Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 77816 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 389(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77816 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 389(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
I reach for her hand, holding it tightly between both of mine. “No, it’s not. Listen to me, Bex. We’ve been here before. We were sure of each other then, and deep down, I’ve always been sure of you. We’ve acknowledged why we broke up. We’ve faced our demons, grown up and worked through things we never could’ve handled back then. We’re older, wiser, and we know what we want now.”
Her lips part to respond, but I press on. “You’re the love of my life, Bex. You’ve always been. And yeah, as of a couple of days ago, I was scared. But seeing you leave—seeing how close I came to losing you forever—it made me realize I don’t want to waste another second. Life is risky, and if anyone understands the reward of taking a risk, it’s you. I want us to take this leap together. I love you, and I don’t want to wait any longer to start our forever.”
Tears shimmer in her eyes, and she bites her lip, as if weighing her options. Finally, she nods, her voice barely above a whisper. “Okay.”
My heart feels like it might explode as I lean over to kiss her. “You won’t regret this. I promise.”
Hand in hand, we step into the store. The bright lights reflect off rows of dazzling diamonds, and a saleslady greets us with a warm smile. “Welcome! How can I help—” Recognition flaring, mouth hanging open momentarily before she says, “You’re Nash Sinclair.” She looks to Bex next. “And you’re Bex Toliver. I’m such a huge fan and all of us formula female followers are so excited to have a woman in your role.”
I’m used to getting recognized but fuck if it isn’t a thrill to witness Bex receiving that treatment. I hope it makes her truly understand how important she is to racing.
I glance down to the woman’s name tag. “Hi, Lydia. It’s nice to meet you.” Both Bex and I shake her hand. “We’re looking for an engagement ring and you look like just the person to help us.”
Lydia’s eyes light up and I don’t know if it’s because she sees a huge commission coming her way or she’s excited to be serving us. “Wonderful! Do you have something specific in mind?”
“Simple,” Bex says quickly, giving me a sideways glance. “Nothing too flashy.”
I smirk. “Ignore her. Show us the good stuff.”
Lydia chuckles and motions us into a private room. “I’ll be back with some selections.”
Bex nibbles on her nail, looking around nervously, but I have never felt more relaxed. It doesn’t take Lydia long and she’s back in the room with a large velvet tray, loaded with two rows of sparkling rings.
I lean forward in my chair to study them after she sets the tray on the table. Bex, on the other hand, shrinks back a little.
Christ, she’s adorable.
I choose a whopper of a rock that speaks to me and hold it up to study. I glance at Bex. “What do you think?”
“It’s ridiculous,” she says.
Lydia looks disappointed but I’m not going to let Bex send her out for small rings. “Tell me about this one.”
The saleslady takes it from my hand, flips on a light over the table, and says, “This is a timeless and classic round brilliant-cut diamond, five carats. As you can see, it has exceptional fire and sparkle and is completely colorless. There are no inclusions visible under magnification. Of course, it’s ethically sourced, as are all our diamonds. Set in a platinum band, it has another carat of smaller diamonds on the shank. We can do this in gold if you prefer that.”
“No, we’re walking out of here with a ring today,” I say dismissively, taking the ring back from Lydia.
I look at it from all angles, searching for imperfections, but it’s as perfect as she says. It’s twice as large as what I’d bought Bex before, and that speaks to me.
It’s a statement.
“That ring is meant to be cherished for generations,” Lydia says to bolster my desire to buy it. “Truly one of a kind, just like I bet your love story is.”
Bex blinks at those words, her eyebrows raising slightly, but then her expression relaxes. Her gaze comes to me, murmuring, “It is definitely one of a kind.” Her eyes drop to the ring. “Let me see it.”
I grin as I hand it across the table and Bex studies it like it’s a bug under a microscope, turning it this way and that. She’s trying to appear indifferent, but I can see her pulse pounding in her neck, and I bet she’s as giddy as I am at this moment.
Finally, she hands it back to me and I’m a bit disappointed because I think it’s perfect. But then she smiles. “I think I should probably try it on, just to see how… it fits. Would you do the honors?”