Whatever it was, it was clearly something that Quaddra wanted to keep a secret, so Mary wasn’t about to go snooping around with her husband in the house. Instead, she grabbed the flower vase that she had left on the floor by the chest of drawers and quickly exited Quaddra’s office.
Eighty-Three
‘Are you OK, honey?’ Quaddra asked Mary, once the waiter had poured them both a glass of Henri Giraud Argonne Rose Vintage. ‘You’ve been quiet all the way on the ride here… and you’ve barely looked at me.’ He angled his body a little left then a little right, to try to catch Mary’s eye. ‘Have I done something to upset you?’ He paused for effect. ‘While I was in the shower?’
Take a breath and play it cool,the voice inside Mary’s head warned her.
‘No, honey, of course not.’ Mary forced herself to look back at her husband, before reaching for his hand over the table.
‘Are you upset because I should’ve invited you into the shower with me?’ Quaddra tried again.
Mary chuckled.
‘If I had, baby,’ Quaddra added, ‘we would’ve never made dinner. You know that.’
‘That’s true,’ Mary replied, finally sending a smile Quaddra’s way.
‘Or maybe you’re a little disappointed in me?’
‘Why would I be disappointed in you? I’m the happiest I’ve ever been in my entire life.’ Mary felt as if something was tightening its grip around her heart because that statement was one hundred percent true.
‘I don’t know,’ Quaddra sipped his Champagne. ‘Maybebecause our celebrations seem a little rushed today due to me having to travel tomorrow morning… again.’
Quaddra had to fly to Seattle early in the morning to attend a very important board meeting for one of his companies. Mary knew that. She had it in her diary.
‘I’ve never once complained about your traveling schedule, my love,’ Mary was quick to counter. ‘And I never will. I understand how committed you are to your work, and how demanding it is. I told you that when we started dating. Nothing has changed.’
‘Or maybe it’s because the only present I’ve given you for our anniversary was just a bunch of flowers.’ Quaddra immediately lifted a hand to stop Mary’s comeback because he knew it would come. ‘But please let me rectify that.’ He reached into his pocket for a pink square box, with a pink ribbon and placed it on the table, in front of his wife. The box was a little larger than a CD box and about two-and-a-half times thicker.
Mary cupped a hand over her mouth. ‘Are you serious right now?’
Quaddra nodded at the pink box. ‘Go ahead. Open it. I hope you like it.’
Mary pulled the pink ribbon from the box before lifting its lid.
‘Oh my god!’ Her face almost melted. ‘This is… too much.’
Mary was looking down at a diamond necklace – an eighteen-carat, white gold necklace, with fifty-seven round, brilliant cut diamonds in a row.
‘There’s no such thing as a “too much” when it comes to my love for you, baby. So, do you like it?’
The tears in Mary’s eyes weren’t pretend.
‘Who, in their right mind, wouldn’t like a necklace this stunning, honey? This is insane.’
‘That’s because I’m insane about you.’
Mary’s stare was still on the necklace.
‘Put it on,’ Quaddra urged her. ‘Let me see how it looks.’
‘The way these diamonds are shining,’ Mary said, their eyes meeting again, ‘if I put this on right here, it will probably blind half of the restaurant.’
Quaddra smiled.
‘How about I put it on when we get home,’ Mary suggested, giving Quaddra a sexy wink. ‘I can wear just this… nothing else.’ She squeezed his hand. ‘Would you like that?’
‘So… so much.’
