He’d looked at the ring, then back to me.“This ring isn’t a sign of your acceptance, but of my promise to you. I hope you’ll wear it.”
Then he’d taken it out of the box and squeezed it slightly so that I could see the flex.
I’d started laughing and crying at the same time. It was such a simple—almost silly—motion, but it showed just how much thought he put into it.
There wasn’t a grand speech about my work or how he wanted to make sure I was always safe. It wasn’t needed.
He flexed the ring to show me that it was silicone—to say without words that he knew it was dangerous for me to wear a metal band while at the lathe.
The ring might have been his promise, but the material and the gouge… those were his way of showing that he saw all of me—not just the omega side.
The moment I’d allowed him to slide the ring onto my finger would forever be seared into my memory. It was cool, but not as cold as metal would have been. His hands had trembled as he pushed it into place.
It hadn’t taken long before I’d asked him to make love to me again.
My alpha…
I smiled as a sense of comfort washed over me, then I shivered as a memory floated to the surface: Craig, fully sheathed inside me, lips on my bonding point.
“Omega-mine…”
Two words, but spoken with such devotion that I knew he meant them.
I sighed as I settled against the couch cushions. Craig had been gone less than an hour, but I already missed him.
We’d spent almost two weeks together—him coming over a couple days before Christmas, and leaving after the long weekend following New Year’s.
It wasn’t that long ago that so much time with an alpha would have been overwhelming, but now…
I wanted him back. I wanted to rest in his arms as we enjoyed television together, and to feel his lips against his favorite spot to kiss on my shoulder.
Maybe… it was time to make a move of my own.
I took a deep breath, then pulled out my phone.
It only took a few seconds for Kerry to answer. “Hey!” he chirped. “Video call? You?”
I chuckled. “It happens… from time to time.”
He snorted. “Only if you’re calling to tell me that hell froze over.”
“Close?” I offered. “Don’t freak out. It’s not what you’re going to think at first.”
“Huh?”
I shifted my phone to my right hand, then moved my left into the camera frame.
“Oh… my… god…” Kerry said with a chuckle. “Is that a fucking engagement ring?”
My face heated. “Not quite.”
“Not quite?”
I licked my lips. “Technically, it’s a promise ring.”
He stared for several seconds, then burst into laughter. “Are you shitting me? A promise ring?”
“Hey!”
