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“When?”
“When it stopped feeling like the thing that would make you throw me out.”
He shifts to the edge of the bed. Gently cups my face.
“Nothing you could have said would have made me throw you out. Not yesterday, now or ever. Do you hear me?”
My eyes fill.
“I was so scared I was going to have to leave this house. I was going to have to leave you.”
Something shifts in his face.
“You are not leaving this house or me. Do you understand me, Rosalie?”
Before I can answer him, he groans, drags his hands away.
“Vince? Are you okay?”
He stands and turns away from me, hands fisted at his sides.
“Vince? What’s the matter?”
I’m not scared of him. Something is getting him worked up. I need him to share. He’s done so much for me, I need him to let me in a little.
He unclenches his fists, turns back to me. His green eyes are clouded. His cheeks are pink? Is he blushing?
He kneels on the floor beside the bed.
“I’m sorry. That’s not how that was supposed to come out.”
He clears his throat. Takes my hand and places an old gold ring with three tiny, dazzling diamonds on top in the middle of my palm.
I gasp. Stare at the simple but exquisitely crafted old ring. Its beauty lies in its simplicity.
“Rosalie, I love your strength, how sassy you are, and the sunshine you bring to my life. I can’t imagine ever tiring of being inside you. I want to spend every day of my life with you. Will you marry me?”
I blink back tears.
“I’ve fallen in love with you, Vince. Yes, I will marry you.”
His face breaks into a smile, the green in his eyes sparkling. He’s striking like this, and suddenly, I’m glad he’s only interested in me. It’s okay if he only smiles at me that way.
He stands and sits beside me.
“This was my mother’s engagement ring. My father passed away before they could marry. I’ve been carrying it around since yesterday. If you like it when we get it enlarged, you can have it modified so it looks more modern. Or we can get a new ring.”
“I love it, Vince.”
I wish there were no need to enlarge it, but Vince’s mom must have been smaller than me.
“Good girl.”
The two words, spoken in his husky voice, causes something, low and warm, to surge through me. I shift on the pillow, and the sudden ache between my thighs climbs a half-inch.
He watches it happen on my face.
His eyes darken.
