Autumn stares at me in a new light now. “You do?” Her awe causes me to smile.
Brushing a finger along her cheek, I gently stroke her soft skin. “I really fucking do, darling. Nothing would give me a greater honor.”
“Okay then.” She softens, and her beautiful brown eyes shine warm as melted chocolate, sucking me in and begging me to do as I please.
Bill paid, leftovers boxed up, we drive towards a store Trixie insists has the perfect engagement ring for Autumn. Halfwaythere, Autumn’s phone beeps with a message. “Val is asking if you’re coming for Thanksgiving?”
I glance between her and the road, unable to read how she wants me to answer. “Do you want me to?”
“Do you want to?”
“I’d move you in with me today if I thought you’d agree, Autumn.” There’s that surprised look again. Eyes wide, cheeks flushed, mouth open in an “O”.
“I’ll tell her yes, then.” Her head dips as she furiously types.
“Sounds good.”
Trixie sits in the back, amused and shaking her head. I can only imagine what’s going through her mind.
Parking in front of the small storefront. It gives cozy, with inviting window displays advertising that all rings are cut, shaped, and set in-house. The girls enter first, arms linked, whispering closely, and immediately dart to one of the back jewelry cases as I take my time following them in.
The owners—a couple in their fifties, I’d guess—split apart. The woman goes to Trixie and Autumn, and the man comes over to me.
“Which one is the lucky lady?” he asks, and I point to Autumn, who is enamored by the fine rings the woman is showing her. “Lucky girl. Anything in particular you’d like her pointed in the direction of?”
“Nope, I want her to have whatever her heart desires. However, I’d like to get her a matching, or as close to matching, necklace as possible. Maybe something with a locket? She lost her parents when she was young, and I think having them close to her heart would make her happy.”
The man’s grin widens, and he leads me to another case out of sight of the sisters. After consulting with his wife about Autumn’s preferences, he finds me the perfect item. A 14-karat yellow gold heart-shaped locket, with a smaller heart engravedon its front and a diamond in the center of that. The stone comes from the same batch of diamonds as the two rings Autumn is deciding between.
After he tucks the necklace away for me, I move in behind Autumn and peer at the two she’s stuck on. Both are the same style; one is oval cut, while the other is a princess cut.
“Can I give an opinion?” I ask her.
“Please!” she sighs.
Reaching forward, I slip the princess cut on her finger. “This one looks perfect on you.”
Breathing a sigh of relief to have the choice taken from her, Autumn gazes up at me. “Thank you, Law.” I lay a kiss on her lips.
As I pay the bill, we forgo boxing up the ring because it fits her like it was made exclusively for her finger, and I keep the necklace a secret for now.
Trixie gushes and fawns over Autumn as we leave the store, her excitement growing until she’s back in the truck. I hold the door open for Autumn, and she steps up on the running board, wraps her arms around my neck, and gives me the most sensual kiss of my life. Leading us to drop her sister off, then off to my apartment for privacy.
CHAPTER 9
Autumn
“My god, just like that, he popped the question?” Bunny can’t take her eyes off the new addition to my hand. Despite the massive rock on her own, my baby sister is ecstatic that I’m so in love and loved in return.
“Yeah, sort of.” I left out the part where we had sex all weekend. They don’t need to know that, and thankfully, Trixie is keeping her mouth shut.
“You hardly know him,” Christmas mutters as she rolls out the dough for the apple pie she’s making.
Thanksgiving dinner is tomorrow, my three younger sisters are heavily pregnant, and Valentine’s husband, Roman, is having dinner catered but has agreed to let us all make dessert. The love Roman so easily gives to Val is a beautiful thing and something I’d always wished for her.
“Neither did Val, and Bunny, and Summer,” I point out. Two of them glare at me while Bunny just smirks. She’s always been a wild child.
“Don’t remind us,” Winter groans, wiping flour off her hands as she crafts the perfectly-shaped sugar cookies into little leaves, turkeys, and circles. She never misses a beat, either. “We just worry that it’s too soon for you. After all you’ve been through.”
