Page 22 of Marry Me, Right Now

“I’m sorry, but this is going to be a ludicrous amount of money. A four-carat diamond? That’s something you’d give to a princess. I... I can’t feel like you own me,” she blurted.

I blinked hard, trying to examine her expression. “Oh. Okay.” I slipped an arm around her, whispering, “Just look like a nervous bride.” That at least caused her to give me a little smile.

“Listen,” I said quietly, “My family has always been into the huge statement rings. All of that crap about the bigger the diamond, the bigger the love. Even though it usually means the bigger the divorce. How about you honestly tell me what you like, and we’ll start there?”

Her gorgeous warm brown eyes were desperately blinking back tears. “You’ll be okay with that? I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be difficult. It’s just that... This isn’t how I imagined picking a wedding ring, you know?”

“You’re going to be wearing this for a year. It’s important that you like it, and that it makes you happy.” She nodded slowly. “What if you think of it as a symbol of our friendship? It’s going to be a weird year, and we’re going to have some ups and downs, but this arrangement is going to help both of us. So if we end up close friends, and have some adventures along the way, that can only be good, right?”

Mia nodded again. “Okay. A friendship ring. I like that.”

“Okay. Let’s look at everything in the store, and you holler when something makes you happy.” I nodded to the saleslady, who stepped back, looking like she had seen it all before.

“Let’s start with the basics,” I said, as if I knew anything about ladies jewelry. “It’s a band with a rock in it. Do you like fancy bands like that one with all of the swirls?”

“Engraving,” she said. Her shoulders dropped a little. “I’d prefer something simple, I think. Classic.”

“What color of metal?”

She scanned the display cases as we slowly walked by. “I don’t like yellow gold. It looks weird on my skin.” We walked along, staring at row upon row of bright white diamonds, then along to the next case.

Mia suddenly made a strange involuntary noise and clapped her hand over her mouth. I had to follow her line of vision, thinking she might be upset, but then I realized that her eyes were wide and smiling. Her finger directed me to a pink diamond, in a simple band.

The saleslady was there in a flash. “Would you like to try that one on, dear?” Mia’s chin was nearly trembling as she nodded, and her hand fluttered as the woman slipped it on her finger. “Well, dear, we won’t even need to size that for you. It fits like a dream.”

I’d hadn’t yet seen Mia turn into a breathless little girl, and it was positively adorable. She was all fluttery, as if she were about to float away from the forces of absolute glee. I could barely look at the ring, her eyes were blazing so ferociously.

“This two-point-nine-carat diamond is classed as Fancy Intense Pink,” Vera said, more to me than Mia. “It’s a 3PR on the color scale, in a stylish cushion cut, set in rose gold.” She smiled like a proud mother. “That looks so cute on her slim hand, don’t you think?”

Mia held her hand up so that I could take a critical look. “It doesn’t sit as high as some of the other ones, so it’s actually really comfortable. Is it too big?”

“I don’t think so. Anything that makes you smile like that is great with me.”

She looked relieved. “I like the pink stone. It’s less fancy, less formal, you know? I know that white diamonds are super expensive, so this is likely a lot less.”

Vera shot me a warning look, and I gave her a wink, nodding subtly that we were not to correct Mia. After picking out matching wedding bands, she reluctantly took the ring off, handing it to Vera, who nestled it into a fancy box.

“Sweetie, did you see the bookstore across the street, and a few doors east?” I asked. She nodded. “Why don’t you go look around for some wedding magazines, or books that might help with the planning? I’ll do the boring paperwork and meet you there in a bit?”

She nodded, turning to leave, then spun back to give me a little kiss on the cheek. “I’m sorry I was rattled.”

Wrapping my arms around her in a hug, I whispered in her ear, “You’re going to have to get used to letting me buy you things. This is a great start.” She snuggled against me for a second, just long enough to make my heart pick up speed.

I gave her a kiss on the forehead before she ran off. Vera was pulling out paperwork and spreading it across the counter.

“Sir, you’re aware that pink diamonds are about twenty times the cost of white?”

“From your expression, I assumed they must be higher.”

“We have an excellent financing program, if you’d like–”

“Not necessary,” I said, pulling out my black credit card.

She glanced at my name, then back up to me suddenly with a peculiar expression. “Of course, Mr. Stoneburrowes. I’ll ring these up for you.”

When I met up with Mia in the bookstore, she had an armful of wedding magazines, and a huge gold-covered textbook. Her face fell when she saw that my hands were empty. “You didn’t get it?”

“Yes, but they have to run paperwork and polish it and all sorts of junk. I’m going to pick it up in a few days,” I said, taking the heavy book from her. “Let me carry this.” I glanced at the cover. “Art history?”

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