Page 17 of In this Moment

“What’s our weddingdate?”

She froze. “We’re not actually getting married.”

“But people willask.”

“We can work all of that out later. Right now we just need to be engaged.” Her eyes looked to her hand. “I’ll need aring.”

“I’ll get youone.”

Her heart swelled. He really was a great guy. But she shook her head. “No. You’re not going to buy me a fake ring. I have some vintage rings in the back. One of them will do. Holdon.”

Evie used the few minutes she was in the back room to collect herself. It was all happening so fast. She couldn’t believe Declan had even agreed to the deception, but not only had he said yes, he was jumping in with both feet. For a moment, she allowed herself to feel a flicker of excitement that maybe it would all workout.

Custody.

Custody would workout.

The engagement wouldn’t.

She was going to need to rememberthat.

Evie took out the case of rings from the safe and slid her hand over it. The last time she’d had it out was for Declan’s brother, Mitch, when he proposed and then subsequently married Jade. She hadn’t looked at it lately, but she knew exactly what it contained. She’d looked through the case multiple times, fantasizing what it would be like to have one of the exquisite rings slipped on her own left hand oneday.

Oneday.

Never had she dreamed that day would look like today.

With a sigh, Evie swallowed down any concerns she was feeling and walked back out into the shop where Declan was waiting.

“I have a few that will work.” She put the case down on the counter. They would all work, but Evie wanted to keep it simple. After all, it wasn’t a real engagement. She flipped the lid of the case and sucked in a breath the way she always did when she was presented with the stunning rings inside.

Evie resisted the urge to run her fingers along the sparkling diamonds and antiqued scrolling. She’d memorized each ring and over time had imagined the life each of them had had. What fingers they’d been worn on. What love had inspired the giving of eachring.

She was a desperate romantic, but she believed that each of the rings had a story to tell. A story born of love and they deserved a new story equal to what they’d already experienced.

These rings didn’t deserve a fake engagement. But desperate times…

“Maybe this one.” She pointed at a simple ring. It was the newest ring in the sense that it wasn’t vintage like the others. Still pretty, but very simple in its setting.

Declan picked it up and held it between his fingers. “This is the one you like? It’s your favorite?”

Her eyes went to her favorite: a cushion cut diamond surrounded by crusted rubies in the bottom right of the case. Something about that ring had always spoken to her. She imagined a great love that would inspire a man to give his sweetheart such a ring. It was the ring she’d always imagined the love of her life one day putting on her finger.

Evie nodded, looked away from the special ring and lied. “That’s theone.”

Declan hadn’t missed the way Evie’s eyes lingered on the square cut diamond with the rubies. He’d seen the sparkle in her eyes, the look of longing. And the way she’d lied when she agreed to the simple ring he held in his fingers.

“Are yousure?”

She nodded again and closed the case before he could reach for the other ring. “That one will be fine. Here.”

Declan pulled back, holding the ring close. “I don’t thinkso.”

“But I need to wear the ring, Dec. That’s how it needs to look. That’s what engaged lookslike.”

He grinned. It might be a fake engagement, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to do it right. “And you will. When I give it toyou.”

“Declan, Itold—”

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