My eyes grow wide as the diamond sparkles in thesetting sun. “It’s beautiful,” I whisper, getting choked up.
Oliver doesn’t look like the type of man who could pick out something so pretty on his own. He looks like a solitaire guy. Something classic.
“Zoey helped me,” he says, like he’s reading my thoughts.
“She kept this a secret?” I ask, shocked because no one in my family can keep their mouth closed, and Zoey is sometimes the worst offender.
He pulls the ring from the box, holding it out for me. “She did. You like it?”
“Stunning.” The diamond is a princess cut and has to be at least a carat. It’s almost too big for my finger, but I’ll wear the shit out of it. Not because it’s obscenely big, but because it represents something I thought I’d never have…a forever.
“Someone looks happy,”Aunt Izzy says as we walk into Inked, having booked a late-night tattoo session before we got to Florida.
“You’re here late,” I tell her, glancing around.
“I just stopped in to drop some things off to the kids.”
I smile when she says kids. Her kids are grown and have their own, but I guess that’s part of being a parent—your kids never really grow up to you.
I hold out my hand, showing off the flashy ring Oliver got me.
Izzy’s eyes widen as soon as her gaze homes in on the bling. She reaches out, taking my hand to pull it closer to her face. “Oh my God, Lulu. Congrats, kid. And good job, Oliver.”
“Thanks,” Oliver says from behind me, standing so close I can feel his body heat that’s only exacerbated from all the sunbathing today.
“I can’t wait to come up to Chicago for the wedding.”
“Oh God,” I breathe, suddenly hit with the realization that we were going to have a big wedding. I like attention, but I’m not sure I can handle that many people at one time.
“Don’t worry,” Aunt Izzy says, giving my hand a squeeze. “Weddings are more fun than you think they’ll be.”
“Maybe we’ll have it here on the beach,” I tell her, turning to see Oliver’s face to get his reaction.
“Whatever you want, sweetheart.”
“Smart man,” Aunt Izzy says, giving Oliver a smile. “You two tattooing your names on each other?”
“Oh, hell no,” I tell her.
She laughs. “Good. Don’t do that. Not ever. Got it?”
I nod. “Do people still do that?”
“Yep, but at least they’re repeat customers when they come back for a cover-up.”
“Hey. Hey. Sorry. I was cleaning up and prepping things for you two,” Gigi, my cousin and another kickass chick, says as she walks out from the back area.
“I’m out,” Aunt Izzy says. “James is waiting for me, and the man isn’t patient anymore.”
Gigi brushes her hair over her shoulder, always looking beautiful. I don’t know how she does it. By this time of night, I resemble a train wreck, while she looks like she walked off the set of a photo shoot for a tattoo magazine. “Was he ever patient?”
“No,” Aunt Izzy says as she grabs her purse and moves toward the door. “But his punishments have gotten more creative.”
Gigi holds up a hand. “We don’t want to know.”
Izzy laughs as she pushes open the door and disappears into the darkness.
“Punishments?” I ask my cousin.
