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Tears burned in Carly’s eyes, blurring her vision. “That’s… I don’t even know what to say.”
“Don’t say anything just yet. You might look at them and decide you hate them,” Mrs. Daniels said with a laugh.
But it took Carly all of thirty seconds to realize that wasn’t going to be the case. Sitting right in the middle of the tray was her dream ring. The diamond sat high and proud in a gorgeous rose gold setting, with smaller diamonds trailing down either side. Nestled into the intricate lacework that supported the main stone was a small, bright, pink stone. “Can I try this one?”
“Of course.” Pulling the ring from the tray, Mrs. Daniels broke with her previous protocol and handed it to Matt instead of directly to Carly.
Heart racing, Carly watched in reverent awe as Matt carefully slid the ring onto her finger. Unlike the others, which had been slightly too small for her, this one fit perfectly.
And she knew, without a doubt, this was the one.
“It’s perfect,” she whispered, not daring to look away from it.
“I agree.” Still holding her hand, Matt lowered himself down onto one knee in front of her, love shining in his dark eyes. “Carly Marie Peters. I love you more than I ever dreamed of being able to love another person. I want to spend the rest of my life as your Daddy, your partner, your husband. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
Nerves danced in Carly’s tummy, but she willed them back. With her heart pounding frantically in her chest, she opened her mouth to tell him yes, yes she would absolutely love to marry him.
And promptly lost the contents of her breakfast all over him.
* * *
Matt
“I’m sorry, I’m so so sorry.” Nearly an hour after their almost-engagement, his babygirl was still crying. And apologizing, no matter how many times he told her she didn’t need to.
“Shh, baby. It’s okay.” Pouring a generous dollop of shampoo in the palm of his hand, he pressed a kiss to her wet hair. “Lean your head back for me, baby.”
Even with her eyes closed, she looked absolutely miserable as she followed his instructions. “I’m sorry.”
“Baby, you don’t have to keep apologizing. It’s not your fault. These things happen.”
“They don’t happen in the middle of a freaking proposal!”
As he scrubbed her scalp, moving his fingers in circles the way she liked, some of the tension started to ease from her shoulders. “It could have been a lot worse.”
“Impossible.”
“It could. What if I’d proposed on the beach and dropped the ring in the sand? Or worse, the ocean? What if I’d proposed to you in the middle of a big football game and you turned me down on national television?”
For the first time since they’d left the jewelry store, she giggled. “I would never.”
“Well, no, because you wanted to say yes. Imagine being on screen like that, with millions of people watching, and you suddenly realize you have no desire to marry the man asking you. That would be a lot more embarrassing, don’t you think?”
“Maybe.”
“Keep your eyes closed while Daddy rinses.” Shifting her under the spray, he rinsed and squeezed the shampoo from her hair before adding conditioner. “We’ll get you all cleaned up and tomorrow, if you’re feeling better, we’ll go back to the store and get your ring.”
“I’m not sick, Daddy.”
“Beg to differ, babygirl.” Picking up a washcloth, he poured her body wash onto the material and rubbed it in slow circles over her back. “Hopefully it’s just a stomach bug.”
“It’s not a bug.”
“All right.” He wasn’t going to keep arguing with her when she was obviously sick, and he didn’t have the heart to be strict with her after what had happened in the jewelry store. “Arms up, baby.”
Luckily for both of them, she obeyed without arguing, and he scrubbed her down before switching washcloths and doing the same for himself. Like a doll, she let herself be rinsed and dried without a peep, which only confirmed for him that she wasn’t feeling like herself.
But her compliance stopped in its tracks when he tried to put her to bed. “Daddy, I’m notsick,” she protested for the third time as he tugged one of his t-shirts over her head.
