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“But you didn’t want this,” I say miserably. Then a thought hits me. “You knew I was pregnant. That’s why you came in here telling me how much you love me. That’s why you proposed, isn’t it? You’re trying to do the right thing, just like you did with Amanda.”
I watch as the emotions play on his face, concern, surprise, offense, and finally sadness. “I know it’s my fault you think that. If I’d just come clean to you about my feelings earlier, you wouldn’t think that of me.”
“But you told me you didn’t want any more kids. You said you were done building a family. I don’t want you to be with me out of obligation.”
“I told you that before we were together, when I didn’t think I wanted to start all over again with a baby. If I’d known I could have a child that was made of the two of us, I never would’ve said that, but back then, it didn’t seem possible.”
All those declarations of love, then that surprise proposal. It has to be because he knew I was pregnant, right? Then again, he was coming over to talk before everything went to hell yesterday. I just don’t know what to believe. I’m tired, sore, and overwhelmed.
“Do you still have the necklace?” I don’t need to ask him what necklace he’s talking about.
“Check the clothes I had on yesterday. I know I was wearing it.” I motion to the bag of my belongings that the EMTs brought in with me. He sifts through my torn and blooded dress and tights before pulling the shiny silver necklace out from the bottom of the bag. I heave a sigh of relief. I wasn’t sure what had happened to it in the melee.
He places the necklace in the palm of my hand, but I’m not sure what he wants me to do with it.
“You never figured out that the book opens, did you?”
I frown at him. What’s he talking about? I’ve worn this necklace almost every day for months and months. I touch it. I fiddle with it. If it opened, I would know.
“Yeah, I didn’t think so,” he says with a soft smile.
He comes around and gently sets himself on the edge of the bed, careful not to jostle me and cause me pain. “The second I gave it to you, I thought I’d made a terrible mistake. It was impulsive, but I thought it could be a little secret that just I knew about, and it would make me feel the tiniest bit closer to you when you could never be mine.”
I’m so confused. I don’t know what secret he’s talking about, so I just let him continue.
“Every time I saw you after that, I worried you were going to call me out. That my feelings had been revealed and you were disgusted by me, but you never did. I watched you wear it day in and day out, the symbol of my love for you, and it twisted me up inside that it was the closest I’d ever get to sharing my true feelings with you.”
“Dante, I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I whisper.
He reaches for the necklace in my hand, taking the charm between his fingers, and shows me the metal fore edge. “There’s a little secret latch right here.”
He hands me back the charm, and I scrutinize it with my good eye. There is the tiniest slit between the silver cover and pages. If I had noticed it, I would’ve just thought it was a flaw in the pouring process of the metal. The slit is so small I can barely press my fingernail into it. As I slide it along the seam, I can feel it bump against something that almost immediately gives way and the cover of the book pops open, causing me to gasp.
Etched in miniature print on the inside cover and on the first page is a quote I immediately recognize.
“You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope.”
I look up at him, speechless. How could this have been here the entire time, and I never knew?
“When you told mePersuasionwas your favorite book all those years ago, what you didn’t know is that I went out and bought it the next day. I’ve read it again and again to be close to you.
“When you think that me telling you I’m in love with you and want to marry you is too fast and only because of the baby, you’re wrong. I’ve loved you for a long, long time. Probably longer than I’ve even admitted to myself yet. I can’t wait to start this new life and family with you.”
He really loves me. He’s loved me for a long time. He admitted to me yesterday that he was scared. Well, I was scared too. I thought this was too sudden on his part. There was no way he could’ve fallen in love with me and wanted to marry me so quickly. I didn’t trust his feelings, but I should have.
“Ask me again,” I say confidently.
“What?” He looks confused at my sudden change of subject.
I look him straight in the eye, nod my head and say, “Ask me again.”
Realization dawns on his face, and he reaches into his overnight bag, pulling out the jewelry box again. He gets down on one knee, making me laugh, which sets off the pain in my ribs but I couldn’t care less right now.
“Violet Daniels, my one true love. You’re everything I ever wanted and didn’t know I needed. You bring a light to my life that never existed before. Will you please let me spend every day for the rest of my life showing you just how amazing you are by becoming my wife?”
“Absolutely.”
He lets out a little whoop and jumps up. Or rather, pulls himself up. He’s not as young as he used to be, I think to myself with a smile. He takes my hand and gently slides the ring onto my ring finger. His mother had great taste. There’s a large marquise-cut diamond surrounded on both sides by clusters of three smaller round-cut diamonds all set into a gold band.
