Timothy's POV

One year after I challenged my father, six months after Penelope told me to ask her properly, I'm standing in my mother's living room holding my grandmother's engagement ring.

"She would have loved Penelope," my mother says softly. She's talking about my grandmother, who died when I was ten. "She always said the right mate would challenge you, not just follow you."

"Penelope definitely challenges me," I agree, looking at the ring. It's beautiful and simple. A round diamond set in ...