Page 49 of My Real Love Affair

“I think you’ve lost your goddamn mind.”

“The emerald cut then. Good choice.” I flagged down the sales associate, a woman in her fifties who’d been hoveringnearby since we walked in. She probably recognized the Bancroft name when I introduced myself. Or maybe she just smelled money. Either way, she materialized instantly.

“Yes, Mr. Bancroft?”

“Can I see this one?” I pointed at a platinum band with an emerald-cut diamond that had to be at least three carats. “And maybe a few others in this style.”

“Of course.” She pulled out a velvet tray and started selecting rings. “Are we shopping for someone special?”

“Very special,” I said, because the phones were still recording and I needed this to be convincing. “Met her at a wedding. Swept me right off my feet.”

Rodney made a choking sound beside me.

The associate smiled indulgently. “How romantic. And what’s her style? Classic? Modern? Vintage?”

I thought about Melody. The way she dressed. Her aesthetic. “Timeless. Elegant. But with personality. She doesn’t follow trends. She sets them.”

“Wonderful. I have some pieces I think she’d love.” The associate disappeared into the back, leaving Rodney and me alone with the display cases and the covert filming.

“You’re not actually going to marry this girl, are you?” Rodney hissed the moment she was out of earshot.

I shrugged, keeping my expression neutral. “Why not?”

“Why not?” His voice pitched up. “Austin, you’ve known her for like five minutes!”

“When you know, you know.”

“That’s bullshit and you know it. Nobody falls in love in two days.”

“Maybe I’m the romantic type. I’ve just been looking for the right one. I found her.”

“You’re the ‘sleep with a different model every weekend’ type. You don’t do the marriage thing.” Rodney was really workinghimself up now. “Do you have any idea what you’re signing up for? Marriage is a scam, man. A complete and utter scam.”

“Is this going somewhere?”

“Everyone I know is divorced. Multiple times. My dad? Three divorces. Each one cost him millions. My uncle? Four divorces. Bank account completely emptied. My cousin just went through his second divorce last year. His ex-wife took the house, the boat, and half his business.”

“Your family sounds delightful.”

“I’m serious! Marriage destroys men. Families get torn apart. Kids get caught in the middle. And the ex-wives?” He was really on a roll now. “They take their spousal support and immediately get new boobs, a Brazilian butt lift, or whatever the fuck they want, while you’re bleeding money.”

“Rodney, chill?—”

“Why would you want to sign yourself up for that? You’ve got everything, man. Freedom. Money. Options. And you’re going to throw it all away on some girl you met at a wedding?”

The sales associate returned with another tray of rings, saving me from having to respond. I made a show of examining each one, holding them up to the light, asking about specifications and certifications.

The truth was, I couldn’t tell Rodney the real story. Not because I didn’t trust him. Rodney was probably the only friend I had who gave a shit about me beyond my last name. But if I told him this was all fake, I’d be putting him in an impossible position. He’d have to lie. Or worse, he might slip up and accidentally expose the whole thing. He did like to party and liquor created loose lips.

Better to let him think I’d lost my mind over a woman. Besides, there was something kind of fun about playing the role of smitten idiot.

“You’re right,” I said, picking up one of the rings and examining it closely. “Marriage can be bad. Really bad. But this girl is different.”

“Different how?”

I channeled every romantic comedy I’d ever been forced to watch by various ex-girlfriends. “She completes me.”

Rodney stared at me. “Did you just quote Jerry Maguire at me?”