Page 3 of Heart Thief

Slowly, I push my black hair aside and let my blue eyes travel up to his. I try to appear normal and fail miserably.

Realization slowly dawns on Ryker’s handsome face. His eyes widen. “Oh. You thought I was going to propose, didn’t you?”

I shrug away his perceptiveness. “It might’ve crossed my mind.” To my horror, my eyes well with tears.

He snakes his fingers through his brown hair. Very unlike him. “I’m so sorry, Mila.” He leans in closer, his eyes direct. He holds out both hands, open palms resting on the table, an invitation for me to join him. “Hear me out. Please.”

The subtle pleading in his voice makes me respond accordingly. Once again, our hands intertwine, his smooth skin warm against mine.

“I promise, this isn’t the tragic dinner where the girl is disappointed that the man didn’t propose.”

Could’ve fooled me.

“My thoughts are there too. We’re absolutely on the same page. I wanted to propose tonight. It was my plan. I’ve been debating over it for days now. In the end, I decided it wasn’t fair to you to propose and then leave for three months. What kind of an engagement is that? I felt like I would be sending you the message that I just wanted to stake my claim, as though I was reserving you for myself while I was gone. I can’t do that to you.”

Oh. Okay. There’s my smooth-talking man, spinning the situation enough to make me dizzy. I try to wipe the stunned expression off my face. That’s a logical explanation and yet such a strange way to look upon an engagement. Again, I’m not sure what to say, so I say nothing.

Ryker releases my hands, reaches into his pocket, and pulls out the ring box.

At least I was right about one thing.

He hesitates, gathering his thoughts. “This is for you, a promise ring of sorts. I wanted to make my intentions clear this evening. I see a future for us, Mila. As a matter of fact, I’m counting on it. But I think we should wait to make it official until after I return from my trip.” He maintains eye contact and grants me a tentative smile.

I’m a blank slate, still processing everything he said. I’m not being jilted. On the contrary. I’m being delayed, like a plane at an airport.

If you wait long enough, eventually every plane will arrive. I guess I need to wait a bit longer for my proposal.

I’m comforted by knowing I wasn’t totally wrong about us. I hate to think I could be that clueless.

Ryker slips the ring on my left ring finger, making it look like we’re engaged. The circle of diamonds catches the light and sparkles back at me.

Wow. Ryker never does anything by halves. I’m not sure I want to know how much he spent on it. This could be my actual wedding ring and I’d be thrilled. “It’s gorgeous, I love it. Thank you,” I whisper through a tight throat. I’m still reeling with emotions, my heart pounding painfully in my chest. For a moment, I thought I had given away my love foolishly.

“This is not the end, Mila. It’s the beginning, I promise. Please be happy.”

The beginning. The beginning. This is the beginning, I silently chant as I take a deep breath.

He’s right. This is just the beginning of our life together. I force a smile. “I am. This ring will always remind me of you while you’re gone.”

Will it also represent that he wasn’t sure about us? That he wasn’t quite ready to fully commit?

Even though it’s not what he’s saying, it’s the underlying message buried deep within a whole lot of sweet words.

I shake it off and remind myself to listen to his words and believe them. Don’t let my inner doubts speak for him and say what he’s not saying.

“You look beautiful this evening, Mila. Did I mention that already?” Ryker asks, interrupting my wandering thoughts.

“You did. Several times, in fact,” I say, trying to appear unfazed by the evening’s events.

“Would you like anything else or shall we go? I thought we could take a walk for a bit, enjoy the night air. It’s a beautiful evening.”

Oh. I thought we were done. I was ready to escape. In all truth, I’d like to go home, curl up in my softest pajamas, and eat lots and lots of chocolate. Obscene amounts. Instead, I maintain a polite veneer. “That sounds lovely, thank you. Let’s go.”

Someday, I’ll look back on this night and laugh at my naivety. But that day is not today.

For right now, it’s labeled in the files of my brain as the longest night of my life.

And it’s not over yet.

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