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Lila took the envelope in her hand and looked at him.
“You said you found your happiness. This woman, she’s good to you? Treats you right?”
Ryker nodded.
“You love her?”
“Yes.”
“You want to marry her?”
“Yes.”
“Have you proposed to her yet?”
“Not officially, but I’d like to soon.”
“Does she know about me?”
“Yes. I told her everything.”
Lila went quiet for a minute and studied the envelope in her hands. When she looked back up, she asked, “How long have you been trying to track me down to get this done?”
“A while. By the way, you should call Momma to let her know you’re settled. She’s been looking for you, too, and your old number isn’t working anymore.”
“I will. I’m trying to be better about... well, everything.” She cleared her throat. “Give me a minute and let me read this.”
She opened the envelope and read over the paperwork. He sat in silence and waited for her to take her time.
When she was done, she looked up at him. Her eyes looked glassy.
“I have to give you something. I’ll be right back,” she said. She stood up and walked up the hallway.
“Wait, where are you going?”
She didn’t respond but came back a minute later. She sat down in front of him and slid something across the table.
His grandmother’s antique engagement ring sat in front of him. The gorgeous ring had a giant sapphire in the middle and diamond accents around it. This ring had been custom-made by his grandfather for his grandmother over 70 years before. She’d worn it every day until she passed, and left it to Ryker for his bride. He’d forgotten how beautiful it was.
As he’d told Jade before, the ring didn’t fit Lila. She’d put it in her jewelry box, with the idea that they would eventually pass it down to their kids.
After Lila’s prior lifestyle, when she sold most of their valuables for drugs, he hadn’t expected to ever see this ring again.
“I know this means a lot to you and your family. The world is a darker place without Grammy in it, and I was so blessed to receive her ring. And I was blessed to be your wife for at least a little while. I’m sorry how everything turned out between us...”
Tears welled up in her eyes, and she swiped at them.
“Sorry, I won’t go there. I don’t know if you want to reuse this ring or not after how things worked out for us, but I want to give it back to you for your family. Now, in hindsight, I think maybe it didn’t fit because we weren’t right for each other.”
“Wow. I didn’t know you even still had this.” He picked up the ring and held it in his palm. It quickly warmed in his hand, reminding him of how warm and comforting his Grammy’s hands used to be.
“I made a lot of mistakes but I would never have lost that. Or sold it. I know how important it is to you.”
“Thank you.”
“Of course.” She wiped her tears away and picked up the papers. “I’ll sign. I’ve held you back long enough. Let’s find a notary and take care of this.”
“You don’t have to do that. You can take the time to have a lawyer review those.”
