“An engagement ring,” Asher said, his eyes still locked on Nat’s. “We’re gettin’ married.”
And for no good goddamn reason, her stomach flipped.
“Oh my! Howwonderful!” Claudette beamed and bent down to June. “Are you gonna be the flower girl at your momma and daddy’s wedding?”
June shook her head, barely sparing the woman a glance. “They’re not my momma and daddy.”
Claudette glanced up, her brows pinched. “They’re—”
“I’m her uncle,” Asher corrected with a tight smile.
Without thinking, Nat reached for his hand and interlaced their fingers, giving it a gentle squeeze. Just to let him know she was here. That he wasn’t going through this alone.
“Of course,” Claudette said, her smile back in full force. “Well, I’m not sure if we’d have anything flashy enough for what y’all’re probably lookin’ for—”
“Oh, we’re not lookin’ for anything like that.” Nat reached for June on the little girl’s next trip around them and pulled her to a stop at her side.
“No? You have something specific in mind?”
“Not really. Just figure I’ll know it when I see it.” Nat squatted to be eye level with June. “Wanna help me look for a ring in all the pretty jewelry?”
“Can I get something too?” June asked, her eyes bright with excitement.
Nat smiled at her before glancing up toward Asher. To June, she said, “You’ll have to sweet-talk your uncle, but it’s probably not out of the realm of possibility.”
Asher just rolled his eyes and tugged on her hand still encased in his, yanking her upright. “Let’s see if Nat can find something first.”
“We get a lot of costume jewelry in here.” Claudette stepped behind the jewelry counter, keys jangling as she unlocked the case. “I don’t much guess you’d be interested in those. Oh! We did have…” She scanned the case, gasping when her eyes landed on something. “Ah, yes, here it is. Just came in last week from an estate.”
She pulled the ring from the velvet encasement and held it toward Nat. It wasn’t a typical engagement ring—no diamonds to be found anywhere. It was simple but not dainty. Stylish but not flashy.
“I believe it’s an aquamarine,” Claudette said.
Nat’s birthstone. The emerald cut pale-blue stone sat atop a silver band with filigree swirls framing the center piece and trailing down each side. She hadn’t thought much about what it’d feel like to find the perfect ring. Hadn’t thought about it at all, ever, actually. She didn’t know her breath would catch or that goose bumps would erupt over her skin. She didn’t know she’d have this bone-deep certainty that it was the one, yet she couldn’t deny all those things were true.
Before she could open her mouth to respond, to ask to try it on or to see what Asher thought, to check the price and make sure it wasn’t outrageous, Asher cleared his throat. She peeled her eyes away from the ring and to him, their eyes connecting immediately.
Without breaking her gaze, he said, “We’ll take it.”
Asher couldn’t get over how Nat had looked when Claudette had pulled out the ring that now sat on Nat’s left hand, having been a perfect fit. The one she kept staring down at as he snuck peeks at her out of the corner of his eye. The one that had made her eyes light up like a Christmas tree—something Nat didn’t do often, unless she was talking about some adrenaline-fueled adventure. Like jumping out of an airplane or rappelling down a mountain or otherwise threatening her life. Not for something as simple as a piece of jewelry.
Because of that, there hadn’t been a single question whether or not that was the one. And, because of that, he’d bought it without hesitation.
“It’s probably not gonna disappear,” Asher said, reaching over and squeezing Nat’s thigh.
She snapped her head toward him, as if she’d been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. “I never—”
Before she could finish her sentence, June gasped from the back seat. “Our jewelry ismagic?”
Asher glanced at his niece in the rearview mirror. She held up the truly hideous necklace she’d picked out, brought it as close to her eyes as physically possible, and inspected each gaudy bauble on it.
“Not sure,” Nat said. “We should probably run some tests when we get home.”
“What kind of tests?” June asked, awe heavy in her tone.
Nat glanced back at her and shrugged. “I don’t know. Do you have any ideas?”
June nodded enthusiastically. “We could wear them and jump off the bed to see if we can fly!”
