Hold Me Tight(30)

But it’s nowhere in sight.

It must have picked up momentum when it hit the floor. It probably bounced and spun underneath something. First, I feel around beneath the bed but come up empty. Next, I skim the bottom of every piece of furniture in the room, only to find one of Shep’s mangled dog toys. Starting to panic, I run my foot alongside the baseboard of the floor. Nothing.

I’m in trouble—big trouble. Now I don’t even have a ring to propose with. I’m in worse shape than I was in that McDonald’s parking lot. I can’t afford a replacement, not to mention the priceless sentimental value attached to this one. This is the ring I wanted Ivy to wear for the rest of her life, not some cheap imitation that won’t even compare.

I sit with my back turned and stare glumly out the window, trying to think. At first, I don’t notice her moving. It’s only when I hear a sharp intake of breath that I whirl around to see her holding the ring aloft, the tiny diamond sparkling out at me.

This is not how I wanted this to happen, but it’s too late now. I officially botched it again, and there’s no going back. The first time, she didn’t even take it out of the box. But there are no more do-overs now that she’s seen the ring. This is it. My last chance.

I crawl over to her, wishing for some divine spark of inspiration, my mind firing on all cylinders. That’s when I remember my mom suggesting that I tell Ivy the story behind the ring. All is not lost. I can still salvage this if I try.

“Do you like it?” I ask, my eyes trained on her face.

“Is this what I think it is?” she inquires, calm as can be, even though my heart is racing.

“Yes,” I respond, my voice thick with emotion. “It is.”

She stares at the ring, not even blinking, until a smile slowly starts to spread across her face, lighting up her eyes.

“It’s beautiful,” she whispers reverently.

“It was my grandmother’s,” I reply, watching her examine every facet of the intricate scrollwork. “You’ll be the only person to have worn it since she took it off her finger.”

Ivy’s eyes search mine, immediately grasping the meaning behind my statement. It was never Cassidy’s ring. It’ll belong solely to her.

“Then I want you to do this right,” Ivy proclaims, holding it out to me.

“Yes, ma’am,” I tease, getting down on one knee before the bed.

She’s positively glowing as she draws the sheet around herself, her hair spilling over her shoulders. She’s awake, naked in my bed after I kissed her to sleep in my arms. There’s no better scenario than that. It’s everything I could have dreamed of and more.

“Ivy, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?” They’re the words I’ve longed to say from the moment she looked up at me with those dazzling green eyes. I might’ve carried her off that dusty road that day, but she’s the one who lifted me up. I felt it then. I feel it even more now. Deep down, I know she’s all I’ve ever wanted. She’s the one for me. There’s no one for me but her.

She bends her head, succumbing to her emotions.

“Ivy,” I repeat gently, bringing my fingers to her chin as she slowly lifts her eyes to mine. “Will you marry me?”

She reaches out to touch my face before whispering, “Yes! A million times, yes.”

I take her hand in mine, sliding the ring onto her finger. I breathe a sigh of relief when it glides easily over her knuckle. Bringing her hand to my lips, I kiss the symbol of our love. Beaming with joy, she slips her hand behind my neck, drawing me close.

We share a tender yet fervent kiss, realizing just how special this moment is and how we’ll always remember it. How we’ll tell our children and our grandchildren about it. How I’ll never forget how she looks right now as long as I live.

“I think I’m going to like being called your fiancée,” she murmurs, holding out her hand to admire her ring.

“I’ll like it even better when I can call you my wife,” I counter, nuzzling her behind her ear.

“But being engaged… There’s just something so romantic about it,” she sighs dreamily as she reaches for my arm, resting it atop her stomach. “It’s such a fleeting time in a couple’s life, and I intend to enjoy every single moment of it.”

“That’s the way my grandpa felt too.” I lower my head onto her shoulder as I recline against her.

“Oh, tell me about him,” Ivy begs, tilting her head next to mine.

“There’s quite a story that goes along with that ring,” I confess as I play with it on her finger. “My grandma loved my grandpa, but she didn’t want to marry him.”