Series: Shame On You Series by Willow Winters
Total pages in book: 55
Estimated words: 51495 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 257(@200wpm)___ 206(@250wpm)___ 172(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 51495 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 257(@200wpm)___ 206(@250wpm)___ 172(@300wpm)
“Is it the one?”
I hesitate, my heart racing, and Declan informs the jeweler that he wants to keep looking.
“We’ll keep an eye on this one.” Declan hands it back to the jeweler, and we continue moving around the cases in the quiet jewelry store. My heart beats faster. I really did love that ring, but maybe I just loved Declan’s hands on mine. Maybe I would love any ring like that.
It turns out that no, I don’t love any ring like that. We try a few more, moving slowly between the cases. I keep glancing at Declan to see if he’s getting impatient with me, but he doesn’t.
“Are you upset?” he asks, his voice quiet when I shake my head after another ring. “You look sad,” he tells me when I only stare up at him. It’s beautiful, it just doesn’t make my heart beat faster. “If you don’t like any of the rings, we can go to another jewelry store.”
I’ve never seen Declan Cross as nervous as I do today. “I’m not upset with you and I love these rings. Any number of them would be perfect…I was just thinking about my mom.”
“What about her?” he asks although his gaze is on the case. I’m sure he knows exactly what I’m thinking.
“I miss her,” I admit. “It feels wrong to get married without her blessing. She’d want to know about this.” What I’m about to say isn’t fully true, so I rethink the sentence.
“I can understand that.” He doesn't offer a solution though and my heart sinks. We move to the next case and instead of swallowing down my thoughts, I blurt them out. Awkward jeweler be damned.
“And…once we’re married, I have to go back to some kind of normalcy. It can’t always be…you know.” I motion toward the empty jewelry store.
Declan cracks a smile and it changes his entire expression. His eyes light up, and he looks softer than he has in a long time. “You can’t always be in an empty jewelry store? I don’t plan on this being a weekly event.”
“You know what I mean. I definitely don’t want to hide our marriage from the world.”
“I don’t plan to hide our marriage. Trust me on that one, Braelynn.”
The door opens with a little ping and I turn to see Nate hovering near the front door. Our driver apparently wanted out of the cold for a minute.
“Hey,” Declan whispers and gets my attention once again, his dark eyes peering into mine. “I want you to be happy,” he says definitively. “And safe. That’s what I want from this. If being happy includes telling your mom, then we should do something about that.”
My heart does this little flip every time he makes it easy. Why does it feel like I can let go now. Why does it feel like everything is going to be all right, even though I know I should be scared?
“We can tell her. We can have her over or you can go see her,” he says and when he swallows, his Adam’s apple draws my eyes down.
“Are you nervous?” I whisper somewhat teasingly and he flashes a charming smile.
“Let’s get you a ring,” he answers with a blush creeping into his cheeks.
“I want that other ring,” I announce. “The one I loved first with the pink diamond band.”
Declan smiles and takes my hand gently in his. “Are you sure? You’re not saying that because you think I want to be done?”
I stare into his dark eyes and I know I’m still scared and that it isn’t possible for me to prepare for what’s to come. But if he keeps loving me, I’d follow him straight to hell. I whisper, “I’m sure.”
Declan calls the jeweler back over, and we try on that first ring I loved one more time. The older man isn’t pushy. He’s kind and warm and patient, and as soon as he’s sure we don’t feel pressured, he moves to the register.
As he’s placing it into a black velvet box, I notice the red and blue lights in the reflection of the jewelry cases. Tension grows in my shoulders and I pull on Declan’s sleeve. I can’t even speak as the lights flash.
It takes Declan a second longer and Nate calling out, “Boss.” He wheels around and meets Nate’s eyes. Nate looks back at him, his expression set, stoic, and resigned. His eyes are wide though, as if asking what he should do.
Declan takes me toward the door as the cops climb out of the cop car. The car doors slam shut barely being heard over my pounding heart. Another police vehicle pulls up behind them. “I’m sorry my sweet girl,” Declan says under his breath. He puts his arm around me and pulls me in tight. I can feel his barely restrained anger in his tone. “I love you.”