“Are you serious?” I asked. “I have a suitcase full of lingerie that was apparently not a gift.”
“No,” he said with a grin. “Our appointment is up here on the right.”
My feet stopped walking as I read the sign. “You want…we have an appointment…” The increase in my pulse aided in my words’ inability to conjoin in a way that created a full sentence. “At…Tiffany’s?”
“We do. And if you don’t know why, I’ll get down on one knee here on one of the busiest streets in Chicago and propose again.”
“I told you that I didn’t care about a ring.”
“I do. I care about you and about a ring.”
With my feet rooted to the sidewalk, I looked up at him. “You want the world to know I’m taken.” It wasn’t really a question. Maybe I’d been jaded by Skylar and the way he obsessed about my engagement ring. Sometimes it felt as though the large emerald cut diamond surrounded by a halo of more diamonds was more for him than for me. It was as if he’d given me a neon sign to wear, one marking me as his.
Van reached for both of my hands. “I’ll admit I do want the world to know. I love you and when any other man sees you, I want him to keep the fuck away. I also want a ring that’s special to you. I want a ring that when you look at it, you don’t see a sign saying you’re a man’s possession, but you see a ring that says you’re loved and adored. I want a ring that brings you happiness by simply being upon your finger.”
With a knot forming in my throat, I nodded. “Do you mind if it isn’t huge?”
“I was thinking only six or seven carats.”
Feeling the blood drain from my cheeks, I hoped he was joking. “I didn’t pick out my ring from Skylar. He and his mom did.” I shook my head, remembering the last time I saw it sitting on the countertop. “Sometimes when I’d put it on, I imagined a weight, one holding me down and back.”
Van stood taller. “I want the opposite of that for you. I didn’t know that you hadn’t helped pick out the other ring, but now this is even more important. Will you please come inside and work with me and with the jeweler to find or create a ring that you will love and will wear, knowing that the last thing I want to do is hold you back? I want you to fly, Julia; I simply want to be there to help spread your wings.”
He was doing what he did, listening, and somehow—with only words and his sexy green stare—not dismissing my concerns but addressing them head-on.
Nodding, I pushed to my tiptoes and brushed his cool lips with a kiss. “You make everything better.”
He offered me his arm. “Come, Ms. McGrath, accompany me to find the ring of your dreams.”
I placed my hand on his arm. “I’d be delighted.”
A well-dressed woman met us at the door. “Ms. McGrath?”
“Yes,” I answered, a bit surprised she hadn’t addressed Van. “I’m Julia McGrath.”
“I’m Gloria and we’re so happy you chose to meet with us today.”
My gaze darted between her and Van. “This is my fiancé, Donovan Sherman.”
She winked my direction. “We can bring him along if you want.”
“I do. I want him there.”
“Please follow me,” Gloria said as she led us past cases of stunning jewelry, diamonds, sapphires, rubies, and more. Finally, we came to an archway. “We have a fully stocked bar if you’d like a drink while we chat.”
I was about to mention that it was three in the afternoon, but before I could, Van replied.
“I believe this monumental occasion calls for champagne.”
“Yes,” Gloria replied excitedly. “You’re right.” She lowered her voice, whispering to me. “You were right to invite him. He has good ideas.”
I smiled at Van. “Yes, he does.”
“We have our signature Hennessy champagnes. Moët or Dom Perignon?”
Nearly an hour later, sitting in a room with a long table, learning and exploring the four c’s of diamonds—color, cut, clarity, and carat—and drinking more than one flute of Dom Perignon, I stared down at what was quite possibly the parts to the perfect ring.
“You have classic taste,” Gloria said.