She looks up at me and smiles softly, and I have the horrible urge to kiss my fiancée.
I swallow the lump in my throat and grab the ring from her. “Well, let’s see if it fits.”
I grasp her hand and slip it on her ring finger. It fits perfectly. She gave me her ring size, so it shouldn’t be surprising. But when I look at the ring I picked out for her … sitting on her finger … it does something funny to me. This whole marriage thing is starting to feel very real, and I can’t help but wonder if I’m taking this seriously enough.
She steps away from me and extends her arm so she can view the ring. “I love it.”
Then she turns back to me and gives me a hug. Her head rests against my chest, and she’s squeezing my waist tightly. I haven’t been hugged … in a long time. And she’s a mighty hugger. I think she’s going to pop one of my ribs if I don’t do something. I rest a hand against her back and rub in little circles.
“I’m glad you like it.”
She releases me and steps back. “Okay. Let’s tell our parents tonight,” she suggests.
“This is going to be interesting, isn’t it? I’m halfway tempted to pop some popcorn and watch from the sidelines.”
“You’re the groom,” she reminds me. “You’re going to be at the center of it.”
“YouknowI love being the center of attention.” Because it’s a lot easier to keep people at arm’s length if you’re the center of attention. People don’t expect you to get deep—they expect to be entertained.
She rests a slender hand against my chest and pats it. “I’m beginning to see that. And I’m happy to let you have it.”
“Do I get to pick out your dress?” I ask.
“Absolutely not,” she replies with a smile.
Her eyes twinkle as she looks up at me, and I’m struck again that Bliss is beautiful.
I’ve never given it much thought before … but I’m about to marry the prettiest woman in Pine Ridge.
Huh, this might not be so bad after all.
“What’s next?” she asks.
It takes me a minute to collect my thoughts as I stare down at her. The mental image of leaning down and pressing my lips against hers is a little too vibrant, so I take a slow step back.
“We should probably have a wedding.”
“That would be the reasonable thing to do.” Bliss nods. “How are we going to live together?”
“What do you mean?”
“I guess I mean, when people come over to the house for dinner or something like that.”
I laugh. “People don’t just come over, Bliss. Nobody comes to my house.”
She looks surprised. “Really? People are always stopping by our house. Our house is rarely just us.”
“Your mom feeds anybody in a hundred-mile radius,” I remind her. “I don’t. I can’t cook to save my life, so it’s not a problem for me.”
Bliss quirks an eyebrow up. “How odd. I seem to remember you making a delicious steak dinner.”
“That’s a state secret you’re not allowed to tell anyone. I only cook for special people.”
“Does that make me special?”
“I did ask you to marry me, so it’s safe to say I think you’re special.”
Those eyes go wide, and she drops her chin. “Careful. You’ll start giving me a big head with that kind of sweet talk.”
