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“What do you think?” he asked once they were standing in front of the necklace.
“It’s pretty.”
He brushed her hair back away from her neck with the tips of his fingers and leaned in to whisper in her ear. “Do you like it?”
She sucked in a breath. “Yes, S—”
“Did you find something?” the sales woman asked, reappearing with a flourish from around the corner.
Alexander pointed to the necklace. “We’d like to see that one.”
“Of course.” The woman removed the necklace from the case and placed it on top of the counter. “It has a simple elegance to it.”
“That it does.” He picked it up, letting it drape over his fingers. “You’d be able to put a small charm on at the back?”
The saleswoman leaned in slightly, taking a look at the clasp. “That shouldn’t be a problem. What did you have in mind?”
“A heart. And I’d want it engraved.” He turned to face Grace. “Turn around and lift up your hair. I want to see what it looks like on you.”
Obediently, she turned so her back was to him and lifted her hair away from her neck. It only took a few seconds to secure the necklace. As soon as it was in place, she faced him, letting her hair fall. The three linked circles rested just above her collarbone.
He ran a single finger along the black chain down to the gold circles. Seeing it around her neck confirmed it was the one.
Grace’s gaze met his. The look in her eyes matched what he was feeling inside: pride, joy—and, he dared to hope—love. “We’ll take it.”
The sales woman said something, but he didn’t catch it. His focus was on Grace.
“Sir?”
Alexander tore his gaze away from Grace and turned to address the sales woman. He had no idea what she’d said, but it didn’t matter. “How long to get the charm and have it engraved?”
“As long as we have the charm in stock, we should be able to have it to you in a few days. A week at most.”
It took them another half hour to finish things up. He’d looked over the charm options carefully, trying to find one that would work with the necklace and be big enough for what he wanted to have written on it. In the end, he’d settled on a gold heart about the size of Grace’s thumb. He filled out the form for the engraving, making sure every letter was legible.
As they were leaving, a sharp pain shot up his leg and he stumbled. Grace reached out to steady him. “Do you want to stay here while I get the car?”
He breathed through the pain and waited for it to subside. “No. It’s not that far.”
Grace didn’t argue, but she did stay close to his side. He hated having to lean on his cane so much, but it was that or he was going to fall flat on his face.
It took a bit longer, but they made it back to the vehicle. He sat down behind the wheel and breathed a sigh of relief as the aching in his legs eased some. Grace watched him, her brow furrowed. He reached for her hand and brought it up to his lips for a kiss. “I’m all right. My leg just gets a little testy when I’ve been standing on it for too long.”
“Can you take anything to help with the pain?” she asked.
“I have some pills at home, but I try not to take them.”
“Why not? If they help—”
“Because it’s not that bad. Really.” He kissed the inside of her wrist and released her hand. “I just need to stay off it for a while and rest.”
She didn’t comment as he maneuvered into traffic and began heading toward her house. It wasn’t until they turned onto her road that she shifted in her seat. “Are you staying tonight?”
He’d been debating that the entire drive. As much as he wanted to stay, having her lying beside him and not being able to have her would be torture. Still, if he had to lie there and do nothing, he’d rather be with her than alone in his apartment. “If that’s all right with you.”
“Of course.” She smiled. “I can massage your leg like I did before, if you’d like.”
Memories of the last time she’d massaged his leg, as well as other parts of his anatomy, had a whole new type of ache beginning. He put the car in park in front of her house, unbuckled his seat belt, and turned to face her. Tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear, he leaned in and brushed his lips against hers. “Now, that’s an offer I can’t refuse.”
