Page 109 of Claiming Pretty

I dropped the pad and brushed my hands through his hair still damp from the shower.

When he finally spoke, his voice was low, pained. “And that’s something I can never change.”

“I’m sorry,” I said.

He exhaled sharply. “I know. I just wish I knew what made you fall for him all those years ago. Maybe I could have…”

The intensity of his stare was too much.

I tore my gaze away and fished the antique engagement ring out of my pocket, the large diamond catching the dim light of the room. My heart thudded uncomfortably as I held it out to him.

“Here,” I said, keeping my voice steady. “This belongs to you.”

Ty glanced at the ring in my palm, then at me. His expression didn’t shift, unreadable as always.

But when he reached out, it wasn’t to take the ring—it was to push my hand back toward me.

“Keep it,” he said, his voice low but firm. “I bought it for you, anyway.”

I blinked, momentarily thrown off-balance. My fingers closed reflexively around the ring as his hand lingered on mine for a moment too long. Warmth flooded my chest, and I hated the way it spread, unchecked and unwelcome.

“Ty,” I started, shaking my head. “I can’t—”

“Return it,” he interrupted, cutting me off with a wry curve of his lips, “if you want me to propose to you for real.”

I froze. His words hit me like a shot of adrenaline, lighting up every nerve.

My breath caught in my throat, and for a moment, I couldn’t think past the implications.

He held my gaze, his eyes steady, waiting for a response I wasn’t sure I could give.

“No pressure or anything,” I muttered, shoving the ring back into my pocket. The small band might as well have been molten, searing through the fabric to brand my skin.

He chuckled, the sound low and rich.

“No pressure,” he echoed, though the weight of his gaze said otherwise.

He pulled me down into his lap, cradling me the way he did that first time when he carried me to the nurse’s office.

“But if I never get that ring back…” He hesitated, his jaw tightening. “I don’t know if I can watch you love someone else. Even if it’s him.”

The confession shattered something inside me. My hands trembled as I clung to him with my arms around his neck.

His arm tightened around my back, steadying me as he kissed me.

I tasted the blood clinging to the cut on his lip, ran my tongue over his scar and felt him tremble underneath me.

“I’ll fight for you, Ava,” he said against my lips, his voice steady despite the emotion behind it. “But I won’t trap you. You have to make the choice.”

The weight of his words crushed me. I felt the tears welling up, but I refused to let them fall.

“And what if I can’t?” I whispered.

He pulled back just enough to meet my gaze, his eyes dark and unreadable. “Then you’ll destroy both of us.”

The finality of his statement left me breathless. Guilt and heartbreak swirled in my chest, threatening to choke me.

I wanted to tell him it would be okay, that I’d figure it out. But as I sat there, tangled in his warmth and his pain, I wasn’t sure I believed it.

---