Violet sniffed back her tears, hoping they were premature. “It’s okay. Take all the time you need. I know I’ve dumped a lot on you at once.”
He nodded. “I know. But it’s okay. I’ve spent the last week going over the gala and really, every moment we’ve ever had together. I’ve been trying to figure out what I could say or what I could do to convince you to give us a chance. A real chance. If we’re going to be a family, there can’t be any more secrets. If you love me, you love me when your parents are around. You love me when we meet some of your fancy friends and have to tell them I run a bar for a living.”
“I do,” she said, pushing up from her chair. “I love you all the time, no matter what we’re doing or who we’re with. I always will. I sat my parents down and told them that last night.”
“What did they say?”
Quite a bit, but she would spare Aidan the details. “My father threatened to cut me out of the will.”
Aidan’s eyes widened. “Oh, no.”
Violet just shrugged. “That doesn’t matter to me. All my money came from the trust fund my grandfather set up for me when I was born. I don’t need my father’s money. I think he was just blustering to get his way. He’s got to get used to not having a say in my life any longer. I’m almost thirty. It’s well past time.”
Aidan smiled widely. “I’m glad you said that because there’s something I want to give you. To tell you the truth, I had this with me the night of the gala, but I didn’t feel like the time was right. And then...well... I thought it was better that I hadn’t.”
Violet’s eyes zoomed in on the object in his hand. She knew exactly what that was now. It was a jewelry box. It was unmistakable. She felt her heart start to race in her chest. Could it really be what she thought it was? Would she be able to hide her disappointment if it were just a pretty necklace or a pair of earrings?
“The two of us are different, but I think it’s a good thing. The only thing that’s ever worried me was that we’re never going to be financial equals. I would say that there are few men on the planet that ever could be. And since Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates are already taken, there’s even fewer than that in the world to win your heart. It’s not easy on a man’s pride to be in that kind of a situation, but there’s no way I can ever catch up to you, so I’ll need to make peace with that. I didn’t realize how much it bothered me until I realized that I loved you.”
Violet held her breath. He’d never said those words out loud to her. She’d said it at the party and sever
al times today and he hadn’t yet responded in kind. A wave of relief washed over her. He loved her.
Even as that worry faded, a new kind of anxiety built inside of her. Was this really the moment she was waiting for? Despite being engaged to Beau, she’d never had the proposal moment most girls dream of. When she’d discovered she was pregnant, he’d said, I guess we should get married, then, and they’d gone to Tiffany & Co. to pick out a ring. Violet didn’t expect perfectly timed fireworks and a gospel choir, but it was not exactly a romantic and heartfelt proposal, either.
“You may not know this about me, but in a lot of ways, I’m an old-fashioned kind of guy. I would’ve done the right thing and offered to marry you the moment I found out about Knox if I’d thought for a second you were interested in that. And later, when you and I got closer and I decided that I wanted us to be a real family, that I wanted us to get married because I loved you and wanted you in my life forever... I had new worries aside from whether or not you would say yes.”
Aidan held up the box in his hand, which was still frustratingly closed. “It bothered me that I could never afford the kind of ring that other men might be able to offer you. Because you deserve it, Violet. You deserve the biggest, sparkliest diamond ring that Harry Winston could make. And I couldn’t give you that.”
She wanted to tell him that it didn’t matter what kind of ring it was or if there even was a ring. It might be a status symbol to some women, but Violet wasn’t like that. The ring Beau gave her was nice, but it was clunky and heavy on her hand. She would be relieved to have something that was simpler to wear and she hated that he was agonizing over a moment that should be special and simple in its own way. She wanted to shout out that she wanted to marry him before he even asked, but she held her tongue. She did want to marry him, but she wanted him to say what he needed to say.
“I realized that the best thing I could offer you, aside from my heart, my love and my devotion to you and our son, was something that was important and special to me. Sentimental value is priceless.”
Aidan opened the box at last. Inside was a diamond ring just as she’d hoped, making her heart flutter with excitement. The round diamond was set in platinum with a sunburst of diamonds radiating from the center. It was art deco in style, probably from the 1930s, making her wonder where he’d found such a beautiful antique ring.
“This ring belonged to my mother, and my paternal great-grandmother before her. When my mother got sick, she insisted I keep the ring and just bury her with her wedding band. She told me that one day I would meet a woman special enough to wear it, and thankfully, she was right. You are special to me in so many different ways, Violet. You’re smart and beautiful and an amazing mother. It makes my heart hurt to think of waking up every morning without you by my side.”
Violet’s heart was pounding so loudly in her chest she could barely hear what Aidan was saying. All she did know was that he hadn’t yet asked the critical question she was desperate to say yes to. Even then, he stood with the ring in his hand, looking at her expectantly.
“And?” Violet asked.
Aidan looked at her with a confused arch of his brow. “And...?” Then his eyes widened in surprise. “Oh! I forgot the most important part, didn’t I?” He dropped down to one knee on the worn linoleum floor of his mother’s kitchen. “Violet Niarchos, I love you so much, it hurts to breathe when you’re not near me. I know that I’m not perfect, and I never will be, but I’m willing to spend the rest of my life trying to be the kind of man you deserve. Will you do me the honor of being my wife?”
Finally.
“Yes!” Violet shouted.
Aidan’s hands were shaking as he took the ring from its velvet bed and slipped it onto her finger. It fit beautifully, sparkling in the afternoon sunlight. It wasn’t too bulky or too heavy. And knowing it was a family heirloom passed down made it all the more special. It was absolutely perfect.
He squeezed her hand and stood up, pulling her into an embrace. Violet wrapped her arms around his neck, tugging him tight against her. When his lips found hers, she drank in the taste of him, so thankful she had a second chance to kiss the man she thought she might’ve driven away forever. She never wanted to let go and now she knew she wouldn’t have to. He was hers and she was his.
Forever.
* * * * *