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I reach for my coffee. “After yesterday and last night, I don’t think you need the mistletoe.”
“No?”
“No.”
“Good to know. By the way, what are you doing for the next few days?”
You. But rather than say that, I ask, “Why?”
“Because I’ve cleared my schedule until after the New Year.”
After the New Year? That’s a week away. I’ll need to check in with work at least once or twice between now and then, but an extended vacation is looking much more attractive now with this man gazing at me across the bed. I lift a shoulder. “I could help you fill the hours.”
His lips curl into a slow, sexy smile. “I like the sound of that.”
After I finish off most of the slice of cake and pour a second cup of coffee, Garrett eyes me. “Ready for that present now?”
“I have nothing for you.”
“You’re in my bed,” he says, setting the breakfast tray aside and bending down to kiss me. “In my life. And that’s the best Christmas present I could ask for.”
Before I can respond, he slides open a drawer on the nightstand and pulls out a small, fern green velvet ring box. My lips form a perfect “O” as I stare at it in his hands. Panic surges in my chest, a wave of heat rising from my belly as he settles on the bed next to me.
“It’s not an engagement ring, Veronica,” he says, apparently picking up on my line of thinking. “But it is a question.”
I meet his steady gaze. “You’re the one who said questions invite conversation.”
“I did.”
“Even if you know exactly where the discussion will go.”
“Yes,” he says, with a rueful smile. “But I also said I’m open to new perspectives.”
“Fresh ideas.”
He dips his chin, then lifts his eyes to look at me through his long lashes. “Forging our own path. At our own pace.”
My heartbeat slows, still pounding, but now, with trust. He’s meeting me where I am even while making his end goal perfectly clear. My hand is shaking as I reach for the box. My fingers brush his and the sensation reminds me of when I passed him my business card two days ago. Forty-eight hours that seem like forever.
The box is heavy for its size and I cradle it for a moment and take a deep breath before lifting off the top. Instead of the diamond I feared was there, nestled in the slit is an exquisite ruby solitaire. A fiery, striking, brilliant gemstone that transforms in the light from deep garnet to enchanting crimson.
It’s breathtaking and exactly what I would have selected if given the chance.
Garrett shifts at my side and clears his throat while I stare at the ring, the lump in my throat growing. “It reminded me of you,” he says. “Vibrant and captivating and elegant. Plus, it’s as close as I could get to the shade of a Chocolate Cosmo.”
My favorite flower. How he remembered that offhand remark from a few days ago, I’m not sure, but he’s right. The gorgeous jewel is the same hue as the rare flower. And it reminds me of Christmas. In an instant, the heartbreak of Christmas morning is replaced with love.
I look up to meet his warm gaze. “It’s perfect.”
“So, it’s a yes? To wherever this goes? You’re in?”
My chest expands even as my voice quivers. “With my whole heart.”
He withdraws the ring from the box and slips it on my left ring finger. Cradling both of my hands in his, Garrett meets my eyes. “I mean it, Veronica. This is my vow, right here, right now. I’m yours forever, even if we never officially say I do.”
EPILOGUE
GARRETT
