I was having so much fun watching her enjoy herself that I almost forgot about her gifts. She wasn’t looking hunted any longer, and her smiles and laughter were genuine as far as I can tell, and I happen to know my baby very well. I was nervous taking the ring out of my pocket, more nervous than I’d expected.
It’s not like she could say no, or turn me down; no was not an option. But somehow, I still felt that hollowness in the pit of my stomach. I punked out and reached for the other stuff first, wanting to save the best for last. “Here, baby, look, I had this made especially for you.”
I removed the Beauty and the Beast charm bracelet in platinum and diamonds that hid a very special secret in Belle’s blue eyes. I wonder if she’ll look close enough to realize that the figures were actually the two of us, made to look like the Disney characters. “For every special occasion, we’ll add a new character from the show.”
Yes, because who knows what Simon will come up with next that will be even better than what we have at present. The tracker in Belle’s eye had the best range of anything on the market so far, but with the way technology is moving, I expect that to change sometime in the future.
She gushed over her gift, turning her hand this way and that, and I didn’t feel even a little bit guilty over the trick I’d played. “Don’t you find it silly, or even childish, that I still like this show?”
“No, I find it cute and adorable like everything else about you. Maybe one day we can watch it with our daughter.”
Her smile froze, and there were tears in her eyes. “Do you really think we’ll be together that long?” What the hell? She looked down at her hands that were clasped in her lap.
“What do you mean by that?”
“I’m not like Sian and the others; I’m not that strong.” Her poor little voice sounded weak and defeated, and I never wanted to meet her dad in a dark alley late at night more than I did now.
“Babe, you carried your family for a whole year and took care of your little brother while protecting your mother; I think you have them all beat.” She looked at me like this was all foreign to her. As if it never registered to her that she’d done these things. It couldn’t have been easy for her shielding her mother from the truth until the other woman found out, which was inevitable in a town like ours. The fact that she was able to do that shit for as long as she had is a testament to her strength.
“Do you really think so?”
“I know so. I also know that you’re brave and sweet and kind, so you’re just like our sisters, never think differently. And make this the last time you sell yourself short. You’re perfect. And just so there’s no confusion on whether or not I think we’ll make it, here.”
It was the perfect opening, so why not? I’d had second thoughts partly because I was afraid I was moving too fast. It was one thing to take her back with me, but if she didn’t like it, she could go back home anytime. Well, that’s not exactly true, but at least she would’ve thought so. With this ring, there’s no escape for her.
I opened the box and took out the ring. I’d had a hard time choosing one that would fit her. Her sisters all have boulders on their fingers, but it wasn’t the size of the diamond I was worried about, but the shape and style of her ring. My baby is a romantic at heart, so I wanted something that would fit her.
In the end, I went with an antique style, a design going back to the seventeenth century that had a look of the old world about it. If the bracelet ever comes off, this won’t, so there was another nifty little gift hidden behind the four-carat stone. “Give me your hand.” I’d planned some long flowery speech for my proposal, but in the end, I just ended up slipping the ring on her finger and saying, “Looks good. Don’t take it off, ever.” Before kissing her fingers while she looked at me wide-eyed.
“Alex, this is… are you?” And then she squealed and threw herself out the damn chair and into my lap. She was blubbering something about Sian, saying it was going to happen, but she didn’t believe it, and then she lost me because I don’t speak blubbering female. At least she was happy, and that’s all I care about.
I sat and watched the sunrise with her on my lap, sniffling every few seconds until she got herself together. “Happy?” She nodded her head against my chest then wrapped her arms around me. “I’m afraid it’s a dream, and I’ll wake up soon and be alone.”