Page 73 of Old-Fashioned

The rest of it, I didn’t give two shits about.

As long as it was her.

Which was why while she was watching Caelan’s kids for him at my place, I was at a jewelry store two towns over and was browsing the selections.

A few of the women were eyeing my tattoos and my size, and I knew they wouldn’t be helping me.

It wasn’t until a man came from the back looked at the women standing there to the side, shook his head and made his way to me.

“Sir, welcome to Saine’s Jewelry. What can I help you find today?”

I offered the man my hand, which he shook.

Then I pulled out my phone and showed him an enlarged picture of a certain ring. “I want something as close to this as we can manage.”

He took my phone, studied the image and then he smiled, “It just so happens, we have something very similar to this. Follow me.”

When he handed me my phone back, I followed him to the right side of the store, and then slipped between two counters, and to a glass display case, he pulled out a set of keys, unlocked the door, and then pulled a tray out.

“Umm, sir, are you sure about this?’’ One of the women asked.

Maurice turned, lifted one eyebrow at her and snapped, “We never take in what someone looks like and think they can’t afford anything in this store. If you continue to have that mentality you will not do well at this store. Furthermore, you will be out of a job.”

And with that, he placed the tray on the top of a display case, and pulled out a ring but that wasn’t the ring that had caught my eye.

The one he pulled out, yes, it was similar to the one I showed him, but the one in the third row, second in, it was even more similar, and I could envision it on Birdie’s finger.

I shook my head at him and pointed at the one I wanted.

He nodded, smiled, replaced the ring, and pulled out the one I wanted.

Once he handed it to me, I looked at it, and saw me pressing a kiss on it once it was on her little finger, saw it on her finger for the next sixty-plus years, saw it on the finger of our granddaughter.

“This is the one I want,” I told him.

He nodded, smiled, and said, “Very good sir. That one is a beauty. It is a three-carat halo-cut diamond sitting on a platinum band.”

And when he told me the price of it, I knew she would balk and the make-up sex would be out of this world, which caused me to chuckle at the thought.

Maurice tilted his head in question, I told him, “My woman is going to have a hissy fit over the price. I’m just gearing up for the make-up sex.”

The man tossed his head back and laughed.

As soon as we made it to the register, I pulled my wallet out and then pulled my black AmEx out of my wallet and handed it to the man, he looked at the women and lifted his brows again.

I snorted.

After he rang me up, he said, “On these particular rings, we offer free sizing, just come in once you gift it to her and we can resize it.”

I nodded, took the bag from him, and lifted my chin.

I had just climbed into my truck when my phone rang, with care, I pulled the box out of the bag and placed it in the glove compartment only then did I tag my phone and smiled as a picture of Birdie popped up.

Her long raven black hair fanned out over my pillow, the sheets tangled up around her, sound asleep in my bed.

I brought my phone to my ear and answered, “Yes, Baby girl?”

“Hey honey, I forgot to pick up marshmallows, and I promised them we could roast them when I watched them again. Can you grab a bag of them?”

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