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“I — I don’t know.”
I do. I’m just too stunned to remember I have a preference. I look into the cases, and I can’t form a thought. Everything looks pretty. But the longer I look at them, the more my mind clears.
“I don’t like emerald cut or baguette. I — I don’t like lunette either.”
“What’s that?”
I turn my head to meet Enzo’s gaze. He looks nervous for a moment, as though he might have already made a mistake.
“It’s a style that would allow an engagement ring to nestle against it. It’s like a crescent or semi-circle that the engagement ring stone would slide into.”
I don’t care for how they look to begin with. If I don’t have an engagement ring, then I think it would look — it would detract from a single band. I’m not going to knock the style since some women like it. It’s just not for me.
“Ms. …”
The jeweler trails off, not knowing what to call me. Enzo is quick to jump in.
“Mrs. Mancinelli.”
His arm wraps around my waist as I realize I’m bracing myself against the display case. I’ve never heard anything better — or more shocking. I twist and encircle his waist with my arms. I lean against him and sigh. It’s truly the most at ease I’ve felt since he went out of town. He tightens his hold on me and kisses my forehead.
“Anything you want,piccolina.”
“Really?”
“Absolutely anything.”
I inhale, then nod. I point to different trays, and the jeweler pulls out displays laden with scalloped pavé, French pavé, and shared prong diamond rings. I try on several and almost lose myself in it. I’m suddenly a fairy princess with my Prince Charming texting beside me. I glance over at him a few times when I’m certain he’s on his phone. But the moment I take my eyes off the rings, he’s back to being attentive. Even if he’s on his phone, he’s following the conversation and doesn’t miss a beat when he offers his observations — never suggestions.
I know he just came back from a work trip that I didn’t think to ask about and wouldn’t dare even if I had. He must have things he should have taken care of instead of chasing me into the mountains, then fucking me senseless for hours. He’s trying to be discreet, and I appreciate that. Even when he’s distracted, he still pays more attention to me than any man ever has.
“This one, please.”
I hold out my hand and pray I didn’t pick something too extravagant. I have no idea how big a ring this is, so I can’t even wager a guess at how much this must be.
“Perfect. We’ll take it.”
The ring is still on my finger when Enzo pulls me in for a kiss that no one should watch. But I don’t pull away. I soak up every moment of this.
“Excellent. This nine-and-a-half carat shared prong ring will match the five carat—”
“Thank you so much for your help. If you can clean it, we’ll take it now.”
Enzo practically rips his mouth from mine to cut off whatever the man was going to say. I’m stuck on the nine-and-a-half carats part, then picking out a band for Enzo. It isn’t until we’re about to leave that I realize he was going to say something about a five-carat piece of jewelry. I’m about to ask when we step outside. Instead of a town car or SUV waiting for us, it’s a horse-drawn carriage. And not the kind that are waiting on a corner near Central Park for anyone to hop in. This is way, way nicer. Enzo’s hand at my elbow guides me forward.
“Daddy?”
I whisper the single word.
“Get in,piccolina.”
“Is it safe?”
After watching Afonso get shot today, I’m not so certain I want to be in an open air anything.
“No one knows where we were or that we came into the city. It won’t be a long ride. I promise.”
That’s a bit disappointing. I mentioned never having ridden in one of these and how romantic they look. That was not long after we got together. It was a comment made in passing. I can’t believe he remembers. Once we’re settled in, he leans over to whisper in my ear.
