“Baby,” he whispers, pulling me closer, and a sob I can’t control climbs up my throat. Dropping my head to his shoulder, I hold on to him with every part of me.
“H… how?” I finally get out, and his hand moves to wrap around the back of my neck, holding me tight.
“Your dad gave it to me.”
Leaning back, I take hold of his face then look at my hand resting against his jaw and the ring sitting on my finger. A ring that was, at one time, my MeMe’s ring. She used to tell me stories about the ring when I was little, but my favorite one was always how she and my papa got together and ended up married.
They only went out two times before they got engaged, and not long after that, he left to go fight in World War II. She promised him before he left that she would wait for him to return and would never take the ring off. Even after friends and family told her that he would probably never come home, she kept her promises. She told me she knew that as long as she was wearing his ring that he would find his way back to her. Thankfully, she had been right. A year and a half after he left, he showed up on her doorstep and they got married right away. They stayed married and happy until they passed away within a few weeks of each other. They loved each other from the moment they met, and I knew even as a little girl how very special and rare that was.
“Tell me you’re happy, baby.”
My eyes meet his and I shake my head, trying to fight back the tears burning up the back of my throat. “I’m happy.” I rest my forehead to his and run my fingers along his cheek. “Thank you for giving this to me. Thank you for giving me everything.”
“If I could give you the world, I would.”
“I don’t need the world. All I need is you.” I kiss him, but he takes over, making it deeper and wetter, only to pull back smiling a moment later when someone yells “Get a room!” in our direction, making me laugh.
“Maybe we should get out of the water,” he suggests, carrying me back to the sand, where we sprawl out on the blanket I brought. Pulling my sunglasses out of my hair, I put them on then grab my bottle of water. I take a drink as Sage grabs his bag and pulls out his phone that’s ringing.
“It’s my mom,” he mutters, kissing my shoulder, and I watch him put the cell to his ear then feel my eyes widen when the first words out of his mouth are, “It’s all good, Mom. Swear. She even agreed to marry me.”
“Oh my God! You did not just tell her like that,” I hiss as I hear Sophie shout out in glee.
“Baby, she’s gonna find out,” he mutters, and I shake my head then grab my phone and dial my own mom. The last thing I need is her finding out from someone else—that someone else being Chris—that Sage and I are getting married.
“Hey, honey. Is everything okay?” she asks as soon as she answers, and I bite my bottom lip, not sure how to go about telling her the news. I know she adores Sage, but I also know Sage and I haven’t been together long. “Honey?”
“Sage asked me to marry him,” I blurt, and then turn to glare at Sage when he chuckles.
“Oh, baby girl….” She goes quiet, and I hear her move as she tells my dad my news. “We are so happy for you.”
“Are you?”
“Yes. Why are you not happy?” she asks, and I hear the concern in her voice and close my eyes.
“I’m so happy it’s scary,” I tell her honestly, feeling Sage’s lips rest against my temple and his arm wrap around me.
“That’s the best kind of happy, honey. Hold on to that.”
“I will,” I promise, leaning into Sage as I stare out at the ocean and the setting sun.
“We’ll come visit soon and get to planning. I can’t imagine Sage is going to give us much time to plan a wedding,” she mutters, and I smile as tears fill my eyes.
“I love you, Mom. Thank you for everything, and I mean everything,” I whisper then clear my throat. “Tell Dad I love him.”
“I will,” she agrees. “Love you. We’ll talk soon.”
“’Kay.”
I hang up and drop my cell, listening to Sage as he finishes up his call with his mom, smiling as he mutters, “You’re gonna have to sort all that out with Kim and her mom. I’m not getting into it.” Turning my smile toward him, he shakes his head then kisses my nose. “Yeah, love you guys, too. Talk to you when we’re back.” He pulls the phone from his ear and drops it to the blanket at his hip. “Mom and Dad want us at dinner when we get back.”