Page 3 of The Boss

Chapter Three

I hada hangover from hell when I woke up this morning. I drank away my sorrows by finishing the full bottle of bourbon. I know why Say left and I will bring her home, but I’ve got a few things to put into place before I do. I’m not doing a half-assed job of this. Say is the rest of my life so I need to do this right.

The first thing on my agenda is to buy an engagement ring for Say. I want the perfect ring and I don’t care how long it takes to find it—as long as it’s today. I need her to know that she is mine and I love her. What other people think doesn't equate to my feelings.

After showering and dressing, I leave the house without any breakfast. For some reason I can’t seem to eat anything. I feel sick just thinking about Say thinking that I don’t love her. I don’t blame her for believing my mother, but she should know that my love for her is real and that I’m not staying with her because of our baby. I’m staying because I love her and she is my whole world.

Her words in the letter taunt me:

I love you Everett, with every beat of my heart. I wish you absolute happiness. I want you to love someone the way that you “loved” me.

I still love her, hell I think I have since the moment I met her and I will love her like that for the rest of my life.

When I get into the city I don’t go to the jewelry store with the light blue box, I want something special and something more personal. There’s a small family-run jewelry store that’s hidden down a side street. This store caters to the rich, I should know, I’ve used this store before, I’ve purchased gifts for my mother over the years. As I open the door to The Velvet Box, I smile at the owner, Maria.

“Everett, we haven’t seen you for years.” She comes over and hugs me.

“I’m sorry, I’ve been busy working and not spending enough time on myself.”

“Well, you’re here today. Are you looking for something special?”

I smile at her and nod my head. “Yes, I sure am.”

She moves to the pearl cabinet, those are mother’s favorites.

“Maria, I’m not looking for something for my mother. I want to buy an engagement ring for someone very special.”

“Oh, Everett, that is fantastic. I’m so excited. She must be very special to have captured your heart.”

“She is.”

Maria takes me to the other side of the store where the diamond engagement rings are. “Do you have a picture of this special lady? I’d love to see her, then I can help you pick something special.”

I take out my phone and scroll through my camera roll and show her a few pictures of Saylor. I swallow my tears and don’t talk for a few minutes.

Maria looks at me and smiles. “I’d say you’d like something simple, yet elegant. She’s a beautiful woman, Everett.”

“She is, Maria. She’s very special and I love her.”

“Tell me about her and I’ll help you pick something special.”

“She’s beautiful, she’s funny, caring and she doesn’t take any of my bullshit. She’s sexy and she’s the one person who I can be myself with. Truly myself.”

Maria pulls out tray after tray of sparkly diamond rings. There are big ones, small ones and some truly disgusting ones. Well they might not be to some people, but they would be for Saylor.

She places four rings onto the display mat and waits for me to pick them up and have a look at them.

I know as soon as she places them down which one I love. I know Saylor will love it too. It’s not as big as some in the cabinet, but it’s beautiful. It’s a square cut diamond, but it has a pink hue.

As I’m looking at it, Maria tells me, “The pink diamond is one of the rarest and most expensive diamonds. There aren’t many available for sale in the world. I love this because it’s beautiful and elegant, but it’s also so rare.”

I put it onto my little finger to see what it would look like and I know that Saylor will love it. I just know she will. She has to.

“I’ll take it, Maria. This ring is my future.”

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