Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 55458 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 277(@200wpm)___ 222(@250wpm)___ 185(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55458 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 277(@200wpm)___ 222(@250wpm)___ 185(@300wpm)
“You tell me.” My heart raced as my mind took off, thinking of all the possibilities of what was underneath the tissue paper. It was too soon, I knew, to expect anything as extravagant as a ring, but my heart was ever hopeful.
He smiled and whispered in my ear. “The box is not empty.”
Buried underneath a pile of even more tissue paper was a lone box, and this time, there was no doubt about what was inside. The small baby-blue box with a big white bow sat at the bottom, staring back at me.
“Open it up.”
My hands shook as I reached inside and plucked the box from the tissue paper. It was heavier than it should have been in my hand, and I took my time, pulling off the bow-capped lid with a loud gasp that cut through the silence. A gorgeous oval-shaped diamond sat there, looking beautiful and shiny and tempting.
“Gavin?”
He smiled. “Surprised?”
“Hell yeah, I am.”
His laughter broke the tension in the room. “Good. I have to keep you on your toes.” Where I thought he might release me and run a hand through his thick blond hair, Gavin tugged me closer and pressed his lips to my forehead. “It’s not an engagement ring,” he sighed. “Not yet, anyway. It’s a promise ring, Suzie. As soon as this tour is over, I’m coming home to you. To you and our baby girls. For good.”
“Gavin.” I wanted to stop the rush of promises that he couldn’t possibly keep.
“I’m going to write and record as much as I can from here in Jackson’s Ridge. I’ll still have to travel for interviews and performances, but I hope it won’t always be alone. Sometimes, we can load up the jet with car seats and bassinets and baby bags, and bring the whole family.”
His joy, his excitement was contagious, and I couldn’t help but smile right along with him as he laid out his plans for our life together.
Our life. Together. It had a wonderful ring to it.
He gathered my hands in his and kissed each knuckle. “You have to say something, Suzie Q. Don’t leave me hanging. If that sounds too much for you, I’ll hang up the mic.”
“No,” I practically growled at him. “You won’t. I love you for offering, but that is not on the table. Got it?”
He nodded slowly. “Is it wrong that bossy Suzie is kind of turning me on?”
“It is totally weird. Good thing I love you already.”
He sighed. “I’ll never get tired of hearing that.”
“Good, because I promise that I’ll never get tired of saying it. And you’re not hanging up the mic or the guitar until you’re ready. I love all the parts of you: the rock star, the man, the goofball, the guy who loves his granddaddy to pieces and lets his stepsister move into his guest house. I love that you’d be willing to give it up, but it’s an important part of you. We’ll find a way to deal with the distance.”
“We will? Really?”
“Yes, really. I told you, I want as much of you as I can get, and if that means video calls and texting, I can handle that.” It wasn’t ideal, but I knew Gavin would come back to me as often as he could.
“You get all of me, babe. Every inch,” he said with a saucy wiggle of his eyebrows.
I rolled my eyes. “Promises, promises.”
“I plan to fulfill each and every one of them. And you?” He held the ring up between his thumb and forefinger.
I swallowed. This was the moment of truth, and I did what any sane woman would do when the man of her dreams, the man she loved, offered her a stunning diamond as a promise for the future. I held out both hands and waited for him to slide the ring on my finger. “I promise to love you and support you and to always be your biggest fan.”
His smile was so wide I nearly lost his beautiful green eyes. “Now that is music to my ears.”
Then he kissed me, and it was like the world opened up again; the sun came up and birds chirped their songs.
It was perfect.
Just perfect.
THE END