She melted.
“Well, chances are he will have your eyes. That’s basic genetics. Brown is dominant.”
“Healthy, happy, and with both of us works for me. He could have purple eyes for all I care.” He put out his hand and helped her up. “I nearly forgot. I brought you something. I thought I might need an ace up my sleeve.”
“You thought you might have to buy me off, is that it?” She grinned up at him, amazed at how an hour could bring such a change and take her from dismal to blissfully happy.
He led her over to the sales counter. “The night I sent you away, I don’t think I’ve ever wanted a drink more. I just wanted to forget about all the pain, but I knew I couldn’t, not after how far I’d come. So instead I started this.” He opened the top of the shallow box. “I talked to Tom. He said he could fit this into your current door or put it in a new one, whatever you like. Merry early Christmas, Jess.”
She stepped up and gasped at the beautiful sheet of glass on the counter. With trembling fingers she reached out and picked it up, the soft glow in the room backlighting the design. Lilacs, tons of them, in shades of purple and white, w
ith delicate leaves surrounding them. It was the most beautiful piece of his she’d seen.
“For Treasures,” he said quietly. “For your front door. I thought it would be appropriate for Treasures on Lilac Lane.”
“Oh,” she said softly, staring at the stunning creation. “It’s amazing. You did this for me?”
He looked at her over the edge of the glass. “I did.”
Reluctantly she put it back down so she could wrap her arms around his neck. “Who needs a treasure,” she whispered in his ear, “when we have all this?”
He squeezed her close. “Will you marry me, Jess? Maybe I would have taken things slower if it weren’t for the baby, and I know it seems rushed. But we would have gotten here eventually. I know that as sure as I know I love you. Will you do it? Will you be my wife?”
It was fast, he was right about that. But she’d known him all her life and loved him for probably half of it. “Yes,” she whispered, surprising even herself. “Yes, I’ll marry you.”
He picked her up and spun her around, kissing her jubilantly until she started laughing and squirmed against his embrace.
“Rick, I have ten women coming here in less than an hour to make Christmas ornaments. You have to put me down.”
“For now,” he murmured softly. “But not for long.”
CHAPTER 23
Rick and Jess kept the engagement under wraps for the first few days, but it was clear that they were back together as they stuck together like glue. Everyone seemed happy that they’d worked things out, and so Rick invited Abby to meet up with them at his house to clear up their unfinished business.
He was nervous. He couldn’t quite explain why, but he sensed there was something important about that necklace that would change things somehow.
Jess grazed her hand over his back as she passed by him to put a pot of tea on the table. “Relax. It’ll be fine,” she soothed, and she’d barely said the words when there was a knock at the door.
Abby came in, a smile on her face and a foil-wrapped parcel in her hands. “I made fruitcake!” she announced proudly. “I thought I’d bring you some.”
“Fruitcake?” Rick asked, a bit dubious.
“Don’t knock it until you try it. It’s Marian’s recipe.”
“Have a seat, Abby.” Jess invited her in, taking the cake and Abby’s coat. As Abby sat at the table, Jess sliced the cake and added it to the plate of cookies sitting next to the teapot.
They spent a precious few minutes pouring tea, but Abby only took a few sips before getting down to business. She reached into her purse and took out the velvet bag. “This is for you,” she said, handing it to Rick. He held out his palm, too surprised to do anything else.
“It is?”
“It’s rightfully yours.”
He frowned. “I don’t understand.”
“Rick, you know that Tom and I know you were adopted. When we started digging around about the necklace, something extraordinary came to light. Something I could never have dreamed up in a million years.”
Abby was smiling at him. What the hell?