True, it wasn’t anywhere near her original plans, but she woke each day living a life full of potential. No two days were ever the same, each one amazing in its own way. Whenever one of them had a bad day, which was inevitable even with great happiness, the other would scoot closer to the center of their metaphorical seesaw and be the one to lean on. With her completed marigold photo collage displayed in the entryway of Ross’s house, she had truly found her place.
She retrieved jewelry from a lock box, removing the gold ring with the delicate bird’s nest holding a robin blue stone. Mia crouched beside a tree stump, placing the ring in the center of the flat, cut surface. She arranged the ring with mountain rocks and a cutting from a nearby fern.
“Do you want any type of shots in particular?” Mia asked while adjusting the settings on the camera.
“I trust you to work your magic.”
She smiled to herself. “Such a teacher’s pet. I just want to make sure I get all these images done before you guys do the relaunch with the new brand. I want to impress the big shot owners of Lanza Fine Jewelry,bothof you.”
While Ross and her father’s relationship was coolly cordial for the most part, the judge at least helped Ross work through the system to purge his record. It allowed Ross to feel comfortable moving forward and taking his proper place as one of the shop owners.
Once a week, Mia and her father drove together to Sacramento. Lizzy had introduced Mia to her friend, who worked for the California Criminal Justice Reform Organization. Her cousin was right, they did need help in their public outreach. Mia felt a little of that gleam she thought would be there when she first started in politics. Maybe she could make a difference in some new way, and surround herself with people who actually wanted to do good in the world. Plus, she got her father involved. At the beginning, their car rides were filled with awkward silences, but they slowly found a new way to communicate as equals. It wasn’t a lot, and would never return to the way it was before, but it was at least something.
Ross took a seat on a log near her with his guitar, plucking the opening chords of “Hotel California.” “The relaunch wouldn’t have happened without you and your cousin’s help.”
Mia’s finger clicked the shutter button, taking photos of the jewelry on the tree stump. “What would you possibly do without me, Rosso? You should probably go ahead and marry me. I think living together for almost a year is long enough.”
The guitar plucking stopped. “You’d really marry someone like me?”
She flicked through some of the images on the camera’s screen. “Ugh, no. That’s like asking if I want a cheap impostor. Why would I want to marry a guy like you when I can have exactly you, the real thing?” She looked at him, and grinned.
Ross’s eyes remained locked on her.
“I don’t suppose you have a special ring on you,” she asked, more than ready for the next stage in their relationship.
“A ring?”
“I mean, I can just take this ring right here, but I figured, you of all people would be prepared for such a situation. You do own a jewelry store, after all. Plus, I’ve noticed you’ve been carrying something in your pocket for a while. I don’t want this to go on forever.”
“This is not how I was expecting this to go. I wanted it to be romantic and shit.”
She took a seat beside him on the log, wrinkling her nose. “Just a tip, I don’t think romance should be mixed with shit.”
“Dammit, Mia. You already know I’m not good at this stuff.” He ran a frustrated hand through his hair after propping his guitar beside him on the log.
Despite this, she smiled, finding Ross’s fluster adorable. She looped her arm through his as she leaned into him. “You’re not much of an angsty bad boy, are you?”
“I’m really not.”
“That’s okay. I still want to marry you.”
Ross released a sigh as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, black velvet jewelry box. “I don’t know how you know everything.”
“I don’t know everything, but I do know sometimes you need a little push for your own good. I’m still willing to give you a nice shout-out on my Instagram. I’ll even throw in the hashtagromance and shit.”
Ross’s face reflected amusement as he handed the box to her. “I know you have your favorite, but I made this one just for you. This one is yours.”
With it in her possession, she popped the lid. Inside was the pearl twig ring she always loved, but this one was hugged by a circle of small diamonds. Despite her apparent bravado, with a ring and the promise it entailed, all the emotion hit her at once.
“Do you love it?”
“Yup.” Keeping her response to one-syllable words was the best way to stay in control. She removed the ring from its case, sliding it on her finger. It sparkled in the sunlight filtering through the tree branches.
Ross put his arm around her, his lips pressing against her temple. “I love you. Marry me?”
“Yup.”
“Where are all your fancy words now?”
