"There. I have the earrings to match, but I'm not going to put those in your ears. I'd end up hurting you."
I asked, "Can I open my eyes?"
"Nope."
I laughed again. "Hurry up. I'm getting dizzy."
I wasn't but I was dying of curiosity.
He took the box from my palm, flipped my hand over, and slid a ring on the fourth finger of my left hand. "There. Fits perfectly. Now, you can open your eyes."
The first thing I did was look down at my left hand.
I gasped and stared at the sparkling diamond engagement ring on my finger. "Jay, I—" I slammed my mouth shut and glared up at him. "That was a sneaky thing to do."
He grinned down at me, clearly pleased that I'd almost forgotten about our deal. It was the same mischievous grin he wore when he was in high school.
And I was just as susceptible to it now as I had been back then.
"It's beautiful. Thank you," I said quietly. I stared down at the ring, dazzled by the vintage setting. The white gold ring was studded with tiny diamonds and filigree in the shape of a flower. In the center was a sparkling diamond much bigger than I expected, not that I'd been expecting it at all. It was gorgeous. Perfect. The kind of ring I dreamed of when I thought about getting married.
Yet it felt like a lie and it made me want to cry.
Still beaming, he helped me up off the bed and took another larger jewelry box from his pocket, one that was big enough for a necklace and earring set.
He pulled me over to the full-length mirror and I was almost afraid to look. But I did.
A pendant hung from my neck, a pretty constellation of tiny pink freshwater pearls and diamonds. I reached up and touched the delicate piece with one finger. "I love it," I said finally.
"Your mom said it would go perfectly with your dress and she was right."
"Mom saw this?" I asked.
He nodded and opened the box in his hand, turning it so I could see the matching earrings on grey velvet. "She helped me pick them both out."
They were the same style as the pendant, but on a smaller scale, and exactly something I would've picked out for myself. Just like the necklace and the ring.
Mom definitely would have noticed that and made a mental note. The fact that he picked something I would have chosen would seem like a good sign to her.
I hoped she was right.
There was a knock on my bedroom door.
"We have to be at the courthouse in thirty minutes," my mother called.
J.J. handed me the box. "Please put these on."
I took the box and said, "I'll do that while you sign the prenup."
He glanced at the envelope on the bed. "I guess a deal's a deal."
A few minutes later, both of our tasks were done and we looked at each other from across my bedroom.
"Ready to get married?" he asked.
This time, I didn't hesitate to answer, "Yes."
11
