Lyra's POV
Silence took over the entire household like a bomb had just detonated.
"What?" Maelis said.
"What?" Cassian echoed.
My own voice was internal. What?
Luca's arm wound around my shoulder protectively.
"What? I'm not too young to settle down, am I? I'm twenty-three. A full-fledged man. Plus, I'm in my last year of college. So I mean..." He shrugged casually. "You've always been talking about how reckless I am, Maelis. How I'd never amount to anything responsible."
Her mouth opened and closed like a fish.
"Plus, my darling mother, rest her soul, never really thought I was going to be capable of settling down," Luca continued. "So, given the fact that her anniversary is coming up soon, I would love to settle down this year. You know, to honor her memory."
Cassian uncrossed h
