Page 41 of Wish I Didn't Want You Back

“It’s pretty.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Pretty?”

“Yeah. It’s more than I was expecting.”

The ring was so much more than pretty; it reminded me of everything I ever wanted but was too scared to fight for.

Brooks looked over at the woman behind the counter. “She’s real excited to marry me. Can’t you tell?”

I shot him a glare, but he smirked.

“She’s probably just overwhelmed,” the woman said, trying to reassure him. “I’ll give you two kids a few minutes alone.”

Once she was gone, he dropped my hand and turned to me. “Really, Harlow? Pretty? That’s the best you could come up with?”

“Brooks.” My cheeks heated. I didn’t know what to say. This seemed like a weird joke.

“What?” he asked, feigning innocence as he leaned against the counter. “We’re supposed to make it believable, remember?”

Right. Fake. Temporary. Doesn’t matter.

“I’m just nervous.”

“There is no reason to be nervous. Just pick a ring. Any ring. The sooner you do, the sooner we can get out of here.”

God help me. I wanted to strangle him.

“How are you not freaking out like me?”

“Because it’s only a ring.”

For him, maybe, but not for me.

He blew out a sigh and placed his hands on his hips. “Seriously, though. I think this once suits you.”

The band was delicate, but the severity of what it stood for made it seem heavier than it should have. I stared at the beautiful diamond, twisting it around my finger. This is the exact ring I would want if it were real. The only problem was that it wasn’t, and pretending would be harder than I thought. There was nothing harder than faking a relationship with the man I never stopped loving.

“Does it fit okay?” I looked up to find Brooks staring at me.

“It fits fine.”

His eyes flicked to me before dropping to the ring. My chest tightened with guilt. I knew what marriage meant to him. We used to talk about the future and how we would build a life together.

This was heartbreaking.

He cleared his throat. “Is that the one you want?”

I nodded, trying to blink away the sting in my eyes. “I love it, but should we at least look at a few more first?”

He stared down at the ring, like he was having a hard time looking away. “We can if you want, but I think that one looks perfect.”

I forced a smile.“I agree. Let’s go with this one.”

He narrowed his eyes, as if he could tell something was off. “What’s wrong? You look like you’re on the verge of crying.”

So many things. For a fleeting moment, I wanted to tell him that I couldn’t go through with it. Pretending would be too hard, but this was the only option.

I wanted my mother’s house. I wanted to be free of my father’s control.

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