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But before the fear can pull me down, a stirring of excitement bubbles in my belly. I gaze at the sparkling diamond, and something shifts within me. It’s not only fear, but a flicker of hope and love. Warmth surges through me, melting away my doubts.
I realize Hunter and I have been through so much together. We make great partners, and have shared our lives together as friends, partners, and lovers. We’ve had more time together than many people. Our connection is undeniable, our bond grows stronger with each passing day. This man understands me in a way no one else seems to.
The idea of spending the rest of my life with him doesn’t sound bad at all. I understand it needs to feel better than not bad, it needs to feel miraculous. But he hasn’t asked me yet. I’m not sure what he’s waiting for, but it gives both of us time to figure it out. I hold the ring a while longer, not daring to take it from the box. If and when he slips it on my finger, I want the first time to be from him, not me stumbling upon it.
With a new sense of clarity, I slip the ring back in the drawer, then frown. I can’t wear one of his shirts now because he’ll know I was in the drawer. I pout as I shut the drawer and grab something from my pajama shelf. Now I’ll be pouty as I wait for him to come home, but leave no trace of my snoopiness.
The weight of knowing this will sit heavy on me, but that’s okay. We’ve been through a lot worse than having a secret between us. We can care about a person and not share every single thing with that person.
I lie down, pretty content as I wait for Hunter to come home. I know if I want, I can have this man for the rest of my life. Knowing this, I close my eyes and drift off to sleep.
ChapterSixteen
Jasmine
Excitement courses through me as I stroll along the beach with Gramps at my side and the salty breeze tousling my hair. He reaches over and clasps my fingers, his weathered hand tightly gripping me.
“I’m so glad you came,” I tell him, meaning it.
“I can’t be away too long, especially when I nearly lost you.”
“You didn’t nearly lose me, Gramps. I was in an accident and lost my mind,” I say, attempting to make a joke. He’s not amused.
This man has always been a steady presence in my life, and a pillar of wisdom and support. I need him. I can’t go more than a few days without a phone call. Gramps has lots of relatives but he and I have a special bond that no one else can quite match.
Today, he and I take a walk together just as we’ve done many times before. He must’ve felt I needed him in our last phone call. I don’t have to ask him to come to me. He always seems to be here when I need him the most.
We walk for a while in comfortable silence, which is saying something when it comes to my larger-than-life grandfather who can be heard from a mile away when he speaks. I feel him stealing glances my way, his expression filled with fondness... and concern. He finally can’t take it anymore.
“What’s troubling you, my darling girl?”
I sigh. I desperately need to talk to someone. It might not be the wisest to talk about love and marriage with my matchmaking grandfather, but I love him and, though this might come back to bite me on the butt, I don’t care. I need to share.
“I was looking for a shirt and found something,” I begin, hesitating to tell him exactly what I found. I’m pretty sure he’d love to see me married, but then again, he might still see me as twelve years old.
“What did you find that you weren’t supposed to find?” he asks. With the grin in his voice I have a feeling he already knows.
“A ring box,” I say, taking my time to share.
“Aspecialring box?” he pushes. “In Hunter’s drawer?”
I laugh. Of course this man knows. I don’t have to say much for him to figure things out. Heck, he might be a mind reader for that matter. He’s managed to make a billion-dollar empire from practically nothing, so I’m sure there’s not much Gramps can’t do.
“Maybe. But Gramps, how will I know when I’m ready?” I ask.
Gramps stops walking and turns so we’re facing each other. “The question you have to ask yourself, Jasmine, is if you’re ready to embark on the next chapter of your life. Sometimes we’re confused, but love fills our souls, and to walk alone in this world is a terrible burden. So many wait too long, and they miss the signs that were leading them to where they needed to be. You’ve never been a girl to hide your head in the sand. You might’ve lost six months of your life, which I’m convinced you’ll eventually get back, but you still know who you are and where you’re going. Don’t give up on yourself, or on Hunter. He’s a good man.”
His words resonate deep within me, stirring up a mixture of emotions. Change is hard for anyone, and even harder for someone who’s as set in her routine as I am, but he’s right. I know this. I just needed him to tell me it’s okay to open my heart.
“I love being with Hunter. I am falling in love with him. I’m just so scared. If I fall in love with him twice, it’s really meant to be, isn’t it?”
“You have to be willing to take the leap,” he says as he wraps his arm around me and we start walking again.
“Maybe I’ve been leaping, and I didn’t know I was doing it.”
He laughs. “That’s the spirt I like to hear from you,” he says. “You’ve never been the type of girl to hide. You’ll know when that boy braves up and gets down on one knee,” he says.
“I thought you said he’s a man.”
