He nodded toward the house. “Got cold beers in the fridge. Go in. Help yourself. Give me a second to clean up.”
Shane opened the screen door to a sunroom at the back of the house, built off the kitchen. Fans spun fast over outdoor chairs, tables, and a couch. He went inside, grabbed two beers from the fridge, and came back out. Ben had taken off his blacksmith’s apron and put on a shirt. They sat down across from each other, a coffee table between them, and sipped their beers while Ben cooled off.
Finally Ben said, “So. Tell me why you’re here.” He rubbed the cold bottle along the back of his neck.
Shane exhaled slowly. “It’s time. I want you to make our rings.”
Ben didn’t react big — he just blinked once, steady. “Okay,” he said, like Shane had told him the forecast. “When do you want them?”
“Before the hearing in ten days. Vince is still missing. We’re preparing for every eventuality, but—” He stopped, jaw clenching. “I want her to walk into that courtroom wearing my ring. I want Kevin to know he’s not going to lose us. And I want that asshole to understand he’s already lost.” Shane waited for Ben to tell him no, he needed more time.
Ben nodded once. “Done, brother.”
“Jesus. Thank you, Moose.”
Ben picked up a sketchbook from the table and flipped it open then reached for a pencil. “Tell me when you knew.”
Shane’s laugh came quiet, almost embarrassed. “High school.”
The corner of Ben’s mouth quirked up. “Obviously. But when recently?”
Shane leaned back in the chair. “Eldorado Canyon. Mid-May, right before Kevin got outta school.”
Ben’s pencil scratched — faint, rhythmic. He didn’t hurry him.
"I'd asked April the night before if she'd consider giving me a second chance. She said she'd give me her answer after the hike. It was a beautiful day. Kevin's curiosity was dialed up to eleven, asking questions every three steps.” The memory tightened his chest. “We stopped for a picnic.” He traced a lazy circle on the armrest with his fingertip. “A thunderstorm rolled in faster than we expected. We left ahead of it but it caught up to us. We took shelter at my house. Everything felt so right. The whole day, having them in my home, all of it.”
“That’s when?” Ben asked quietly.
“That’s when.” Shane cleared his throat. “She said yes to the second chance that night. And since then, I’ve done everything in my power to make damn sure she never regrets it.”
Ben sketched for another minute, then his pencil slowed. He finished, set down the pencil and turned the page toward Shane.
“Dude, that’s… Perfection.”
Ben chuckled. He tapped the first ring sketch. Specifically, the grain rippling like river currents and canyon striations. Along the outer edge, topographic lines of Eldorado Canyon, rising and falling like breath.
“Damascus steel. Those lines will be made by the folds in the metal.” His finger ran along the lines. “A river for Riversong. A gold interior band—light held safe inside strength.”
Then he tapped the second drawing. “White gold. Thin inlay of Damascus.” He looked up at Shane, then pointed to the outer surface. “Silhouette of Eldorado engraved here. Clouds and a lightning bolt for the storm you survived that day, and the one you’ll survive now, understand?”
Shane nodded slowly, gazing at the drawing.
When placed side by side, the mountain lines of his ring would align with the river lines of hers, forming one continuous landscape. Home.
Together, two rings whose designs echoed and completed each other.
Shane didn’t speak for a long moment. His hand came up, thumb pressing along the edge of the page like he could feel the metal under paper.
“That’s it,” he said. “That’s us.”
Ben nodded once. “She’s going to cry.”
Shane let out a breath that might have been a laugh. He scrubbed a hand over his jaw. “Yeah. So will I.”
“Remember when we used to play in that canyon?” Ben asked.
Shane looked up with a grin. “Yeah, I do.”
