I held her tight to my chest, blinking at the surge of emotion that welled up.
She said yes. She was mine.
Avery was wrapped around me, her head resting on my chest. Every so often, I felt her hand unfurl as she stared at her ring.
“How did you know?” she murmured.
I cupped her chin, lifting her face up. “Beth,” I admitted. “I know you don’t wear much jewelry, but I noticed you seemed to wear older-looking pieces when you do.”
“I love jewelry that has a history,” she confessed, twisting her hand so the stones caught the light.
“Beth gave me the name of the little shop you like to go to and I went in and spoke to the owner. She had recently acquired this ring from an estate auction.”
“It’s perfect.”
“The story is it was purchased in England and brought here for his betrothed—hence the rose gold. The couple was madly in love and married for over sixty years. The ring was passed down to their son, who never got married. It was part of his estate.” I picked up her hand and kissed it. “It was part of a great love story then—and now.”
“It’s perfect. If I could pick any ring in the world, this is exactly what I would pick. I love it.” She pressed her lips to mine. “I love you.”
“Good thing.” I traced my finger down her skin. “You agreed to marry me.”
“I did.”
“Soon?”
“If you want.”
“I want. Why wait? Unless, you want a big, fancy wedding?”
“No.”
I huffed a sigh of relief. I didn’t want a big one, either. “When?” I implored.
“A couple months?”
“Next week.”
She laughed. “And you called me impatient the first day we met. One month.”
I smirked. That was easier than I thought. “Done.” I held her tight. “One month today. Where?”
“The house?”
“Perfect. Guests?”
“Family. Friends. Small.”
“Perfect. My mom is gonna freak.”
Avery snickered. “My parents have barely recovered from me moving in with you. Now I have to tell them we’re getting married.”
“Not an issue. I already spoke with your dad.”
“You did?”
“I told him the first weekend, when we were walking around the grounds, that you were it for me, and I planned on marrying you. He gave me his blessing before they left.”
Her eyes shone verdant green in the sunshine.