"First, let's do some kissing."
Chapter Thirty-Five
Christopher
"This is wicked," Lucas exclaims a week later, inspecting the Disneyland tickets for the hundredth time—my Christmas gift to them. The kids and I are at a coffee shop near my office, enjoying some hot chocolate. Victoria is with a client, and I've offered to watch the kids for the afternoon. I've been waiting for a chance to be alone with them the entire week.
"Kids, I need to talk to you." Three pairs of eyes focus on me with curiosity. "As you know, I love Victoria very much, and we’re happy together."
Sienna sips from her cup of hot chocolate. I suspect she might be trying to hide a smile.
"I want to ask you for her hand." My words are met with complete silence, which I won't lie, freaks the hell out of me.
"He means he wants to marry Victoria," Sienna tells her siblings, not bothering to hide her smile anymore. Lucas and Chloe erupt in cheers, and I breathe in relief when I hear distinct yeses among those cheers. I thought long and hard if asking them before talking to Victoria was the best idea, but it felt like the right thing to do. She might not have parents I can ask, but these little punks are her family. Soon, they’ll be mine too.
"Does this mean there will be another baby?" Chloe asks, now positively glowing.
"I don't know when, but there definitely will be more than one baby," I say.
She pumps her small fist in the air, giggling.
"Did you already get her a ring?" Sienna asks eagerly.
"No, I haven't. But my office happens to be in walking distance, and the new collection of engagement rings is ready."
The kids finish their hot chocolate in one minute flat.
***
As we walk into the creative department of Bennett Enterprises a short while later, Sienna elbows me. "Were those tickets to Disneyland a bribe so we'd say yes?"
"You're insulting me. Those were just my Christmas gift." Sure, I strategically gave them the tickets first, knowing it would put them in a good mood, but bribing? That's not my style.
Pippa smiles when she sees our little group heading toward her desk. The creative department is the only one in the company organized in an open office. There are a dozen people milling around the space. Personally, I detest open offices because I can't concentrate with constant chatter around me, but to each his own.
"Hello, lovelies," Pippa greets us. "Yes, everything you see around here are gemstones and diamonds."
I am so used to seeing jewelry or stones about to be made into jewelry around the office, I forget people find it surprising. The kids are looking around with gaping mouths. Sienna is practically salivating over a pendant with an outlandish design. When Pippa first showed us the sketch, my brothers and I weren't sure, but Pippa insisted that young, sophisticated women would find it appealing. As usual, it turns out she’s right. My sister has a talent for predicting these things that cannot be taught or learned.
"Pippa, we're here to see the engagement rings for the new collection," I inform her as the four of us come to a halt. Her desk is far enough from the other ones that it offers some privacy.
"I know."
"How?"
Her response is prompt. "Intuition and some sniffing around. When you asked on Monday if the rings would be here this week, you were drumming your fingers on the table. You only do that when you're nervous. I put two and two together."
My sister is a little too perceptive for her own good, or anyone else's. Without another word, she rises to her feet, heading to the wooden storage closet behind her desk. She returns with a large rectangular box, which she places on her desk. Opening the lid, she reveals twelve engagement rings.
"They’re all so pretty," Sienna exclaims. I lift Chloe in my arms because she can't see anything from her level.
"Wow," she exclaims.
"Not to be rude," Lucas says, "but they all look kind of the same to me."
Sienna gives him the stink eye, but Pippa chuckles. For the next half hour, my sister patiently explains the difference between each cut, each stone, and why she chose certain combinations. I already know most of that stuff because it's in the marketing copy we included in the catalog, but watching Pippa explain is a different experience. She lights up, exuberance dotting every word. An hour later, we have our ring and are on our way out of the building, the kids walking a short distance in front of me.
"What happens after he gives her the ring?" Chloe asks Sienna.