Page 34 of If the Ring Fits

He gives me a reassuring smile before addressing Danielle. “Why don’t you show us a range, in your most popular cuts?”

“Of course!” Danielle gushes. “And in terms of size, are you thinking…” She trails off delicately, her gaze flicking to Adrian.

“Go big or go home, right?” He looks at me.

I force a smile, my cheeks aching with the effort.

Danielle seems much more heartened by the declaration and scurries off to pull out some rings, leaving Adrian and me alone in the boudoir.

He stares at me concerned. “You okay? You seem tense.”

I furrow my brows and look away. “I’m fine! Just a bit… overwhelmed, I guess. This is all so…” I wave a hand vaguely at the opulent surroundings.

“Hey, we got this,” he whispers, his deep brown eyes earnest and reassuring. “It’s only a little bling, okay?”

I nod. It’s just a ring. A stupidly expensive, blindingly sparkly ring…

Danielle returns bearing a black velvet tray lined with rings that would probably pay off my student loans. Twice over. She handpicks a monstrosity with an emerald-cut center gem flanked by triangle side baguettes, the band encrusted with more diamonds.

“This is one of our most popular styles this season,” she enthuses, holding it out to me. “Three and a half carats, VVS1 clarity, E color. Quite spectacular, isn’t it?”

I pluck the ring from the tray gingerly, afraid I’ll drop it. It’s ice cold and heavier than I expect. I slide it onto my finger and hold my hand out, blinking as the center stone catches the light and fractures it into a thousand rainbow shards.

It’s positively gorgeous… and completely wrong for me. The ring wears me, not the other way around.

I glance up to catch Adrian watching me intently, trying to gauge my reaction. He wants me to make a quick decision, check a box and move on. He probably has to return to work or something. But I can’t pretend to love a ring that makes me feel like even more of an impostor in my own life.

I slide the ring off my finger and place it carefully back on the tray. “It’s beautiful,” I say diplomatically. “But a bit too much for everyday wear?”

Danielle’s smile falters, but she quickly replaces it with another colossus, a huge round solitaire. “Perhaps something more classic, then?”

I dutifully try on ring after blinding ring, each one more soulless and ostentatious than the last. None of them feel right for me. I’m getting a tension headache from the stress of playacting this role.

After what feels like hours, Adrian leans forward. “Do any of these look good?”

They all look great; I don’t know how to tell him I wouldn’t want to wear any of them.

Abruptly, I slip out of the booth. “I… we need to reschedule,” I stammer, backing away from the diamond-encrusted madness.

Adrian frowns, looking both confused and irritated. “Reschedule? Rowena, we have to go to my boss’s house on Friday. There’s no time.”

I wave off the protest, already moving toward the door. “I’m sorry, I just… can’t do this right now.”

“Rowena, wait!” Adrian calls after me, but I keep pushing through the glass doors, desperate for air that doesn’t smell like wealth and expectations.

Outside on the sidewalk, I gulp down breaths, trying to calm my racing heart. What am I doing? I can’t just leave Adrian hanging out to dry. He needs this, and he’s been nothing but kind and understanding with me. But the thought of going back inside, of staring at more ridiculous diamonds and pretending to be enthusiastic about it?—

“Hey!” Adrian’s voice behind me makes me startle. Hesounds more concerned than angry, and that gives me pause. If I’d pulled a scene like that with Liam, he’d already be all red-faced, yelling up my nose.

“What’s wrong?” Adrian asks instead.

I turn to him, steeling myself. “I’m sorry, Adrian. But those rings are not me, and you don’t want me to let you buy one. Trust me.”

He tilts his head with an amused grin. “I’m pretty sure Ineedto buy you one. My boss has to understand we’re serious, and nothing says long-term more than a big rock on your finger.”

I roll my eyes. “You know what those rings say?”

He crosses his arms over his chest. “Enlighten me.”

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