I shook my head. “Honestly, I never thought I’d be buying one at all.”
He nodded knowingly. “Love is even more beautiful when it hits you in the chest like that. I knew as soon as you walked in, the two of you were perfect for each other.”
I laughed. “You’re already going to make a sale, so you don’t need to butter me up.”
He winked. “I can see how you’d think that, but I always speak the truth. And your truth radiated from you, which brings me back totoi et moi. It means ‘you and me’ in French. In my opinion, it is one of the most romantic ring designs because it reflects the unity of two people becoming one. It embodies the bond between you, symbolizing two separate entities being made into one by love.”
He pulled a ring from under the velvet. It was simple and yet not. One side was a platinum band that ended in a pear-shaped white diamond. That first stone nestled against a similarly shaped yellow one, attached to a gold band. The two different bands twisted into a graceful swoop at the back. While the ring was truly beautiful, it was his words, even more than the ring itself, that sold me because Maisey and I were one.
“That’s it,” I said, taking a huge, smoke-free breath and reveling in it. “That’s the perfect ring.”
His face brightened. “I’ve been saving this for a special couple.” He glanced over to where Maisey and his assistant were still chatting happily. “Let me just make sure I’ve got the sizing right and get you a box.”
I took out my wallet and slid the credit card over the counter. I had no idea how much it was going to cost me. I didn’t even know if my credit limit would be enough, but it didn’t matter. That was Maisey’s ring.
He took it, discreetly pocketing it before stepping over to the women. He said something quietly to his assistant, she nodded, and then he disappeared into the back room.
I joined Maisey, sliding my arm around her waist and rejoicing in my ability to do just that, wondering why it had taken me so long to get here. Why I’d let fear and the past and other people stop me from being with the one woman who’d always shown me unconditional love.
“I’m being difficult.” Maisey’s voice held a tone of remorse as she tipped her head back against my shoulder.
“No, you’re not. Picking out something you’re going to wear every day should take time. And if we don’t find what you want now, we’ll figure outsomething to tell everyone tonight.” We wouldn’t have to. I had the ring and a tentative plan I’d formed this morning. But I also didn’t want her to worry.
“What do you think of this one?” Maisey asked, holding up a simple solitaire on white gold. It was probably the least expensive ring in the case.
“No.”
She looked up at me with a laugh. “No? Just no?”
“Just no. Try again.”
“Fine. How about this one?” she asked, picking up a ring with a square-cut emerald and two small diamonds on either side of it. It was completely different from the first one, but it was equally bland. It was nothing special. Nothing that screamed of a bond between two people, and I was even more sure I’d made the right choice.
“No.”
“You’re going to be even harder to please than me.” She laughed again, nervously tugging at her hair.
The jeweler came out of the back and tilted his head, waving me over to the side. I reluctantly let Maisey go to join him. He slid my credit card back as discreetly as he’d accepted it, followed by a sage-green velvet box that was nearly the same color as Maisey’s eyes.
“Thank you,” I said, my voice full of all the emotions I’d been so desperate to hide for years as I slyly added the box to the single shopping bag in the bunch that was mine. “She’s going to be upset about not having something on her hand right now.”
“Ah. Let me handle it,” the man said, striding back over to Maisey. He put a hand over the rings on display. “These are not right for you.” Maisey startled, darting a worried glance at me. “I have a shipment coming in. If you come back on Sunday, I will show you the perfect ring.”
I saw her hesitation, and I twined our hands.
“Sunday, my Maisey-girl. I’d rather wait and give you the perfect ring than rush and have something on your hand for the next sixty years that neither of us likes.”
Her mouth popped open. “What?”
“You’re right. Sixty years means we’ll only be in our eighties. Make it a hundred years.”
She let out a small giggle. “You’re ridiculous.”
I gathered all the bags and then grabbed her hand again. I met the jeweler’s eyes, mouthed thank you, and he winked.
As we stepped outside the store, she turned a worried face to me. “What are we going to do now? You’re the one who insisted we needed a ring toprove to everyone this was real. What if they don’t believe us?”
“They will,” I said confidently. My plan would ensure it. More, I hoped it would convince Maisey this wasn’t fake for me. That I truly wanted her to marry me.