But shouldn’t she? Two years ago Thomas dated someone else.
“It’s not a big deal. Honestly.” She looked toward Thomas, who’d gotten up to demonstrate a football move to the lads. “I mean, the man is gorgeous, right? With a great career and future. Who cares if he bought the ring two years ago?”
Ella joined the debate. “Two years ago he was dating Sorcha Davenport.”
“Was he?” Blinky gulped her cocoa. “Hey, how about that time I ended up headfirst in a snowbank? What a sight.”
“Thomas?” Daffy’s tone stopped his demonstration. “Did you give me Sorcha’s ring?”
“What?” He shot a glance at Blinky which told her everything. “Who said anything about Sorcha?”
“Me. My big mouth. I’m so sorry.” Blinky reached for Daffy. “Oh, I forgot this part. She never saw it. She broke off with him before he could propose. Right, Thomas?”
Blinky thought she was digging herself out of the hole, but she was only going deeper and dragging Thomas down with her.
“Thomas?” Daffy pulled away from Blinky’s grasp.
“Daff, love… Blink, move aside.” He shoved in next to Daffy. “Leslie Ann, do you mind? Yes, Ihavehad the ring for a while. But I—”
From the back of the sofa, Ella hovered between them. “Ella—you’ll be my sister one day, but I don’t need your nose in the situation right now.”
“A while?” Daffy stiffened at Thomas’s touch. “How long? Two years?”
“Something like that, yes.” Thomas made a nervous reach for a bag of crisps from the bowl on the table. When he tore it open, fried potatoes flew in the air. “She never saw it. Never knew I had it.” He bent to pick up the scattered crisps.
Rick’s low whistle underlined the conversation. “Mate, what were you thinking?”
Daffy closed her eyes. Inhaled. Exhaled. “Why didn’t you return it or sell it?”
“I told you Sorcha never saw it. Why dispose of a perfectly good ring when I didn’t have to?” He held up Daffy’s hand. “Darling, the ring is you. Perfect.”
She pulled her hand away. Yes, the diamond, the setting were beautiful. But was she wrong to want him to be thinking of her when he’d selected it?
Most of her life she’d been ordinary. Average. Good at sports, but not great. Good in school, but not excellent. She had to work really hard for her high marks. Not the prettiest girl in the room but she could hold her own.
While her parents and family loved her, and she had a lot of stellar friends, her marriage proposal was to be special. About her. In that moment, she should be more than ordinary. She should be the girl who consumed her man’s thoughts. The one he serenaded under a proverbial ivy-covered trellis. She didn’t need fame or fortune, she just needed to be one man’s chosen. His favorite. The girl he couldn’t do without.
“I need to go.” Daffy shrugged off Thomas’s touch.
“Love, wait. Where are you going?” His hand slipped down her arm.
“Daffy, darling, don’t blame him. This was my blunder.” Blink pulled her around and, gripping her arms, pressed her forehead against Daffy’s. “I wasn’t thinking.”
“But now I must.” She wanted to escape the lounge, the watchful eyes, wanting nothing more than to end the three-way conversation with Thomas and Blinky. She needed to breathe.
“Daffy.” Thomas refused to let her go, standing between her and her exit to the door. “Maybe I should’ve purchased a new ring.”
“You can say that again.” Thank you, Leslie Ann.
“But you, and only you, were on my mind when I proposed. I didn’t think of Sorcha at all.” He wagged his finger at Blink. “What do you mean outing me?”
Ella swatted at him. “What kind of man gives his girl a ring he bought for someone else?”
“If you must know, the ring was darned expensive. I couldn’t return it and I didn’t want to sell it. I’d lose a quarter or more of the value.” Thomas’s repentant countenance turned to one of defense. “What’s the quarrel here? Albert, help me out. You’re a shrink.”
“You are on your own, mate. Daffy, I’m available to talk.”
Thomas flared to his defense, a growl in his voice. “If she talks to anyone, it should be me.”
