He led them to the very back counter, right in the middle. He rounded the case and removed a display with only three rings on it. All three were gold, with two of them the round cut she liked. The third had a square gem that Matt called a princess cut.
Tam hadn’t gotten out her wedding ideas folders yet, because Blaine hadn’t proposed yet. He’d made itveryclear on the way to the jewelry store that morning that he wasnotbuying the ring that day. They were justlooking. There would not be a proposal in the shop.
She tried on the princess cut ring, and immediately rejected it. “That’s a no.” She gave it back, and Matt handed her a ring with a thicker band, the round, sparkly diamond perched right on top, in a casing that surrounded it. It was simple and beautiful, and Tam loved it.
Two smaller—almost tiny—diamonds sat on either side of the large one, complimenting it, not taking from it.
“These are a different color,” she said, pointing to the diamonds on the side. The ring slipped a little on her finger, because it was too big.
“No, they’re all white diamonds,” Matt said. “They just have different hues on the color scale. The one in the middle is labeled a D. It’s the brightest, clearest white diamond. Very rare.”
Expensive, Tam thought, but no one said it.
“The other two are also white diamonds, but they’re labeled an N, and they have a slightly yellow-gold glow. With the gold band, that’s enhanced.”
“They’re beautiful,” Tam said, looking at the ring again. She couldn’t seem to be able to tear her eyes from it. Blaine asked a question she didn’t hear, and Matt answered it. She held out her hand, imagining doing it for her mother, her sisters, and anyone else who wanted to see it.
She heard Blaine chuckle, and she looked up to find both men looking at her. “What?”
“We’ve only been talking to you forever,” Blaine teased. “I think that’s the one you want.”
“I like this one a lot.”
“We want you toloveyour wedding ring,” Matt said. “There’s this one here, and it’s—”
“Ilovethis one,” Tam said, looking from Blaine to Matt. “You better scan it and give him the bad news.” She took off the ring, and she didn’t like handing it back to Matt.
Blaine put his arm around her and drew her to his side. Tam fit there, and everything in the world was right. “It’s going to be expensive,” Tam said. “You heard him, right? The brightest, clearest diamond. Very rare.”
“I heard him,” Blaine said, his mouth right against her ear. “You remember what I told you about my inheritance, right? Five billion. I think I can afford whatever he says.” He pressed his lips to her earlobe. “Even if I couldn’t, I’d figure out a way, because I want you to have whatever you want.”
“I thought you said you weren’t buying the ring today.”
“I’m not,” Blaine said, looking up when Matt cleared his throat. “What’s the damage?”
Matt barely blinked when he said, “This one is thirty-seven.”
Tam’s mouth dropped open. “Okay, I don’t love it that much.”
“Tam,” Blaine said.
“We’re not buying today anyway,” Tam said, panic building in her stomach. She turned into Blaine. “Now we know, and we’ll have to decide.”
“The first one she tried on is fourteen,” Matt said. “It probably wouldn’t even need to be resized, as it seemed just right at a seven and a half. This one is an eight.”
“Why the difference?” Tam asked. “They seemed almost the same to me.”
“This diamond is almost fifty percent bigger, with the extra ones on the side. The gold is also twice as much for the thicker band.” Matt looked at Blaine, and they both paused.
It took Tam a few seconds to realize they were communicating without speaking, and she twisted to look at Blaine. “What?”
“Nothing.” He drew in a breath. “You’re right. Now we know. Do you want to get some lunch?”
Tam looked back at Matt, feeling bad he wasn’t going to make a sale that day. Blaine would come back another time and get something from him. If Tam knew Blaine at all, he’d get her the one that cost thirty-seven thousand dollars and plan an amazing proposal.
He’d claimed this shopping trip was just to get an idea of what she liked, but Tam knew what it was really about. He wanted to know what ring she wanted, so he could buy it for her. She wasn’t sure why she felt uneasy. He had a lot of money, and he rarely did what he didn’t want to do.
“Lunch sounds great,” she said. She turned back to Matt too. “Thank you so much for your help. Really. I learned a lot, and you have some beautiful rings here.”