“You’re not the only one, you know. I’m afraid, too.”
“Yeah?”
“Of course. Who wouldn’t be? I mean, the nature of love relies upon opening yourself up to vulnerability and trusting another person completely not to break that trust. But the same thing that makes it so frightening is what makes it so beautiful.”
I stared at her for a long moment before I realized my mouth was hanging open. I snapped it shut and ran a hand through my hair, laughing a little as I said, “You have a much better understanding of love than I do. Or... I guess I should say than I did.”
“And now?”
“And now... I want that. And I do trust you, but I was wondering if you’d be willing to do something extra for me.”
“Anything.”
She said the word with so much conviction that nearly all of the nervousness I felt went away. I pulled the box out of my jacket and held it between my hands, looking up to see her smiling with bewilderment.
“I want you to wear this,” I said before I opened the lid of the box the necklace was in. “I want you to wear it all the time.”
She stepped forward to get a closer look at the pendant and her eyes widened.
“Is that a—”
“Ring? Yes. An engagement ring, if you want to be specific.” I paused to take the necklace out, dangling it in the air for her inspection while I tossed the box on her couch. “I’m not ready to get married or even engaged yet, but I want you to wear this around your neck until we’re both ready to move it to your finger.”
She was watching the ring swing back and forth like a pendulum and a jolt of fear raced up my spine. My hand wavered as I softly added, “Feel free to tell me if that’s completely insane.”
“No! I... I love it. The ring and the necklace and the whole idea. I just didn’t expect it.”
Her fingers reached up to stop the ring and she smiled as she looked closely at it. Her eyes moved up to mine as she swept her hair to the side and turned around, the invitation obvious. Once I fastened the clasp, I gripped her shoulder and spun her around.
“Beautiful.”
She was still looking down at the ring when she nodded in agreement, so I touched her cheek to capture her attention. I didn’t need to speak to explain that I was referring to her. The blush on her cheeks confirmed that she already knew.
All that was left was to seal it with a kiss. Her arms wrapped around my neck and mine around her back. Nothing could ruin this moment.
Her pupils were dilated when I pulled away and she trailed a finger down my chest as she huskily asked, “You brought more condoms, right?”
Shitty, shitty luck.
15
Mallory
Years later…
I twisted the rods to open the blinds and smiled at the sight of the city while I stepped back and eased myself up to sit on the edge of the desk.
Scratch that. The edge made my ass sore. I scooted back further, sighing with relief and leaning back on my palms while my feet dangled in the air. I kicked them absentmindedly as I took in the skyline.
New York. It didn’t happen overnight, but I was happy to say that it felt like home. It felt even more homey than usual since my parents were flying in for a visit in a few short hours.
The door to my office opened and I craned my neck to see who had just barged right in. I relaxed when I realized it was only Brian.
“What are you doing here?”
“It is my office,” I said with a grin as he moved around the desk to stand between my spread legs. “Who else did you expect to find here?”
“That’s not what I meant and you know it,” he said seriously as he rested his hands on my hips.
He was right. I knew exactly what he meant, I just didn’t happen to agree. I loved my job and nothing was going to keep me from it.
Once we came out as a couple, Brian called for a meeting and made it known that he had no intention of giving me a promotion himself—ever. Instead, he put together a small group of people to be in charge of keeping an eye on me and deciding whether or not I was worthy of advancement.
It only took a year for the ring to move from my neck to my finger, but it took three years to get ‘Mallory Wolfe; Junior Editor’ on the nameplate of an office. Nothing could keep me away. Not even—
“The doctor said your water’s going to break any day. You should be at home.”
“You came in,” I countered, narrowing my eyes when he rolled his. “What? It’s not like the job is strenuous.”
“No, but I damn well know how stressful it can be. The doctor said it might be the reason why you’re late.” Brian paused and moved his hands to rest on my swollen stomach before he added, “He also said he wants you in on Friday whether your water breaks or not.”