But perhaps the biggest surprise of all was the discovery that he cared about her way more than she’d realized.
Yes, they had fun together and she adored him too, but she honestly hadn’t expected anything like this. She certainly hadn’t expected anything like that ring. The beautifully cut diamond was stunning and, from Tiffany’s, had clearly cost him a fortune. Who would have thought it?
Everything happened for a reason though, she told herself, so perhaps finding the box was exactly what she needed to allay any misgivings she might have had about their relationship.
This man was unpredictable in more ways than one.
She eyed the shopping bags in the corner of the room, thinking that she just had to have another look. To think that this was actually going to be hers for the rest of her life!
Rachel was giddy. Opening the box once again, she was startled afresh by what she saw. The ring was utterly stunning and the diamond itself looked so much bigger in daylight and indeed even without the cozy filter of a wine buzz.
Again, she was faintly shocked that Gary had spent so much on a blingtastic ring when he had never even alluded to marriage. Or that he loved her even.
Strange too when, on the flight over, he’d been complaining about how much he was going to have to spend on fixing something wrong with his bike. While he could never have been described as generous, she’d noticed he’d been particularly careful with money over the last while, and now she understood why.
Clearly the bike thing had been just a ruse and merely went to prove how much he really cared. Her ring was even more important than the Ducati. She shook her head fondly.
One thing you could say about Gary was that he wasalwaysfull of surprises. But this had to be the biggest,bestsurprise of all.
It then occurred to Rachel that she really should rewrap the box at some stage so that he wouldn’t notice anything untoward when he got back, but then she decided it could wait.
Her first priority was getting to the hospital to spend at least part of Christmas morning with her future husband, so stashing the box back in the bag, she showered and put on some makeup, jeans, and a sweater before bundling up and heading out to hail a cab. She could pick up something for breakfast at the hospital.
During the cab ride to the hospital this time, she was only too happy to ramble away to the driver, a chatty man whose passenger seat was littered with gyro wrappers.
A little while later, she reached the hospital, and going up to Gary’s floor, she approached the nurse’s station.
“Hi there, Merry Christmas,” she greeted happily. “I’m here to see Gary Knowles in room 303. How is he?”
“Merry Christmas to you too. Go ahead on in. He’s fine and resting well,” the nurse on duty said in what Rachel recognized as a thick New Jersey accent. “He’s a fidgety one, though. I’m guessing it’s the meds, but he’s been talking in his sleep off and on all morning. Something about a Ducati?”
Rachel smiled apologetically. “Yes, he’s a bit of a motorbike enthusiast. Sorry, I’m sure there are things you’d rather be doing this morning than listening to his ramblings.”
“Oh, don’t worry about it.” The nurse chuckled, waving an arm. “It’s kind of ironic you know. My husband has a Ducati too, and if I didn’t know better, I’d ask if your guy’s injuries were from riding. Al, my husband, slipped on black ice two weeks ago and had rib problems similar to your husband’s.”
“Oh, he’s not my—” Rachel caught herself before she uttered the wordhusband. But the very mention of the word sent fresh flutters through her stomach. “I mean, we’re engaged but no, he got hurt in an accident. His first time in New York and he gets hit by a yellow cab,” she added with an ironic half smile. “I’m sorry to hear about yours though.”
“Oh no, he’s fine. Couldn’t keep him off the bike if I tried. Honestly, I think if he had to choose between me and that, I’d probably be a single woman by now.” The nurse laughed good-naturedly. “Well, I won’t hold you up. You have a nice visit.”
“Thank you…Kim,” Rachel said, reading her name tag. “I’m Rachel, and maybe I’ll see you on my way out.”
“Sure.”
Then catching sight of Gary in his room, her joy suddenly gave way to a potent dose of reality.
He looked even worse than he had the night before. One side of his face was swollen, scraped, and black-and-blue, and he was hooked up to an IV. He looked so still and pitiful that she felt her stomach lurch, and she swallowed hard as she sat in the chair next to his bed.
Racked with guilt, she berated herself for being so carefree when her poor fiancé was lying here in agony. Then, telling herself he probably looked much worse than the extent of his injuries, she leaned over and kissed him tenderly on the forehead.
As Gary batted his eyes open, her vision blurred a bit through her tears. This was all so strange, she thought.
Did this man who spent most weekends riding with his bike club and who was getting ready for a three-week European tour next spring really want to marry her?
What if his injurieshadbeen from riding? How would she feel then? Or what if—
She stopped thinking and rebuked herself for being negative, especially when she was usually so good at focusing on the positive.
“Morning, honey,” she whispered when Gary moaned again. “Merry Christmas.”
