He dropped a kiss to her mouth. “I’m kidding.”
He let her down, though his hand held hers tight. “What?” she asked, watching him closely. Travis didn’t say anything. He pulled off her promise ring and reached into the front pocket of his jeans. Exactly one second later, he held out a small black box and offered it to her.
“Open it,” he said, voice low and urgent.
Her heart beat so fast and hard, she could barely hear a thing. She opened the box, and nestled inside was a beautiful diamond solitaire. It was breathtaking. Simple and elegant and so perfect. She blinked back tears. They still had stuff to figure out. A lot of stuff. Logistics. Her business. Her baggage. Hell, his baggage. But they’d do it together.
“Yes,” she said.
Travis smiled wickedly. “I didn’t ask you anything.”
“I know.” He slid the ring onto her finger, and she smiled up at him. “But my answer is still yes.”
Travis held her close and rested his chin on top of her head. “Good, because that’s the only answer I will accept.”
She rested her head against Travis’s chest and for a long while they were silent.
“What are you thinking about?” he asked, gently stroking her hair.
“Ryder. I was thinking that he would be happy for me. For us.”
“He would.”
Ruby blew out a shaky breath as she tried to clamp down on her emotions. “I wanted so much for him.”
“He knew you loved him, Ruby.”
“Yes,” she whispered. “He did.”
She looked outside. Snow had started to fall. Great big fluffy flakes that fell lazily from the sky. It was like a new beginning. A new hope. The first snowfall of the season always felt the same. God willing, it would be the first of many, many more, and all of them shared with the man she loved.