AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Want me to text you my options? I’ve laid out a couple of different things on the bed, but I just can’t decide,” he kidded.
“You are absolutely no help,” I muttered.
“Casual is fine, Vivian.”
“Thanks. Was that so hard?”
“Yeah, kinda.”
I groaned. “When did you get so frustrating?”
“I think it happened while I was in the shower.”
“I have to go,” I said, stifling another groan. He fit in with our family so well.
“Me too. If my hair dries the wrong way, I’ll have to do it all over again,” he deadpanned.
“Well, we wouldn’t want that. If you’re late, M will start deducting points.”
“Points?” he asked, sounding confused and not so amused anymore.
“Okay,I’llbe keeping score. Either way—”
“I’ll be on time.”
“Good. Oh, and thanks for last night.”
“None needed. I’ll be there soon.”
“Stone?” I said before he could hang up.
“Yeah?”
“If you hurt her, I will be worse than a father with a shotgun. You got me?”
“I would never hurt her. Ever.”
“Good.”
After I sentStone and Muriella off, I wandered to Muriella’s office and sank down in the chair behind her desk. My stomach knotted. How Daniel had handled the situation became a little more palatable for me, but I was glad I hadn’t told M about prison. I hoped she could find happiness with Stone today, and I didn’t want to ruin that. Didn’t want her to feel the way I did. Scared. Hurt. Desperate. Now I understood why he’d kept it from us.
The timeline of photos marching across the back of the glass surface caught my eye. M added a picture after we returned from wherever we’d celebrated Christmas each year. They’d all been taken in front of a tree, some sillier than others, but the one common denominator was how happy we all looked.
One from New Zealand sat cockeyed on two envelopes. I lifted the frame and picked them up, and my heart stopped when I saw the handwriting. It was Daniel’s, and one of them had my name on it. I held them for a moment, wondering what these were and why M hadn’t mentioned them. The one with her name on it was sealed, just as mine was. I contemplated calling M for about two seconds and then put hers back where I found it and ripped mine open. Inside was a ring. I tipped it into my hand. In the center was a large black diamond surrounded by smaller aquamarine stones. It perfectly matched the necklace he’d given me all those years ago.
I fiddled it between my thumb and index finger, staring. Over the course of our relationship, he’d given me many pieces of jewelry, but never a ring. My instinct was to put it on immediately, but I refrained. I unfolded the papers. My hands trembled as I began to read. He loved me. I knew that, yet seeing it in his writing emphasized what he had so much trouble saying. Through his words, I felt his conviction. That he believed pushing me away was best. Because he loved me.
I covered my mouth with my hand. The crazy man had legally given everything he had to me and Muriella. To take care of us in the only way he knew how.
I held the pages away from me so the tears didn’t smudge the ink. My chest tightened as I read the final words. I’d never been so happy in my life to have been lied to. He’d never wanted to be without me. Now I had the proof of what I’d known deep down all along.
I bolted upstairs, hoping Daniel was back home, and ran straight into him as he came out of his study.
“Where were you? I was just coming to look for you. What’s wrong?” He swiped at the tears leaking down my cheeks.
“This.” I held out the ring.
“Why aren’t you wearing it?” he asked softly, a vulnerability in his eyes that made me love him all the more.
