"Wonderful. Let me show you our bridal sets—the engagement-style ring pairs with a matching wedding band."
I must have made a face because Quentin squeezed my hand.
"What style draws your eye?" the jeweler asked gently.
The kind that doesn't make me feel like I'm playing dress-up in someone else's life.
"I don't know. What says 'we got married at the courthouse yesterday but now we need rings so people believe we actually planned this'?"
The jeweler's expression didn't flicker. Clearly not the weirdest thing he'd heard.
Quentin coughed to cover a laugh. "Maybe we just start with what you think is pretty?"
My gaze drifted to a ring in the center. Elegant, classic, not trying too hard. A round diamond that caught the light without screaming for attention, with a delicate matching band.
"That one," I said, then immediately panicked. "But maybe something bigger? What would Carlo expect? He knows me. He'd know if I picked something too small. Or too big. Or too—"
"Julia." Quentin's hand covered mine. "What do you like?"
"That one," I whispered. "But—"
"Then that one." He nodded to the jeweler. "We'd like to see it."
The jeweler handed it to Quentin with a knowing smile. "Many of our couples have courthouse ceremonies before their larger celebrations. You're in good company."
If only that were the whole story.
Quentin turned to me, taking my left hand—the one that was bare since I’d given Serenity’s ring back to her. His thumb traced circles on my palm.
"May I?"
My heart did something acrobatic and possibly medically concerning.
I nodded, not trusting my voice.
He slid the diamond ring onto my finger.
Perfect fit.
Of course it was.Because apparently the universe had a sick sense of humor.
"How does it feel?" Quentin asked, his voice doing that soft thing that made my knees unreliable.
Like yesterday was real. Like this is real. Like I'm in way over my head.
"Heavy," I managed. "I mean, not heavy-heavy. Just... weighted. Yesterday was so fast. This makes it feel..."
"Real?"
"Terrifyingly real."
Quentin's smile was crooked, amused, unbearably attractive. "We are legally married, Julia. It doesn't get more real than that."
"Our legally strategic marriage," I corrected automatically.
"Right. Legally strategic." But his eyes said something different.
The jeweler cleared his throat delicately. "It suits you beautifully. Now, shall we look at the matching wedding band? And something for the groom?"
