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"Oh, my God, she's gonna give you a chastity belt," jokes Colby.
Trudy flashes Colby a grin. "Better."
She pulls a sparkly diamond ring from the pocket of her robe and slides it onto my left ring finger. I stare at it, and all the breath empties from my lungs. The past and the present melt and I’m as awestruck as the day I was presented this engagement ring by the one man I never truly got over. Drake.
Colby grips my hand and holds up in the light. "Oh my, now this is an engagement ring! But it's not your old one from Raffi, is it? I would've remembered this ring."
I lock eyes with Aunt Trudy, and she holds her hands up in surrender while gripping another dog treat. "You already promised me," she gushes as though she read my thoughts.
Shaking my head, I pull on the ring. "There's no way I'm wearing this ring. This isn't mine to wear."
Trudy folds her arms and smirks. "I think Drake Mackenzie would disagree."
"Ooh, Drake Mackenzie. Now, this sounds like a story that I need to hear!"
Aunt Trudy winks at Colby. "I’ll tell you as soon as Cinderella goes to the ball. No one forgets a man like Drake."
"Not helping, Colby!" The sudden heat on my cheeks surprises me. I haven't heard anyone say his name in so long that I forgot how much I loved the sound of it. I glance down at the ring's lustrous glow and remember the day Drake dropped to one knee. A million butterflies tickled through me as he reached for my hands, looked me deep in my eyes until our souls merged, and then asked me to marry him. I swear I can still hear the low timbre in his voice and the love and excitement shining in his forest-green eyes.
I clear my throat and ground myself back on Earth from my flight through the past and give the ring another tug. "I don't know where you found this, but you should return it."
Trudy rears back as though I struck her, causing a lounging Duncan to scramble to his feet. "I beg your pardon, but you're the one who asked me to keep it safe for you. You said, ‘Aunt Trudy, whatever you do, keep this safe for me because I can’t bear to part with it. I need to keep one piece of him with me forever.’"
This is madness! "Drake refused to accept it back all those years ago."
Trudy smirks. "Oh, I remember what he said." She deepens her voice. "'Keep it because one day you’ll wear it for me. A love like ours is worth the wait, so I’ll wait for you.’"
I roll my eyes, but now my traitorous cheeks are burning. I grip the ring and nearly strip the skin from my knuckle trying to pull it off, but my fingers must’ve swollen since dinner.
"Yeah, well, that was a long time ago, and we were kids without a clue when he popped the question."
Colby folds her arms across her chest, looking unconvinced. "Yet you kept his ring all these years."
I frown and twist it. It’s not budging. "What? It’s pretty. It’s not like I was going to throw it away. It’s a gorgeous ring."
"Exactly," exclaims Aunt Trudy. "You never got rid of it, so wear it and put it to work. Use it tonight to make slimy-fingered men think you're married. It may not stop them completely, but it will slow them down."
Lights shine through the window, signaling my driver's arrival. It's confirmed with the buzz of my phone and his text.
Dave's Event Drivers: I’m here, ready when you are.
I turn back to Trudy and Colby. "I'm not wearing an engagement ring from a decade-old breakup."
Trudy's eyes round innocently. "It has nothing to do with Drake, for goodness’ sake. Wear it, and give your aging aunt peace of mind that it will act as a shield against creepy men hitting on you."
Colby hands me my purse and shawl. "It's not a half-bad idea, Brooke. Besides, what could it hurt?"
Trudy answers before I can. "Nothing! Absolutely nothing. The ring is over a decade old, and her ex-fiancé is on the other side of the country fighting fires in California."
Colby wags her brows. "You were engaged to a firefighter and you never thought to tell me?"
My throat feels tight, and my heart races. "He didn't become one until years later."
Colby places a grounding hand over my shoulder. "Girl, you are putting way too much thought into this. It's not like Drake is going to show up and demand his ring back if you wear it."
The driver messages my phone again.
Dave's Event Drivers: Let me know if you need any assistance.
