“And the dates and the trip to Hawaii?”
“I enjoyed your company. And yes, Hawaii was meant to impress you, but I also wanted to do something that made you happy. I found that I enjoyed seeing you smile, and sharing my extravagant lifestyle seemed to be a fun way to do that.”
“And the proposal?”
Jacqui hated how small her voice sounded when she asked that question.
“I had built my plan around it, and had already set things in motion. I thought I had to go through with it,” he said, and then hesitated.
Jacqui sat and waited for him to continue. She wasn’t sure there was anything he could say, but she would listen.
“Getting to know you has been one of the greatest honors of my life. It’s also been more fun than I could possibly have imagined. I found that I liked spending time with you, and I found myself attracted to you. I pushed that idea down and refused to give it any credence.
“The first time we kissed, on the beach at sunset in Hawaii, I was more affected than I looked. And over the following weeks, I found myself thinking of you more and more, not as a means to an end, but of how much I liked you.
“As soon as I proposed, I regretted that it wasn’t for real. And then I realized that I wanted it to be real. I wanted to be the man you thought I was.
“I don’t know exactly when it happened, but I fell in love with you, Jacqui. My feelings for you have been growing since we met, and I’m sure that if we had taken things slower, we would have ended up in the same place.
“I want to marry you, to build a life with you. I wish I had done things differently, but I don’t regret proposing. You are the best thing that’s ever happened to me, and I’m a better person because I met you. If you don’t want to go through with our engagement, I understand. I don’t deserve another chance.”
“Do you want another chance?” Jacqui asked.
She wasn’t sure how she felt just yet, but part of her reveled in the fact that Khizar was finally being open and honest with her.
“Yes. We can start over, if you like. Or, we can go from here. But I’d like very much the chance to win your trust and love.”
Jacqui nodded. She stood, and when Khizar started to follow her, waved him back down. She paced in a slow arc around the edge of the pond, wanting a moment to think.
She’d known that something was off. Maybe it was her parents mentioning it, maybe it was some other instinct, but it had seemed too good to be true. Jacqui recognized that she’d ignored those whispers of concern, caught up in the whirlwind of Khizar’s courtship.
Still, she’d really had fun. It wasn’t just being treated like a princess or the luxury she wasn’t used to, it was that she laughed with Khizar; that she genuinely loved being around him.
Plus, he’d treated her with respect and kindness. Except for that one not-so-little lie that their relationship was founded on. Did it all balance out in the end?
There was no doubt in her mind that Khizar was telling the truth now, or that he sincerely regretted his actions. And she was in love with him. Even with everything he’d done, she couldn’t deny that fact. But was it enough?
Jacqui walked back to the bench and sat down next to Khizar.
“I don’t know what to do.”
Khizar nodded. “I understand. You don’t have to decide anything tonight.”
“Thank you,” Jacqui said softly.
“I do have something for you. I’d like to go ahead and give it to you, if that’s okay.”
Jacqui nodded and Khizar reached into his jacket, pulling a small box out of the inner pocket. The box was silver and metallic, with a thin red ribbon wrapped around it and tied in a curly bow.
He held the box out to her, and she took it tentatively. She turned it over and felt something shift inside.
“You’re not going to propose again, are you?” she asked, her eyes filled with mirthful tears.
“Not today,” he smiled. “I tracked this down when we were in Milwaukee, before I proposed, actually. Whatever happened, I wanted you to have it.”
Jacqui was curious now, and carefully pulled the ribbon off the box. She slowly pulled the lid of the box up and off. There was a layer of silk cloth, folded; she picked that up and laid the silk inside the top half of the box.