"I don't want to be thought of badly for marrying you," she said under her breath. "Not by your mom or her friends, either. But especially not by your friends and the people you've known for years."

Work people she could deal with, but his personal life was something she wanted to make sure wasn't going to be an issue. When he said what he said, she shook her head. "Clay, come on. That's... I mean." She could feel the tears starting. "I love you so much and I didn't know how to function after we broke up. This is everything I'd dreamed of just kind of given to me and I don't want it to be a bad thing for you."