Ronan showed up at Diane's apartment alone one Saturday afternoon, no warning, no Ivy trailing along beside him this time, a small velvet box tucked carefully into his jacket pocket, though he had no intention of showing it to anyone just yet.
Diane opened the door, surprise flickering across her face at finding him there without her daughter. "Ronan. I wasn't expecting you. Is everything alright?"
"Everything's fine," he assured her quickly, suddenly more nervous than he'd anticipated feeling. "I was hoping to talk to you, actually, if you have a few minutes. Alone, if that's okay."
Diane studied him carefully, something knowing creeping into her expression as she stepped back to let him inside. "This sounds serious."
"It is, in a way." He followed her into the small kitchen, the same
