HE FELT AS EXCITED AS a kid at Christmas. After escorting Melissa to the door of the day spa—where they seemed to do a lot of very expensive things with mud and seaweed—he’d dashed to his car and headed to a nice little jewelry store he’d noted earlier.
He’d seen the trepidation in Melissa’s eyes and knew she was scared silly to get married again. To him, putting a ring on her finger was like getting a signature on a contract.
Marriage was the answer for both of them. Now that he’d made his decision, he wanted to get the thing done. He’d push for an early wedding, too. Once they were hitched, she could get rid of that too-big house of hers and her financial burdens. He had plenty of room.
“May I help you, sir?” asked a buxom, middle-aged woman with twinkly blue eyes behind some heavy-duty glasses.
“Yes, I—” Now that he was here his collar felt too tight. He raised a hand to automatically loosen his tie, only to discover he wasn’t wearing a tie. Or collar. How could an open-necked polo shirt be choking him? “I’m—uh—looking for an engagement ring.”
The woman slid the glasses off her nose and let them dangle from the silver chain around her neck. Something about the motherly way she regarded him made him breathe a little easier. “I see.”
He got the uncomfortable feeling she did see. More than he wanted her to. “And the bride to be? Will she be joining you?” The woman squinted toward the door behind him.
“No. I want to surprise her.”
“All right then. Of course, you can return the ring if she wishes a different style, or—”
“She throws it back in my face?”
The woman’s laugh was musical and young. He found himself grinning. “I hope it won’t come to that. But, yes, we’ll take it back for any reason. Now, what did you have in mind?” She led him to a staggering display of glistening, glittering gems. All neatly paired with wedding bands. The imaginary collar tightened another notch. Absently, he rubbed his own ring finger, only recently naked.
Was he ready for this? He remembered picking out Claire’s ring. God, he could almost hear her giggle beside him, ghostly and far away. They’d gone together and chosen the set of rings that currently resided in a safety deposit box for when the twins grew up.
After a long silence, the woman said, “This isn’t your first marriage, is it?”
He dropped his hands, pondered getting huffy with her, and looked up to see such a warm expression on her face that he felt a momentary urge to bury his head in her ample bosom and tell her all his problems. “No. I’m a widower.”
“I’m sorry,” she said quietly. “And the lady?”
“Divorced.”
“I see.” She glanced down to unlock a display case containing rows of black velvet trays, each one loaded with diamond twinsets.
“Whew. I don’t know where to start,” he said, swallowing against the constriction in his throat.
The woman eyed him with professional interest. “Why don’t you tell me a bit about her.”
“Well, I love her, of course. That’s why we’re getting married.” He said it in his bottom-line voice. So there’d be no mistaking his sincerity.
Two thin-penciled eyebrows rose. “Naturally. I was thinking more of her interests. That can have a bearing on jewelry. If she’s a plumber or competitive swimmer you’d want one kind of setting. If she’s a model or stockbroker you’d want quite another.”
“Oh, I see. Well, between us we have four active kids. She loves to cook. And she’s building a business as a landscape designer.”
“She’ll be getting her hands dirty, then.” The woman’s perfectly manicured hands, sporting quite a glitter of their own, fluttered over the trays and, selecting a ring, removed it and placed it on the glass display case.
“No,” he said. “Too showy.”
“What are her hands like?”
“Huh?”
“Are her fingers short and thick or long and slender?”
“She has beautiful hands.” He flashed back to the way they’d looked trailing over his body last night, and almost groaned. “Ah, long and slender for sure.”
“Take a look through these and see if anything strikes your fancy. The prices are all marked on the bottom.”
He realized all at once that this was a more delicate operation than he’d foreseen. He had no idea what Melissa had worn when she was married the first time. He was determined to get something completely different. He reviewed what little he knew of Mr. Stephen Theisen and immediately figured the guy would buy something huge and flashy, and probably full of flaws. He wouldn’t care so long as it was shiny and big.
“I want a perfect diamond,” Seth said. “Something elegant but understated.”
From the smile the woman beamed his way, he felt like he’d passed some kind of test. She opened a small drawer and pulled out a jeweler’s loupe and a square, black velvet tray. She plucked two diamond engagement rings out of the lot then scanned the rest of the offerings and picked a third from another tray.
With only three brightly winking rings in front of him, Seth felt better. She picked the first one up and squinted at it through her scope. “One very slight occlusion,” she informed him. “Really, as close to perfect as you can get in this size. It’s just under a carat. The setting is very simple, no claws or curlicues to get in the way of gardening or child-rearing.”
He knew the moment he saw it that was the one. He pictured the diamond on Melissa’s finger, and it felt right. It wasn’t a showy ring, but it was both simple and elegant. And, like Melissa, nearly flawless.
He studied the other two because he felt he ought to have a reasonable comparison, but he came back to the first.
“I’ll take it,” he said.
She polished the ring and placed it neatly in a compact box on a plush bed of black velvet.
“Wish me luck.”
“Oh, I do, sir. Both of you. I hope you’ll be very happy. We can alter the ring to fit, obviously, so bring her in tomorrow to size the shank properly. And, if she wants to change it…” The woman shrugged, obviously thinking if Melissa wanted a different ring than the one Seth had chosen, she must be insane.
He gave himself a pep talk all the way back to the hotel. Melissa was good for him, good for the girls. He was crazy about her and about Matthew and Alice. He was doing the right thing.
He was.
Back in their room, he realized he couldn’t sit still and wait for her, so he tucked the ring into his toiletry case, left her a note and went down to the gym, where a punishing workout helped keep his body, if not his mind, occupied.
After the workout, he sat outside on a bench, feeling the crisp breeze dry his sweat, drinking a bottle of water and staring at the ocean. So long as he stayed here, nothing changed. The minute he walked up to his room, he entered a new phase.
He blew out a breath. That was good, he reminded himself.
Good.
He finished the water and knew Melissa would have been back for a while. Feeling every one of his muscles, he rose stiffly and made his way upstairs.
He had his room key, but knowing she was already inside, he knocked.
The second she opened the door, all his apprehension vanished. The woman standing in front of him was stunning. Gorgeous and sexy, and he was crazy about her.
“You look fantastic,” he said, “for somebody who spent an afternoon covered in mud and seaweed. How do you feel?”
“Like a new woman. Thank you, Seth,” she whispered, her red lips curving deliciously. “I feel…pampered.”
“You’re beautiful.” She was, too. In a simple black dress he’d never seen before that fit in all the right places. Her hair and makeup were different than he was used to, more obvious and very, very sexy.
“What was the best part?”
“Mmm. The massage. Definitely, the massage. Did you find something to do while I was being pummeled and painted?”
“Yep.”
“Tennis or golf?”
“I did some shopping, then went for a workout.” Now that the time had come, he felt his collar tightening again.
Her professionally made-up eyes widened, then crinkled when she giggled. “Shopping. Right. Every man I know can’t wait to go shopping.”
“Let me shower and change, and I’ll show you.”
“All right.”
“Can you find something to do for a bit?”
“I’m going to do something I rarely do at home. Absolutely nothing,” she said, and sank into the comfy chair in the corner and put her feet on the ottoman.
He’d been torn between presenting the ring in the restaurant, which they’d rebooked for tonight, and doing it privately. But as soon as he was showered and dressed, he knew he had to do it here and now and get the whole thing over with. When he was with her he had no doubts. Why would he? Any man would be lucky to find a woman like Melissa.
He dug the jewelry box out of his toiletry case, opened it and studied the ring for a long moment. He’d never imagined doing this a second time in his life. Closing the lid carefully, he dropped the box into his pocket and emerged into the room to find Melissa exactly as he’d left her, looking perfectly blissful.
Clearing his throat, he felt as foolish as a boy asking out a girl for the first time. He didn’t have a clue how to act or what to say.
She glanced at the clock when he walked into the room. “We’re a little early for our dinner reservation, but maybe we could take a walk first.”
“I want to show you something.”
“All right.”
“I—uh, bought you a present.”
“But Seth, you’ve already given me so much. This weekend, the spa—I saw the prices in there.”
“You’ve given me much more, Melissa.” His collar was so tight it seemed to choke him, making his words come out hoarse. “You gave me hope. And a future.” It was now or never. He slipped the jeweler’s box from his pocket and held it out. “Please marry me.”
For a moment she stared at him. Then slowly she extended those beautiful hands he’d come to love, red-tipped at the ends from a fresh manicure.
They trembled as she took the velvet box. She didn’t open it right away. He could have sworn she was praying, or making a wish. Then she lifted the lid.
“O-o-oh, Seth.” She stared at the ring, and he knew he’d guessed right. “It’s perfect. But…are you sure?”
He took a couple of jerky steps toward her. “Yes. Trust me.” And as he slipped the ring onto her shaking finger, her tears spilled over.
“I’m going to ruin this very expensive professional makeup application,” she cried, sniffing and brushing the tears away with her hands.
“If we don’t get out of this room, I’m going to ruin it even more.” He kissed her lips swiftly. “Come on. Let’s get a bottle of champagne and the best dinner in the house.”
She admired her ring in the light, and he told her how good it looked on her finger. Which it did. She could be a hand model.
They made their way to the restaurant, which was decorated in cedar and glass, with huge windows overlooking the restless ocean.
When they were seated at a quiet window table for two, he ordered champagne and waited until it was bubbling in two glasses to toast her. “To us,” he said simply.
She sipped, watching him over her glass.
“You haven’t answered my question, you know.”
Her eyes dropped to the ring sparkling on her finger.
“Will you?” he asked softly.
“Are you sure this is what you want? Really sure?”
He stifled every qualm. “Absolutely.”
“And you’re positively sure you love me? I won’t ever marry another man who doesn’t.”
It must be love, this feeling he had for her. This combination of raging sexual desire, gratitude for all she was doing for him and the girls, and this indefinable sense of need. “I love you, Melissa.”
She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them they were bright with excitement and a tinge of fear. “Yes. I’ll marry you. And I promise to love you forever.”
Forever.
Till death do us part.
The unaccustomed twinkle on her left hand snagged his attention and offered him a safe way to back off from the intensity of this conversation. “We can exchange the ring if you want to pick out something else.”
She beamed at him, totally eclipsing the diamond’s sparkle. “This is exactly what I would have picked myself. Well, I would have chosen a smaller diamond. Are you sure we can afford this?”
He lifted her hand and kissed it. “I hope I have absolutely nothing in common with your ex. One thing we sure as hell don’t have in common is financial recklessness.”
“You have better taste in jewelry, too. I should have realized he was all wrong for me when he gave me the ring. It was so—obvious. Like him, showy on the outside, not worth much when you got deep.” She sighed. “I didn’t get nearly as much as I’d hoped when I sold it.”
He’d guessed right. Oh, he had the unlamented Stephen’s measure.
“Well, one problem we are never going to have is ex-spouses interfering with our marriage or causing trouble with the kids.”
A tiny frown marred her smooth forehead. “I hope not.” He didn’t know whether she was referring to Stephen or Claire. He didn’t press for details.
“Another good thing is how nicely we mesh. My daughters will have the mother they need, Matthew will have somebody around the house who likes guy stuff, and you won’t have to worry about money the way you have been.”
“Hey, don’t knock my hard times. I’ve learned a lot about making do with less. It’s got to be such a habit, I kind of like the challenge and I’m proud of my new frugal skills. This dress, for instance, that you admired earlier?” She smiled mischievously. “Four bucks at the thrift store.”
He threw back his head and laughed. He had to. There she sat, the most elegant and beautiful woman in the room, looking easily like a million bucks. In a thrift store dress.
“It’s not funny. I figured out the difference between buying this dress and a brand-new one, and decided investing in my children’s college education would be a better use of my money.”
“Sweetheart, you were meant to be a banker’s wife.”
“I’ve learned a lot in the past couple of years. I’m through pretending to be something I’m not.”
While she ate her fresh halibut surrounded by crisp vegetables and he plowed into his rack of lamb done with an amazing sauce made from local berries, they talked, for once not about their kids, but about themselves.
“Will you still keep looking after other kids?” he asked her.
Obviously, she hadn’t thought very far into the future—well, they’d only been engaged for an hour. She put her head to one side and regarded him. “I think I’ll have to for a while. I made a commitment to the kids and their parents. I can’t close up shop too soon. I can wind the child care up by the end of the school year. I think that’s fair.”
“More than fair,” he agreed, wondering how he was going to like having a day care in the house he called home.
“What about your landscape design business?”
Those gorgeous, lake-blue eyes that had been regarding him widened and he saw a flash of panic. “I love what I do. I’m not giving that up.”
“No. Of course not. I don’t want you to. I was thinking that if you want to start expanding, adding some of those other services, well, you’d be in a better position to do it. That’s all.”
Her expression showed her relief. “Oh. For a second there I thought you were going to tell me you wanted a stay-at-home wife.”
“Melissa, I want you to be happy. And whatever makes you happy is fine by me.”
She leaned closer. “I think I just fell a little deeper in love with you.”
He snorted. “I haven’t started getting on your nerves yet. It’ll happen.”
“I know. I’m kind of looking forward to it. There’s so much intimacy in somebody’s annoying little habits.” She laughed softly. “Stephen used to do this thing—” Then she clapped her newly ringed hand over her mouth. “Oh, God. I’m sorry. What a tactless thing to say.”
He finished chewing and swallowed. “Not really. He was part of your life for a long time. What did he do? I’ll make a note never to make the same mistake.”
She leaned forward and spoke softly. “He threw his dirty clothes at the laundry hamper. About sixty percent of the time they went in. The rest of the time they’d be draped over the edge, or socks would lay where they landed around that hamper. I’d end up picking up the stuff. It drove me nuts.”
“I don’t do that.”
She grinned at him. “Good. What about Claire?”
Suddenly, this conversation wasn’t such a great idea anymore, but he was the one who’d wanted her to go on when she’d tried to stop it, he reminded himself. What could he do but share something about Claire the way she’d so easily done about her ex?
“She, uh—” What? He tried to think of Claire as the woman he’d married, the woman he’d lived with day in and out for nine years. The woman she’d been before she got sick.
And there it was. A memory as clear as the food in front of them. He sipped wine and then said, “She wasn’t the neatest person in the world. And she liked to sew.”
Suddenly, he was grinning at the memory of her surrounded by scraps of fabric. Orange and black as she worked feverishly at two identical pumpkin costumes for Halloween. “She made great stuff for the kids. Costumes and clothes. She was really careful about pins and needles and things because of the girls. But she wasn’t too neat about anything else. There would be slivers of fabric and pieces of thread everywhere. For weeks after. And that sewing machine would sit in the middle of the dining table until we had somebody coming for dinner or I couldn’t stand it anymore and put it away.”
Melissa touched his hand, jarring him back to the present. “I’m so glad you told me that. I was getting scared that she was perfect.”
He shook his head. “No. She wasn’t perfect. But she was a good woman. The best.”
“And you’ll always love her.”
“Yes, but that doesn’t mean—”
“I know. I know. I don’t want to take that away from you. Not ever. What we have is our own.”
The moment was so intense he felt that he needed to escape from all that emotion for a bit. “Anyhow, what I was saying earlier is that if you want to branch out and expand your business, I’m behind you all the way.”
“Thank you for believing in me. But, no. I’m not ready yet, and when I am, I think I’ll go to the bank and get a loan. This is something I need to do myself.”
“Good for you. Dessert?”
She shook her head. “Uh-uh. I’m stuffed.”
“Coffee?”
“I couldn’t.”
“Sex?”
She giggled. “Oh, yeah.”