“Your imaginary boyfriend called. He said he’s stuck in traffic with your non-existent career and your fictional apartment in Manhattan. ”
My cousin Britney announced it to the entire McKinnon family reunion, holding up my phone like a trophy. Fifty-year-old Aunt Martha froze mid-bite.
Uncle Ted’s beer bottle shattered on the concrete patio. And I stood there, cheeks burning, as 47 relatives turned to look at me. Governor James Rothwell chose that exact moment to walk through the backyard gate, his Secret Service detail flanking him, and headed straight for me with the kind of smile that had won him 48% of the female vote in Illinois. “Actually,” he said, loud enough for everyone to hear, “I was stuck at the White House.
The president wanted to discuss the education bill before I flew out to meet my girlfriend’s family. ”
The potato salad literally fell out of Aunt Martha’s mouth. Britney stood frozen, still holding my phone, her mouth opening and closing like a goldfish who just discovered air wasn’t water. “Though technically,” James continued, taking my hand and pressing a kiss to it, “we should probably tell them the whole truth, shouldn’t we, sweetheart?
”
The whole truth. As if the truth wasn’t already impossible enough that I, Haley McKinnon, failed actress turned high school drama teacher, was dating the youngest governor in Illinois history. The man Forbes had called the future of American politics. The same man who had been on the cover of Time magazine last month under the headline “The Bachelor Governor: Why Washington’s most eligible man stays single.
”
Not anymore, apparently. “Jamie,” I hissed, using the nickname only I was allowed to use. “What are you doing? ”
But he was already working the crowd, that campaign trail charm on full display.
“Mrs. McKinnon, I’m so sorry we’re late. I promised Haley we’d be here by two, but the president can be persistent when he wants to discuss policy. ”
My grandmother, who hadn’t moved from her lawn chair since arriving three hours ago, suddenly found her mobility.
“The president? The actual president? ”
“Yes, ma’am. Though between you and me, your granddaughter is much better at negotiations.
She once talked me out of vetoing arts education funding by threatening to make me sleep on the couch. Very effective political strategy. ”
“You two live together? ” My mother’s voice came out as a squeak.
This was spiraling fast. Before I could implement damage control, James’s lead Secret Service agent, Davidson, stepped forward. “Governor, we need to sweep the perimeter. Standard protocol for unscheduled stops.
”
“Of course,” James said smoothly. “Though I should mention this is the McKinnon family reunion. They’re about as dangerous as a basket of puppies. Well, except for Haley when she hasn’t had her coffee.
”
“That’s true,” I muttered, still processing the fact that my secret boyfriend of eight months had just blown our cover in front of my entire extended family. The same family who’d spent the last three years making helpful suggestions about my love life, career choices, and biological clock. “Wait, wait, wait. ” Britney finally found her voice.
“You’re saying you’re actually dating Governor Rothwell? The same Governor Rothwell who’s getting a Kennedy Center honor next month for his arts advocacy? The one who speaks five languages and graduated Harvard at twenty? ”
“Six languages, actually,” James corrected modestly.
“I picked up Mandarin during the trade negotiations with Beijing. ” He squeezed my hand. “Haley’s been helping me with my Spanish. She’s an excellent teacher.
”
“I teach high school drama,” I said flatly. “Not Spanish. ”
“You teach everything,” he countered. “Confidence, creativity, courage.
Do you know she directed a production of Hamilton with a budget of three hundred dollars and somehow made it magical? I’ve seen Broadway shows with less heart. ”
“You came to my school play? ”
“Three times.
Sat in the back, bought a terrible video from the AV club. ” He grinned. “Your principal almost had me arrested the third time. Apparently, governors aren’t supposed to lurk in high school auditoriums.
”
“Oh my god,” my sister Emma whispered. “This is real. This is actually real. ”
“As real as the tax reform I’m pushing through next month,” James confirmed.
“Though significantly more enjoyable than fiscal policy discussions. ”
My uncle Robert, the family’s self-appointed patriarch since grandpa passed, stepped forward. “Now, hold on just a minute. How do we know you’re really dating our Haley?
No offense, sweetheart, but you’re a high school teacher from Oak Park. He’s… well, he’s him. ”
The condescension in his voice made my jaw clench. The same uncle who’d spent last Christmas dinner explaining why I was too picky and should be realistic about my options was now suggesting I wasn’t good enough for someone who actually wanted me.
James went very still. It was the same stillness I’d seen him deploy in debates, right before he verbally eviscerated his opponents. “I’m sorry. You’re questioning whether I’m good enough for Haley?
”
“That’s not what he—” Aunt Patricia started. “Because let me be clear,” James continued, his voice carrying the authority that came with running the fifth largest state in America. “Haley McKinnon is the most remarkable woman I’ve ever met. She turns teenagers who hate Shakespeare into kids who quote Hamlet for fun.
She spent her spring break building sets instead of going to Cabo because the kids deserve something special. She volunteers at the literacy center every Saturday teaching adults to read without ever making them feel small. So no, sir. The question isn’t whether she’s good enough for me.
The question is whether I’m worthy of her. ”
The backyard was silent except for the distant sound of the neighbor’s lawnmower. “Also,” Davidson added helpfully, “she’s the only person who’s ever beaten the governor at Scrabble. ”
“Six times.
”
“Seven,” I corrected automatically. “That last game where he claimed QI isn’t a real word counts. ”
“It is a real word,” James protested, the tension breaking as he turned to my family with exasperation. “It’s the Chinese concept of life force.
Perfectly legitimate Scrabble word. She’s ruthless, your Haley. Beautiful, brilliant, and ruthless. ”
“How did you even meet?
” Emma asked, her phone out and undoubtedly already texting everyone she’d ever known. “I mean, governors don’t usually hang out in high school drama departments. ”
James and I exchanged glances. The real story was complicated—involving a charity gala where I’d been working as a cater-waiter to make extra money, a spilled tray of champagne, and him gallantly helping me clean up while making me laugh so hard I forgot to be mortified.
We’d talked for two hours in that kitchen covered in champagne and chocolate sauce, and by the end of it, I’d forgotten he was Governor Rothwell and just thought of him as Jamie, the guy who could quote obscure musicals and had opinions about iambic pentameter. “She threw wine on me,” James said simply. “At the Chicago Arts Benefit. Completely destroyed a five-thousand-dollar tuxedo.
”
“It was champagne,” I corrected. “And it was an accident. ”
“You were holding the tray like a weapon,” he countered. “I’ve seen less aggressive defensive lines in the NFL.
”
“You walked backward into me. ”
“I was trying to escape Mayor Henderson’s wife. She was describing her maltipoo’s digestive issues in vivid detail. ” He shuddered.
“Anyway, Haley apologized by quoting Merchant of Venice at me. ‘The quality of mercy is not strained. ’ And I knew I was gone. Completely, utterly gone.
Took me three weeks to track her down. ”
“You had your chief of staff call every catering company in Chicago,” I reminded him. “I had to find you. You’d vanished like Cinderella—if Cinderella quoted Shakespeare and had very strong opinions about Stephen Sondheim.
”
“Everyone should have strong opinions about Stephen Sondheim,” I muttered. “See? ” He turned to my family. “Perfect woman.
”
Britney, who’d been uncharacteristically quiet, finally spoke up. “So, for the past eight months, while we’ve all been trying to set Haley up with every single man in the greater Chicago area, she’s been secretly dating the governor? ”
“In her defense,” James said, “I asked her to keep it quiet. My position makes relationships complicated.
The press can be invasive, and I wanted to protect what we had. Build something real without the cameras and commentary. ”
“Then why now? ” Uncle Robert demanded.
“Why show up here? ”
James’s expression softened as he looked at me. “Because she called me crying last week. Said she was dreading this reunion because everyone would spend the day reminding her that she’s thirty-two and single, that she’s wasting her life teaching, that she should be more like Britney.
” He paused. “No offense, Britney. ”
“None taken,” Britney said faintly. “And I realized I was being selfish.
I was so busy protecting our privacy that I was letting the woman I love feel diminished by people who should be celebrating her. That ends today. ”
Love. He’d said love.
We’d said it to each other, of course, but never publicly. Never in front of witnesses. Never in a way that would inevitably end up on social media within the hour. “Did you just—” I started.
“Say I love you in front of your entire family, including your cousin who’s definitely live-streaming this on Instagram? ” He glanced at Britney, who didn’t even try to hide her phone. “Yes. Yes, I did.
Governor James Rothwell loves high school drama teacher Haley McKinnon. Print it, tweet it, put it on billboards. I don’t care anymore. ”
“The press team is going to murder you,” I said weakly.
“They’ll adjust. They managed when I accidentally adopted three cats during a shelter visit. They can handle me being in love. ” He paused.
“Though, for the record, the cats were Haley’s idea. She volunteers at the animal shelter, too, because of course she does. ”
“Those cats needed homes,” I protested. “And you love Mr.
Whiskers. ”
“Mr. Whiskers is plotting my death,” he said flatly. “I can see it in his eyes.
”
“That’s just his face. ”
“He put a dead mouse in my shoe, Haley. My Gucci loafer. ”
“He was sharing.
Cats bring gifts when they love you. ”
“Or when they’re establishing dominance. That cat is definitely establishing dominance. ”
My grandmother, who’d been watching this exchange with increasing delight, suddenly laughed.
“Oh, you two are real, all right. Nobody could fake this level of comfortable bickering. ”
“We’re not bickering,” James and I said in unison, then glared at each other. “We’re debating,” I clarified.
“Discussing,” he corrected. “Exchanging perspectives,” I countered. “Jesus,” Uncle Ted muttered. “They’re perfect for each other.
They’re both insane. ”
“Speaking of perfect,” James said, reaching into his jacket pocket, “I actually had another reason for crashing your family reunion. ”
My heart stopped. Actually stopped.
Because James Rothwell, governor of Illinois, was pulling out a small velvet box and dropping to one knee in front of my entire extended family, his Secret Service detail, and at least three neighbors who’d wandered over to see what the commotion was about. “No,” I breathed. “Jamie, no. Not like this.
”
“Exactly like this,” he said firmly. “Because this is your family, Haley. These people who drive you crazy and make you feel small sometimes, but who you love anyway. Who you protect and defend even when they hurt you.
And I want them all to witness this. ”
He opened the box. The ring was simple, elegant, utterly perfect. A vintage Art Deco piece that I’d admired once, months ago, in an antique shop window.
“You remembered,” I whispered. “I remember everything about you. How you take your coffee—oatmeal lattes with an embarrassing amount of cinnamon. How you cry at the end of every performance, even the terrible ones, because you’re so proud of your kids.
How you leave me voice messages at two in the morning when you can’t sleep, usually about whatever book you’re reading. How you make me laugh when the job gets too heavy. How you remind me why I got into politics in the first place. To help people.
To make things better. To serve. ”
He took a breath, and I realized the polished politician was gone. This was just Jamie.
Vulnerable and real and mine. “Haley McKinnon, you magnificent, maddening, magical woman. You who quotes Shakespeare at inappropriate times and can’t cook anything but pasta and somehow convinced the governor of Illinois to adopt three possibly homicidal cats. Will you marry me?
Will you let me spend the rest of my life trying to deserve you? Will you be first lady of Illinois and probably tell the entire state legislature they are pronouncing Macbeth wrong? ”
“They are pronouncing it wrong,” I protested through tears. “I know, sweetheart.
We’ll fix it. We’ll fix everything together—if you say yes. ”
I looked around at my family. At Britney, who’d dropped her phone in shock.
At Uncle Robert, whose face had turned an interesting shade of purple. At my mother, who was openly sobbing. At my grandmother, who was giving me the smallest nod of approval. Then I looked back at James.
My Jamie. Who’d upended his entire carefully managed political life to defend me at a backyard barbecue. “The president is going to be so mad at you,” I said. “The president will get over it.
Answer the question, Haley. ”
“The press will be a nightmare. ”
“I have an excellent press team. They live for nightmares.
Answer the question. ”
“I can’t cook at all. First ladies probably need to cook. ”
“We’ll hire someone or live on pasta.
I like pasta. ” He grinned. “Haley, for the love of—answer the question. ”
“Yes,” I said.
“Yes, obviously yes. Who else would put up with your Scrabble cheating and your workaholic tendencies and your inability to remember which cat is which? They’re all orange. How am I supposed to tell them apart?
”
“Mr. Whiskers has white paws. ”
“They all have white paws. ”
“No, Duchess has white ears and Sir Patrick Stewart has…” He paused.
“You know what? We’ll make flashcards. Governor-approved flashcards for cat identification. See?
Already solving problems. We’re going to be an unstoppable team. ”
He slipped the ring onto my finger, stood, and pulled me into a kiss that would definitely make tomorrow’s headlines. When we finally broke apart, the entire backyard erupted in chaos.
Questions, congratulations, at least three relatives immediately calling other relatives who hadn’t made it to the reunion. Davidson was on his phone, undoubtedly alerting the press team that their nightmare had just gotten significantly worse. “So,” Britney said, approaching cautiously, “I maybe owe you an apology for the whole imaginary-boyfriend thing. And the comments about your job.
And your apartment. And all of it. ”
“Britney, it’s fine. Really.
”
“It’s not, though. I’ve been awful. We all have. You’re out there changing kids’ lives, and we act like it doesn’t matter because you’re not making six figures or married to some investment banker.
”
“She could have married an investment banker,” James interjected. “I introduced her to several. She called them boring and made me sit through a three-hour experimental theater piece about the dangers of capitalism. ”
“It was important theater.
”
“It was three hours of interpretive dance and yelling. ”
“It was art. ”
“It was torture. ”
“Brilliant, meaningful torture.
But torture. ”
Emma laughed. “Oh my god, you two really are perfect for each other. You’re both completely ridiculous.
”
“Speaking of ridiculous,” my mother finally found her voice, “a spring wedding? Fall? I’ll need to coordinate with your press team. ”
“Mom,” I warned.
“What? I’m just saying, if my daughter’s going to be first lady, we’re doing this properly. No eloping to Vegas like your father wanted when we got married. ”
“Vegas sounds nice,” James mused.
“Quick, efficient, no fuss. ”
“You elope to Vegas and I’ll disown you both,” my grandmother announced. “I want a proper wedding with the fancy people and the photographers and the whole circus. I’m ninety-three years old.
I’ve earned a show. ”
“A show it is,” James agreed immediately. “Whatever you want, Mrs. McKinnon.
”
“Smart man. ” She patted his cheek. “You’ll do fine. Just remember, our Haley’s special.
Not because she’s marrying some fancy governor, but because she’s Haley. You forget that, and I don’t care how many Secret Service agents you have. I’ll find you. ”
“Noted and understood, ma’am.
”
The rest of the afternoon passed in a blur. James charmed every single relative, even Uncle Robert, who eventually admitted that maybe a governor wasn’t the worst thing I could drag home. He helped flip burgers with my dad, discussed contemporary theater with my artsy cousin Miguel, and somehow ended up in an intense debate about education reform with my retired teacher aunts. And through it all, he kept finding me.
A hand on my back here, a shared glance there. Little moments of connection that reminded me this was real. We were real. Despite the absolute chaos of how we’d started, despite the challenges ahead, despite the fact that Mr.
Whiskers really might be plotting his death. We were real. As the sun set and relatives began to leave, each extracting promises about wedding invitations and exclusive details, James and I found ourselves alone for the first time all day. “So,” I said, leaning against him.
“That went well. ”
He laughed, pressing a kiss to my temple. “Your Uncle Robert asked if I could get his parking tickets dismissed. ”
“Of course he did.
”
“And your Aunt Patricia wants to know if I can get her grandson an internship. ”
“Naturally. ”
“And your cousin Miguel invited us to his experimental theater collective’s newest piece. It’s four hours long and performed entirely in the dark.
”
“We’re going. ”
“I know. ” He sighed. “I’m bringing a flask.
”
“I love you,” I said, the words easier now that we’d said them in front of witnesses. “Even if you did completely ambush me with a proposal at a family barbecue. ”
“I love you, too. And I’d do it again.
Bigger. Maybe at the next state dinner. Really give the press something to talk about. ”
I kissed him to shut him up.
It was a tactic that had worked for eight months, and I figured it would work for the next fifty years or so. When Davidson eventually appeared to remind us that the governor had a security briefing in two hours and perhaps they should head back to Springfield, James groaned. “This is my life now. Security briefings and state dinners and people caring about what I wear.
”
“You can handle it,” I said. “You handle teenagers. Politicians are basically the same thing, but with worse impulse control. ”
“Jamie?
”
“Yeah? ”
“Thanks for today. For showing up. For fighting for me.
For proposing in front of my entire insane family. ”
“Haley? ”
“Yeah? ”
“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.
”
And as I watched him navigate saying goodbye to my relatives—promising my grandmother prime seats at the inauguration, assuring my mother she’d have full wedding-planning input, exchanging numbers with Miguel for those theater tickets—I realized he meant it. Governor James Rothwell, the man who could have anyone, wanted me. Drama teacher, Shakespeare quoter, terrible cook me. “Hey.
” Britney appeared at my elbow. “For what it’s worth, I’m happy for you. Really happy. And not just because you’re marrying the governor.
”
“Thanks, Brit. ”
“Although,” she grinned, “being cousins with the first lady of Illinois is not exactly going to hurt my social media presence. ”
“There’s the Britney I know. ”
She laughed.
“Someone’s got to be consistent in this family. By the way, Miguel’s already written a one-man show about today. He’s calling it ‘The Governor Wore Gucci: A Family Reunion Romance. ’”
“Of course he has.
”
“He wants James to play himself. ”
“Of course he does. ”
As James finally extracted himself from my family and we headed toward the waiting SUV, I took one last look at the McKinnon family reunion. The site of a thousand small humiliations over the years, now transformed into the place where Governor James Rothwell had proposed to me in front of God, family, and Britney’s Instagram followers.
“No regrets? ” James asked, reading my expression. “No regrets,” I confirmed. “Although…”
“What?
”
“Mr. Whiskers really is plotting your death. You should probably increase security. ”
“Noted,” Davidson said from the front seat.
“I’ll add hostile feline to the threat assessment. ”
James laughed, pulling me close as we drove away from my childhood neighborhood toward our shared future. “First Lady Haley McKinnon. It has a nice ring to it.
”
“It does,” I agreed. “But I’m keeping my job. Those kids need me. ”
“Of course you are.
I wouldn’t expect anything else. ”
And as Chicago blurred past the windows, I smiled. Let tomorrow’s headlines come. Let the press speculate and the public judge.
I had my kids, my art, my deeply homicidal cats, and a fiancé who loved me enough to face down my entire family tree. Life was good. Complicated, insane, but good.
Although I really did need to make those cat identification flashcards.