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“How are you feeling?” she asks Dad.
“Good, good,” he says. “Happy to see everyone.”
I clear my throat. “Could you excuse us, Dad? I need to talk to Callie inside for a minute.”
“Of course. You and your brother don’t have to hang around me as if I’m made of glass. I think it’s clear by now that I’m made of steel.”
I chuckle at his pun as Dale returns from the bathroom. “We’ll be back in a few.”
I lead Callie inside through the kitchen and then to my bedroom.
“What’s this about, Donny?”
“I want to give you something.” I open my top dresser drawer and withdraw the ring Drew crafted for me. I hold it toward her.
She gasps, bringing her hands to her mouth.
“This isn’t the ring from the safe-deposit box, baby. That one’s not mine to give to you. Not yet, anyway. But my jeweler made this one especially for you.”
“My God…”
“One day you’ll have the real one. I swear. I found out today it once belonged to my grandmother.”
“Donny, that means it’s a family heirloom.”
“It is. But someone—I don’t know who yet—gave it to me. It’s mine, now, and I knew when I saw it that it was meant for you. This one will have to suffice for now.”
“It’s stunning. What kind of stone is it?”
“It’s an orange sapphire—not as rare as the orange diamond in the original. But it reminds me of you, Callie. First, it’s so similar to your eyes, with that gorgeous amber sparkle. But even more so because you’re as rare as any priceless gemstone, Caroline Pike. You’re one in a million, and I can’t believe I’m the lucky guy who gets to marry you.”
I drop to my knees this time and hold the ring out to her.
“Will you marry me, Caroline Pike?”
“Yes. Yes, yes, yes.” She holds out her hand, shaking slightly.
I, also shaking, place it on her ring finger.
“It fits.” She falls to her knees then and kisses me. “I love you.”
“I love you too, baby.”
“So what about…tonight?”
“I know we decided not to say anything tonight, but Dad wants us to make the announcement. He says it’s more of a reason to celebrate than his homecoming.”
“It’s a huge reason to celebrate,” she says, “but it’s no more important than your dad.”
“And this is one of the many reasons why I love you, Callie. So what do you want to do? We can make the announcement tonight, or we can wait.”
“I guess it’s up to your dad,” she says. “It’s his party, after all.”
I smile. “Then I guess we announce tonight. We’ll do it after dinner. After the toast to my dad’s homecoming. Is that okay with you?”
“That’s perfect.” She looks down at her left hand. “I can’t believe the sparkle of this stone. It’s amazing.”
I take her left hand, place a kiss on it, and then meet her gaze. “Wait until you see the diamond. But the real sparkle is in your eyes. They’re a fiery blaze of sparkle.”
