in its box, turned off the desk lamp, and went into the kitchen.

For years I had believed the greatest proof of love was sacrifice.

Chloe had loved people fiercely, but she had also insisted on laughter, on good meals, and on the possibility of a future none of us could predict.