“You have all the family you need here, Mia. You’re my family.”
Chapter Fifty Two
Lucas
"Idon't know why you thought I'd be any help with this," Dante said.
"I'm asking myself the same thing," I muttered.
The entire day had been spent in Dante’s company, but where that wasn’t usually an issue because it involved work or a drink, this had been a painful trip that we had both suffered through and we weren’t done.
"I should have brought Lydia or Dom," I continued.
Dante looked offended. "Oi! It's not my fault you're being so picky."
“It needs to be perfect,” I told him seriously and he held his hands up in defense.
We walked into the store and took the elevator up to the designated floor. It had been like this all day, either men on their own or couples. Dante and I stuck out like sore thumbs and an incorrect assumption about our relationship status had been made on more than one occasion today.
A sales assistant came up to us and asked if we needed help. I took in a deep breath and said, "I'm looking for an engagement ring."
A little while later, the pair of us emerged back onto the street, having made the desired purchase, and meandered towards a bar.
"We spent the whole day and then two hours deciding between three rings. Never get engaged again, because I'm not doing this with you again. I should have just picked one out so that I can store it away when I'm ready to lose my mind," Dante complained.
I punched his arm. "I haven't lost my mind."
"I never thought I'd see it happen," Dante admitted to me.
Shrugging, I rubbed the back of my neck. "Is it really that surprising?"
Dante looked at me for a moment and shook his head. "Not with her. I think we all knew Mia was it for you. When are you planning to ask her?"
"Not sure," I said. "I don't have a plan. I just know I need to ask her."
"You think she's going to say yes?"
"You don't?" I asked, panic filling me inside. I knew there was the distinct possibility that Mia could decline the proposal. We had known each other for less than a year, dated for even less. Our history was not smooth and settled and was marred and mottled with arguments and misunderstandings, but this was all I could think of. Especially after she came home from seeing Hector.
That pathetic excuse for a life had given her an ultimatum, and regardless of the fact that I was ecstatic that she had chosen me, I couldn’t understand how he thought it was okay to do that to her. My heart had broken when my soft hearted princess was inconsolable at the fact she had no family left. That was what had strengthened my resolve. Mia felt she had no family, and I would prove to her that she could have one with me. All she had to do was accept.
Dante smirked. "You're a lot to handle."
"I swear to God if you weren't my brother..."
"I'm just saying, do you think she'll want this without Hector?"
I bristled at the name. If I had it my way, I would have visited Hector just to knock some sense into him, but I knew Mia would never forgive me for that.
"If she agrees, she'll still have time to patch things up with him," I told Dante. My preference would be to keep him as far away from Mia as possible so he didn’t do any more damage but that wasn’t my decision to make.
"Ifshe agrees then she's as certifiable as you are," Dante said, shooting me a grin before he dove into the bar.
Chapter Fifty Three
Stefan
Ihad dragged myself out to a coffee shop to do some studying. The tiny apartment that I had moved into was damp, with the worst lighting, and made it difficult to do anything. Everything had been more difficult since Luc had broken my wrist and my jaw had been wired shut. Winter break hadn't exactly gone how I would have liked.
