Chapter 31: Summary, Key Moments, and What It Means for the Story

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Summary

The chapter opens with Isaiah reeling from the news that Kennedy did not get the job she wanted. He spends twenty-four hours cycling through disbelief and frustration, unable to understand how anyone could overlook her intelligence and work ethic. While Kennedy slept peacefully on his chest, Isaiah barely slept, processing what the rejection means for both of them.

Isaiah reflects on the foundation of their marriage. It was always a plan, a stepping stone for Kennedy to move away from Chicago and escape her sexist lead doctor. He admits to himself that he fell in love with her during their months of forced proximity, and that his feelings are real even if the marriage started as a game. Alongside his disappointment for her, he feels overwhelming relief that she's staying in Chicago.

Determined to give her new experiences even if she can't have them in a new city, Isaiah goes to her apartment. She's surprised to see him, having been packing to come to his place for the night. He proposes a distraction: Fourth of July fireworks over Navy Pier with the whole team. She agrees.

They walk to Navy Pier, and Isaiah notes that her apartment overlooks the pier, so she'd have a good view from home—but he wants her to have fun with people who will be happy she's staying. They meet Kai, Miller, and Max, along with the rest of the team. Max is immediately the center of attention, with Cody scooping him up and the team showering him with high fives. Isaiah reflects on how the team rallied around his brother when Max came into their lives.

Miller pulls Kennedy aside, and Kai gives Isaiah some advice: he should ask his fake wife how she feels about being his real girlfriend now that she's staying. The conversation is cut short when Kennedy returns, joking about airbrush T-shirts. Isaiah suggests couples shirts—her wearing his name and vice versa—and she suspects he already had them made.

The group boards the Ferris wheel. Kennedy reveals she's never been on one before, which surprises Isaiah until he remembers her unusual upbringing. She tells him a story about running away as a child—around eleven or twelve—to go to Coney Island while her family was heading to the Hamptons for a party. She made it to Brooklyn before a family driver caught her and brought her back. Her mother didn't even reprimand her, which Kennedy notes as evidence that even running away couldn't get her attention.

Isaiah tells her he doesn't care what her last name was, only what it is now. She points out that she hasn't actually taken his last name, and he suggests they should do something about that. She doesn't respond, just as she didn't respond when he told her he loved her.

He asks when she last spoke to her mother. Kennedy says she hasn't since the dinner in Atlanta. Her mother tried to make her attendance mandatory at Connor and Mallory's wedding, but she and Dean decided not to go. She's tired of trying to be perfect for her family, who don't care anyway, and is focusing on what makes her happy instead. Isaiah tells her he's proud of her.

At the top of the wheel, Isaiah tells Kennedy he loves Chicago. He asks if she does too. She says it's grown on her recently, and when he asks if she means him or the city, she says they go hand in hand—a package deal.

Key Events

• Isaiah learns Kennedy didn't get the job and processes his conflicting emotions

• Isaiah admits to himself that he loves Kennedy

• Isaiah surprises Kennedy at her apartment with plans for fireworks at Navy Pier

• The team gathers at Navy Pier, with Max as the center of attention

• Kai advises Isaiah to ask Kennedy about being his real girlfriend

• Kennedy reveals she's never been on a Ferris wheel and shares her Coney Island story

• Kennedy confirms she hasn't spoken to her mother since the Atlanta dinner

• Isaiah suggests Kennedy take his last name

• Kennedy tells Isaiah that he and Chicago are a package deal

Character Development

Isaiah reaches a turning point in this chapter. He moves from seeing their marriage as a game to acknowledging his genuine love for Kennedy. His relief at her staying in Chicago is paired with a desire to give her new experiences there. Kai's advice plants a seed: Isaiah needs to ask Kennedy what she wants for their future, not just assume the arrangement can continue as is.

Kennedy shows significant growth in her willingness to open up. She shares a vulnerable childhood story about running away and being ignored by her mother. She reveals she's cut ties with her family, choosing happiness over perfection. Her admission that Chicago has grown on her—and that Isaiah and the city are a package deal—signals a shift in her feelings, even if she hasn't yet said the words Isaiah wants to hear.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Found family: The team's treatment of Max demonstrates the support system Isaiah and Kai have built. The scene of the team rallying around Max contrasts sharply with Kennedy's description of her own childhood, where she was ignored by her mother.

Choosing happiness over perfection: Kennedy's decision to stop trying to be perfect for her family and focus on what makes her happy is a major theme. Her mother's indifference to her running away as a child shows why she developed perfectionist tendencies in the first place.

Identity and last name: The conversation about Kennedy's last name—both her birth name as a Kay and whether she'll take Rhodes—represents her shifting identity. Isaiah's suggestion that they