“Why is your hair wet?”
Ari snorted. “He had to take a shower…”
Jason’s cheeks turned pink. “He peed in my face… And then again on my shirt.”
“I took over after the bomb disposal unit was finished.” Ari smiled.
Anna and I both cracked up.
“I’m sorry, that is not funny,” I said. “Really, I’m so sorry.”
He waved me off. “It’s not a big deal. He’s a baby. It happens.”
Ari and Anna exchanged a look, like they were thinking about the little one Anna was carrying. The fun they were going to have. Talk about two people in love. That baby was going to be so doted on.
“Okay, back to wedding planning.” Anna gave Jason and Ari pointed looks. She used her pen to point at Jason. “You have a plan for the engagement ring?”
Jason’s expression shifted, becoming more thoughtful. “Yeah, I’ve got one.”
“You do?” I asked. Something in his tone made me study his face more carefully.
He was quiet for a moment, his hand still moving in gentle circles on Elias’s back. When he looked up, there was something almost vulnerable in his eyes. “Yeah… but I need to do this right.” He handed Elias over to Ari. “Mind if I borrow her?” he asked his sister.
Anna’s grin could have powered the entire house. “Not at all.”
“Come on…” He took my hand, and I could feel the slight tension in his fingers. We walked from the dining room to the French doors and outside. The late afternoon air was crisp, carrying the scent of spring approaching.
We walked past the patio, over to the left, where a vine had engulfed a fence that was taller than I was. Jason opened the gate with hands that weren’t quite steady.
“It’s a koi pond!”
“Yeah, it’s listed as a feature.”
We stepped inside the small enclosed garden. “It’s like something out of a book. It’s incredible.” The space was intimate, surrounded by climbing roses and ivy, with a small stone bench beside the pond where lazy orange fish moved beneath lily pads. The water bill for this green, lush spot had to rival the pool.
When I turned back to him, Jason was reaching into his pants pocket, his jaw working like he was wrestling with something. “Cora, before I…” He stopped, looked down at his hands, then back at me. “This isn’t going to be some casual thing we throw together. Not if we want people to believe it’s real.”
My heart started beating faster. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, when people ask how I proposed, when they want to see your ring, when they watch us together…” He pulled out a small, worn velvet box. “If we’re going to do this, we’re going to do it right.”
When I saw him drop to one knee, my breath caught.
“This was my great-grandmother’s ring.” He paused.
The box opened with a soft click, revealing a ring that made my chest tighten. It wasn’t huge or flashy. It was simple and perfect. A round solitaire diamond, maybe a carat, set in what looked like white gold or platinum. The band had delicate engraving along the sides, tiny flowers, and vines that spoke of another era. It was the kind of ring that had been chosen with love, worn with pride, passed down because it meant something.
I shook my head, taking a step back. “No, I can’t…”
“Yes, you can.”
I caught my bottom lip in my teeth, staring at the ring. This wasn’t some placeholder piece of jewelry from a department store. This was family. History. “But… Jason, this was hers. This should go to someone you actually…” I gestured helplessly between us. “I thought we’d just buy something temporary. Something generic.”
“And when the baker asks to see your ring? When the florist wants to hear our story? When someone from the court asks how we knew we wanted to spend our lives together?” His voice was gentle but firm. “What were you going to say?”
My bottom lip trembled. I hadn’t thought of any of that, but he had. He’d considered every angle, every detail that would make or break our story. “You’ve thought of everything.”
“We’re going to make this look authentic because it has to be. For Elias.” He took a breath, and I could see the moment he made his decision. “If we were really getting married, this is the ring I’d give you. This is the proposal you’d deserve.”
