Page 25 of True Soil-Mates

“Are you going in the morning or the afternoon?” I ask.

“Morning, probably. Why?”

I stare carefully down at my plate, tracing a pattern in the sauce with the last piece of penne. “There are some nice shops in that part of town.”

“What kind of shops?” She takes a sip of wine, then sets down her glass, squinting at me. “Why do you look so suspicious?”

“What, a guy can’t drag his beautiful girlfriend to a jewelry store to start getting ideas about what kind of ring she might like?”

Jasmine is always beautiful to me. But there’s a certain look she gets in her eyes that I particularly adore when she’s shocked and delighted at the same time. That’s how she looks right now, and her lovely face freezes for several blinks. “Are you…you can’t be…”

“You already live here on the weekends. Everything is going great. And you know I like to plan things in advance. So I’m just going to lay the groundwork and start collecting data on what kind of jewelry you like.”

“Data. Hmm.” Her eyes fall closed for a moment, then she nods. “I’m just going to let that process over the weekend. Is that okay?”

“Process away, baby.”

In fact, I’ve already spoken to her mother and sisters, getting their unofficial approval to propose. They’ve helped me collect photos of jewelry Jasmine likes and are ready to throw a surpriseengagement party at their friend’s restaurant whenever I give them a date.

Jasmine isn’t exactly traditional, but I suspect this is one time she’d like a few of the usual customs. Which is why I’m going to ease her into the idea.

An hour later, we’re snuggled on the couch with an empty chocolate mint ice cream container on the table in front of us. She pauses our movie and turns to me. “I don’t really like diamonds. Maybe tiny ones, but definitely not big ones.”

“You strike me as an emerald girl. Or maybe a green sapphire.”

“Yeah. And…” Her head tips back and forth as she thinks.

“Something that doesn’t stick up too much, so it doesn’t get caught when you’re digging around in dirt?”

“Yeah.”

“Maybe you can wear the ring as a pendant when you’re working. Or leave the engagement ring at home sometimes and just wear your wedding band.”

Jasmine blinks in surprise. “Wow. You’ve really thought this through.”

I take her hands. “Baby, I want you to be comfortable all the time. You work with your hands. I don’t want a ring getting in the way. We can get whatever kind you like.” Her sigh of relief sends a wave of warmth through me. “Or – why not two engagement rings? A small plain one for everyday, and a larger flashier one that stacks with it for special occasions when you know you won’t be getting your hands mucky?”

Her mouth drops open. “You can do that?”

Pulling her close, I whisper in her ear, “Baby, we can do whatever we want.”

Her navy eyes sparkle as she looks up at me. “You just have all the answers, don’t you?”

I kiss the backs of her hands. “Now that I have the most incredible girl in the world at my side, you bet.”

EPILOGUE

JASMINE

* Three Years Later *

“Abit more to the left, maybe.” I walk slowly around the area, then nod. “Perfect, thanks. Now the rest can just go in an arc in between.”

As I point, my beautiful emerald rings catch the light, making me smile. I love it when I can wear all three of my rings at once. When I’m working at the shop, I usually just wear my wedding band and keep the other two on a chain around my neck, just as Alex suggested.

“No problem, boss,” Chad grins as he and Brendan get to work digging the holes for the cedar shrubs.

Normally I would help them, but my overprotective husband has forbidden me from lifting a finger to do anything other than point these days.

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