Page 130 of Descent


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“Good,” he says, still suspicious as he sets his briefcase down on the counter. “And yours?”

“Also good. I had lunch with Charity after my meeting and went shopping afterward. Those shoes you gave me today were great, thank you.”

He nods, opening the case and drawing out a folder. “I’m glad you like them. What were you doing when I came in?”

I don’t know why, I knew I had been a little awkward, but I didn’t expect him toask.“Um… phone time things.”

That’s an odd answer. I cringe at myself.

Great job, now he’ll never suspect anything.

Of course he does, he’s not a moron, but he doesn’t push the issue right now. “How have you been feeling?”

“Good. I got hit by a little wave of nausea at lunch, but I haven’t been sick again.”

“And Charity is doing well?” he asks as a matter of routine.

I nod. “Yeah. Just busy catching up on work after taking time off for her honeymoon. She wanted to know why it has been taking me so long to text her back lately, and I couldn’t explain that you dole out supervised screen time like I’m a child, so… that was cool.”

Calvin smirks. “I mean, you could have. Probably wouldn’t have gone over well, though.”

“Definitely not.”

He draws something else out of his briefcase, then walks over to the couch with it. He takes a seat beside me, and only then do I realize it’s a selection of glittering diamond rings around a black velvet cushion.

My heart flutters. “What is that?”

“We’re going to find out your ring size,” he says.

“Why?”

Rather than answer, he asks, “Do you like any of these?”

Of course I like them—they’re stunning. Well, most of them. Some are too large and I don’t like the look of those at all, but quite a few are beautiful. There are ovals and squares, clusters and teardrops, emerald cuts and round diamonds, too. Some are simple, some are gawdy, and a few are somewhere in-between.

It’s the in-between ones I like, but I’m afraid to tell him that.

“Pick one to try on.”

“I already know my ring size,” I tell him, not reaching for one.

“Pick one,” he says, losing patience, “or I will buy them all.”

My eyes widen. It’s his money, I shouldn’t care, but that would be such a waste. I grab the ring I like best and slide it on my finger. “This one’s nice, but it has too many diamonds.”

He takes my hand and inspects the ring on my finger, looking at the way the light hits it as he turns my hand. “What do you like about it? The cut? The band?”

“I—I don’t know, I just think it’s pretty. I like the shape.” I regard him cautiously. “Why am I trying on rings?”

“Because I’m going to buy you one.”

“Why?”

“Because I’ve decided we’re going to get married.”

Iknewthat was where he was going with this, but I also knew that was too insane even for him, so I doubted myself.

Rookie move. Shouldn’t have doubted myself.

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