“I’m just here to collect the rings,” he says.
“Oh. Right.”
I step back into the room and grab the ring box from Kate’s bridal bag and come back to hand it to him. I can’t bring myself to look into his eyes this time out of fear that I’ll pull him into the nearest private space and ruin my hair and makeup, both of which were wildly expensive to accommodate. Reid’s fingers brush mine as he grabs the boxes and the burning on my skin has me calculating how long it’ll take to redo my makeup.
It feels worth it right now, if I’m being honest.
I finally risk a glance at his handsome face and die a little inside at the amused smile on his lips. “Thanks,” he murmurs, tucking the ring box in his lapel pocket. I can only muster a small nod. “Oh, and I have something for you.”
“For me?” I ask.
“Shouldn’t you have something for me?” Kate calls behind us. “It’smywedding day.”
I’m only seventy-five percent sure she’s kidding. I crack a smile. Reid rolls his eyes, but digs in his other pocket before producing a black velvet box. I eye it suspiciously.
“This is for me? Why?”
“Yeah, it’s notherwedding day,” Kate calls again.
“For God’s sake,” he whispers under his breath. “Next time, Kate.” Reid grabs my hand and guides me out the door to the front porch. The sun is shining down on the sparkling water and I suck in a massive breath of fresh air to ground myself in his presence. There’s just something about this man that makes me giddy and happy and calm. I never want that feeling to end.
So I draw in another breath, memorizing the way the sun feels on my face and the birds chirping in the distance and the way he looks in his suit with the behind him.
“Okay, now I can give you your gift.”
“You didn’t want an audience for this?”
“Not particularly.”
“If you’re trying to propose, Kate will kill you.”
“Maybe at her second wedding,” he deadpans. I swat him in the arm, and he just tips his head back and laughs, the sound low and deep and it’s enough to have me smiling too. He opens the box and pulls out a necklace with a pale blue sparkling pendant in the shape of a four-leaf clover.
“Reid, this is stunning.”
“Not nearly as stunning as you.”
“It looks crazy expensive.” I look up at him. He shrugs. “I can’t?—“
He doesn’t wait for me to try and decline an expensive piece of jewelry. He’s already stepping closer, placing the necklace out of the box, and reaching strong arms around me to clasp the necklace around my throat as his eyes bore into mine.A flurry of emotions lodge in my throat and an endless flutter encapsulates my heart.
When he’s finished, he drops a hand, his other brushing my blonde hair out of my face.
“Beautiful.”
My fingers pinch the stone. “Reid, I can’t accept this.”
“Sorry, I can’t return it and it would look awful with my tux.”
I sputter a laugh. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Say you’ll keep it. As a memento of our time together here. As a reminder of how spectacular I am.” I laugh again. His smile switches from teasing to serious. “And a reminder of how much I love you.”
I swallow hard, trying to find the words to say, but he continues on before I can say anything.
“I love you so much it hurts. The idea of leaving here and not seeing you again to fight over desserts or registries that aren’t ours breaks me. I want to see you again and again and again. Every day. I want to hear your laugh and make you dinner and eat all the cake you bake. I want to buy you expensive things that aren’t nearly as beautiful as you, but are pretty damn close. I want to stand up for you when you’re not able to stand up for yourself. And I want to make sure you’re always smiling and happy. I want to love you every day for as long as you’ll let me.”
I rise up on my toes, my fingers sliding into his dark hair and pulling his lips to mine. “Every day,” I murmur against his smiling lips. “I’ll love you every day, too.”
